Buccaneers land potential sleeper QB and more in latest 7-round NFL Mock Draft
By Brad Smith
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Round 7, Pick 254: KT Leveston, OT/Kansas State
Over the last four seasons, the Buccaneers have continued to add depth and talent to their offensive line. Dating back tot the 2020 draft, Tampa Bay has selected at least at least one offensive lineman that is still on the team, highlighted by star left tackle Tristain Wirfs.
Coupled with 2022 and 2023 second-round picks Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch, along with 2021 third-round pick Robert Hainsey, and four of the five starters on the offensive line are still under the rookie contracts.
Even so, Tampa Bay was still forced to rotate tackle Justin Skule, guard Aaron Stinnie, and guard Matt Feiler as the fifth starter on the offensive line. With Skule, Stinnie, and Felier at 27, 29, and 31 years old, it becomes clear that newly hired offensive coordinator Liam Coen and offensive line coach Kevin Carberry make clean house ahead of the offseason.
With Coen's and Carberry's expertise at developing offensive line, the Buccaneers add Leveston with their final pick in the draft to bolster their offensive line with young talent. At 6'5" and 330 pounds, Leveston is a positionally flexible offensive lineman with good traits and a strong athletic profile.
During the 2022 season as the Wildcats' starting left tackle, Leveston was impressive, starting in all 14 games and helping Kansas State finish 15th in the nation with 208.3 rushing yards per game, the school’s best national ranking since 2003 (9th) and best mark since 2016 (231.8 RYPG).
In addition, Leveston also helped Kansas State rank third in school history in rushing yards per carry (5.12), fourth in total rushing yards (2,916), and tenth in rushing touchdowns (32). With that, Leveston was named as an All-Big 12 Team Honorable Mention, and picked up First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors.
In the ensuing 2023 season, Leveston was even better for the Wildcats. Starting in all 13 games, Leveston helped the Wildcats rank in the top 10 in school history in 32 game or season categories, including a school-record 30 passing touchdowns, second in the nation for offensive yards per game (445.2) and first downs (310), and third in college football in total yards (5,788).
Similarly, Kansas State finished the season in the top 30 nationally in 11 offensive categories, including scoring, rushing, third down conversions, rushing touchdowns, and first downs. To top it all off, Leveston was not flagged for a penalty in any of his 909 in-play offensive snaps. As a result, Leveston earned All-Big 12 Team Honorable Mention for a second-straight season, while also being named to the 2023 Outland Trophy watch list.
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