Round 7, Pick 255: Donte Kent, CB/Central Michigan
Day 3 picks are essentially lottery tickets, but it's also where Jason Licht has cooked up some truly delicious selections in the past. Turning attention back to the defensive side of the ball. Donte Kent feels like he checks a ton of boxes for the type of guy Licht likes to target as a potential impact player.
Last year undrafted rookies like Christian Izien, Kaevon Merriweather, and Keenan Issac all worked their way into playing meaningful snaps during the season. That was a testament to Licht and his scouting department's ability to find guys late in the draft who had skills worth developing, and Kent fits that sort of mold.
He comes from MAC school -- another Licht specialty -- and fills a few different needs the Bucs have. Cornerback depth was an issue at times last year, especially with both Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean missing time due to injuries with the Week 3 loss to Philadelphia being a total nightmare scenario. Josh Hayes was drafted last year to add some depth, and Kent could step in and provide some more.
PFF has him graded in the 70s for his ability to work in zone coverage, which he's better suited for than man coverage. We all know how much Todd Bowles loves his zone coverage, and Kent fits right in. He's on the shorter side at 5'11" and he needs to work on his coverage skills -- he allowed 65% of his targets to become receptions -- but only gave up three touchdowns last season and has the sort of raw ability that is worth taking a flier on as either the team's last pick or scooping up as part of the next UDFA class.