It's hard to not feel great about what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did at the NFL Draft this year, and that extends beyond the names we heard announced at the podium. After putting together a draft class that included guys like Emeka Egbuka, Benjamin Morrison, and David Walker, the Bucs worked to secure some key undrafted talent as well.
Among the most notable names signed, not just by the Bucs but across the league, was Colorado safety Shilo Sanders.
Tampa Bay signed Sanders to a deal that will see him compete for a roster spot in August, and head coach Todd Bowles is already raving about what the kid can do.
“I think he’s a good football player. He’s a heck of a tackler and he knows the game very well — he can see the game very well," Bowles said. "So, giving him a chance to play, we think he has a shot to help us from a safety standpoint and from a special teams standpoint. So I’m excited to get him in here and see how he moves. I saw him tackle all year. I saw him make plays. He’s a very smart player and he understands the game very well. So we thought it was worth a shot to see what he can do and I think he’ll show himself well.”
That's a pretty glowing endorsement, and seems to be an early indication that Sanders might have more than a decent chance of making the Bucs 53-man roster this August.
Will Shilo Sanders make the Buccaneers 53-man roster this year?
We won't know for sure what he looks like until rookie minicamp opens and training camp rolls around, but this is a pretty great sign right out of the gate.
As far as how Sanders might make the roster, special teams seems to be his best bet but it's not outside the realm of possibility that he makes it as more of a safety option. The Bucs have been thin at that position the last few years, and head into the camp portion of the offseason with Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith as the only two reliable options.
Christian Izien seems like more of a nickel-corner than a free safety option, which opens up a potential path for Sanders to fill the gap. That's getting way ahead of ourselves, though, as we first need to see what he looks like on the field.
That won't happen until mid-May, but it's already starting to sound like Sanders has more than a decent chance to make the final roster. If anything, it will be one of a handful of things for Bucs fans to keep an eye on and invest themselves in over the next few months.
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