After nailing the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept the good vibes going on Day 2.
Jason Licht was armed with three more Top 100 picks, and didn't have to trade a single one to land some premier prospects to further add depth to the roster. Chris Braswell was the first pick of the night, fortifying the defensive line and giving Todd Bowles another menacing edge rusher to rotate in.
The Bucs continued to lean on the defensive side of the ball with its next pick, which didn't come until the end of the night but was well worth the wait.
Buccaneers select Tykee Smith with No. 89 pick
Grade: B-
Tampa Bay took Georgia safety Tykee Smith in the third round, a move that beefs up the safety room even more than it already had been this offseason.
Jordan Whitehead was brought back in free agency after spending the last two years with the New York Jets, and he'll join Antoine Winfield Jr as the other starting safety on defense. Smith is a depth addition but a darn good one at that.
Welcome to Tampa, Tykee Smith. How about you be the next Ronde. pic.twitter.com/97gDzy2r1o
— JC Cornell (@CornellNFL) April 27, 2024
JC is just excited with that Rondé Barber comparrison, but the fact that the Bucs are adding to the safety room is very notable.
It's been an extremely thin position for Tampa Bay over the last two seasons, and Ryan Neal was a total disaster despite the promise he had. The good news was that the chaos allowed a light to be shone on Christian Izien, who not only stepped up as an undrafted rookie but earned a spot on the roster for the foreseeable future.
Now the Bucs have added Smith to the mix and not only have some serious talent in the room but some much-needed depth.