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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trimming their roster ahead of their regular season, needing to downsize from 90 players to 53 players. 

During the draft, the Buccaneers began to rebuild their team, including the pass rush. The team's outside linebackers combined for 17 sacks a season ago.

In an attempt to address that problem, the team drafted Jose Ramirez, a Florida native who is a product of Eastern Michigan. He appeared in three seasons with the team, tallying 20.5 sacks. He was a part of the team's cuts ahead of the season, according to Aaron Wilson.

Evidently, the team used a couple of picks to address the issue, also drafting YaYa Diaby. While Ramirez certainly has the athleticism to be successful at his position, he didn't have the overall talent needed and didn't have enough experience against premier competition.

Ramirez is an incredible pass-rusher but could get into some trouble if some teams begin to target him and run toward him. Shaq Barrett, Anthony Nelson, and Diaby are just a few players in the same position who were bound to make the final 53-man roster over him.

Had he made the final roster, Ramirez would have been used in situational football. As mentioned, his run defense isn't where it needs to be, and part of that can be attributed to his 6-foot-2, 250-pound frame. He's best suited in a position where can mercilessly rush the quarterback without having to be targeted in the run game.

As a prospect, Ramirez is still worth an NFL roster spot. He's a project of a player, and a team will have to invest in his size and ability to play run defense, but as a pass-rusher, he's still going to be able to make an impact. 

It's hard to imagine he doesn't land on his feet somewhere that allows him to get another shot at a career in football, but no matter where it is, there's needed progression before he becomes any real impact player.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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