Buccaneers Draft Grades For Every Pick

The NFL draft is over and done with Buccaneers fans. Now comes the fun part; grading each of these draft picks and the class as a whole. Sure, it’s all snap judgement based on opinions of players who haven’t stepped on an NFL field yet, but it’s all part of the process. 

We know who these players are. We can project what kind of pros they’ll be. What kind of players did the Bucs get? I give my Buccaneers draft grades for every pick.

Emeka Egbuka – B+

The talent and the character are both textbook Jason Licht. We might not have expected the Bucs to go in this direction and take an offensive player, but once you really look at this prospect maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise. The Buccaneers have built their success on taking players just like this.

Egbuka is extremely consistent and is a dangerous weapon out of the slot. Todd Bowles said he thinks the wide receiver out of Ohio State can play on the outside (which I have some doubts about), but even if he is a primary slot player then he can still be this team’s number one receiver of the future. 

Benjamin Morrison – A

This is my favorite pick of the Bucs draft. Marrison’s coverage skills are excellent and is someone who can play at a high level in both zone or man coverage. On top of that, he consistently gets his head around to look for the ball, which is a big part of why he has been successful in creating interceptions.

Morrison was projected to be a first round pick by many coming into this season. However, a hip injury that required corrective surgery. He’s confident that it won’t be an ongoing issue and the Bucs obviously agree with that. If he stays healthy then this is an absolute steal of a pick.

Jacob Parrish – B+

I was pretty disappointed that this pick wasn’t Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts. Opportunity cost is always a part of the draft and taking Parrish over Watts was a let down. However, that’s not a reflection on Parrish because he is a very good player in his own right.

Not many nickel corners have 4.35 speed to run with their opponent, but that’s exactly what Parrish has. Of course he also brings the physicality and tackling that you would expect of the position. Overall, this is a very good player who fits right in as a tone setter.

David Walker – B+

Walker didn’t play division one, but he dominated his level of competition. An absolute nightmare for quarterbacks, he’s a powerful and skilled pass rusher. On top of that, he’s a high end athlete with a red hot motor. 

Between the level of competition he played against an his advanced age (He’ll be 25 as a rookie) it was always expected that Walker was going to drop in the draft. However, most would tell you he’s one of the most underrated prospects in the draft. If there was a day three pass rusher to have then it was always going to be Walker.

Elijah Roberts – B-

There is some projection built in with this pick. Roberts led the nation in pressures over the last two seasons, so expect him to hang his hat on that. However, he’s a power player who also stopped the run in college.

The question is, where will he play. He was a versatile edge rusher at SMU who moved inside with regularity. He’s 6’3 and 285 lbs and 33.5 inch arms, so he has good size. I imagine the Bucs will play him in a Logan Hall type role and make him a part of their defensive line rotation as opposed to an outside edge rusher. 

Tez Johnson – A

You don’t have to be big to be a return specialist in the NFL. Dante Hall was only 5’8 and Darren Sproles was only 5’6 and they were two of the best to ever do it. So why can’t Johnson thrive in that role, even at 156 lbs? 

Obviously I worry about a player being that small and consistently taking hits at this level. However, if he is just used as a gadget player in limited snaps, he can be a dangerous weapon. After all, he was one of the best wide receivers in the country (with more yards after catch than anyone) at Oregon over the last two seasons.