Buccaneers land successor to Baker Mayfield in latest 7-round NFL Mock Draft
By Josh Hill
Round 6, Pick 220: Jarius Monroe, CB/Tulane
Tampa Bay doesn’t have a fifth round pick this year, so unless Jason Licht trades for one the Bucs won’t be on the clock again until the sixth round. That just gives them time to think about Jarius Monroe and how he might be able to add the right sort of cornerback depth the team needs.
Jarius Monroe (@jayboedagoat) had one interception in three seasons at Nicholls (Sep 14, 2019 in his second career game at Prairie View)
— Jack Benjamin (@JackBenjaminPxP) January 2, 2023
He just grabbed his third this year for Tulane, in the Cotton Bowl, against USC, a play after being called for pass interference. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/mTpAamArRy
Carlton Davis getting trade to Detroit created a need to find some more depth at cornerback, but it doesn’t appear to have vacated a CB1 role the way we all thought it did. Todd Bowles sounds like he wants Zyon McCollum to step up and prove himself, which means there might not be a rush to draft a cornerback too high.
Waiting for Monroe might pay off. He’s a 6’2” corner who PFF graded out as a 82.4 zone coverage guy, which is perfect for Todd Bowles. McCollum and Jamel Dean will be the top guys, with Bryce Hall signed as a CB3, but there’s a chance Monroe challenges him for that role.
Jason Licht loves his smaller school players, and Monroe coming out of Tulane as a guy with a lot to prove feels like he checks the right amount of boxes.
Round 7, Pick 246: Jaden Shirden, RB/Monmouth
The Bucs re-signed Chase Edmonds in free agency, which suggests he’s going to try and lean into the RB2 role in ways he couldn’t last year due to injury. Something that needs to be addressed, though, is running back depth because Tampa Bay lacks it.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn lost his job midway through last season and the honeymoon was over quickly for Sean Tucker. Tampa Bay has Rachaad White so there’s not need to overdraft a guy for depth, but Todd Bowles did mention that he wants the team to add at least one more guy and Jaden Shirden seems like a decent candidate.
#FCS In Monmouth's 61-10 win over Hampton, Jaden Shirden carried the ball 16 times for 276 yards (17.3-yard average) and four TDs (9, 63, 25 and 72 yards). pic.twitter.com/fMGZDnPvCn
— FCS Football (@FCS_STATS) October 14, 2023
He’s a small school guy, so that box is checked, but he also adds some dynamic to the backfield. Shirden averaged over three yards after contact and finished last season with nearly 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns as well as a 83.6 rushing grade from PFF.
Shirden isn’t going to be a RB1 but the Bucs don’t need that from him. What he could bring as a depth guy makes a lot of sense and could result in Tampa Bay taking a flier on him before the draft is over.
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