Twelve Senior Bowl Targets The Buccaneers Could Draft

The NFL draft will soon be upon us. Over the next few weeks we will see dozens of work outs and thousands of mock drafts. We will also see several college all star games and none is bigger than the Senior Bowl.

This is an event that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers always seems to be paying close attention to. Last year it was Jacob Parrish and Tez Johnson that caught the Bucs eye. In previous years it’s been guys like Tykee Smith, Yaya Diaby, Cody Mauch, and Luke Goedeke. In fact Jason Licht has drafted a Senior Bowl player every year that he’s been general manager. 

In short, it’s not a matter of if the Bucs will draft a player from this year’s Senior Bowl, but more a question of how many players they draft from this week’s event. There will likely be dozens of players that catch their interest. Here are my top twelve targets the Buccaneers could draft from the Senior Bowl.

LT Overton, Defensive Line, Alabama

Most of the draft world would tell you that Overton is more hype than he is actual production. He was viewed as one of the top prospects in the draft coming into the year and he just hasn’t lived up to that expectation. No one should view him as a potential first round pick for the Bucs.

However, if you can get him in the second round then this might be a perfect fit. Overton played all over the defensive line for Alabama, ranging from nose tackle to defensive end. This kind of left him as a man without a home. 

Overton has good power and can hold the point of attack. He also has some rush moves and athletic ability to work with. If he can just develop at one position, specifically a defensive end as a Logan Hall replacement, then he could turn into a very nice piece on the defense. 

Caleb Banks, Defensive Tackle, Florida

Banks has had a difficult year. Most of his season was missed due to injury and we really never got to see what this potential first round pick was made of. Now he will have a chance to show people at the Senior Bowl.

At 6 ‘6 and 330 lbs, Banks is a hulking defensive tackle. However, he has more explosiveness than a typical nose tackle. He’s the type that could play next to Vita Vea and help create a brick wall up the middle.

As you would expect, Banks is a good run stuffer. At the same time he also had 4.5 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss last year, so he’s more disruptive than you might expect. He has something to prove this week and if all goes well then I wouldn’t rule him out as a dark horse first round pick for the Bucs.

Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois

If the Buccaneers don’t get an edge rusher early in the draft then they probably aren’t going to find that number one guy that they’re looking for. However, Jacas would be a good pass rusher to add to the rotation on day two. He might never be that top tier guy, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be impactful.

Jacas reminds me a lot of Bucs’ current edge rusher Yaya Diaby. At 6 ‘3 and 275 lbs, this is one of the bigger power rushers in this year’s draft. He also has the mobility to do everything that Todd Bowles might ask of him.

I see these two in a similar role. A good two, but not a number one. With that said, every team would love to get a pass rusher like Diaby on day two and the Buccaneers are certainly no exception.

Penn State Running Backs

This is a two for one special because Penn State has two running backs who I think would fit really nicely in Tampa. 

Nick Singleton, RB, Illinois 

The first is Nick Singleton. He’s the bigger of the two names because he is a freak athlete. He’s incredibly explosive and also very powerful. He reminds me a lot of Leonard Fournette in both the good and the bad ways.

Kaytron Allen, RB, Illinois 

The lesser known of the two is Kaytron Allen. It’s odd that he is “the other” Penn State running back because he became the school’s all time leader in rushing yards this season. However, he’s a niche player as a power short yardage back, but that’s okay because it’s a role that the Buccaneers desperately need.

Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech

This might be the most exciting pass rusher that we will see at the Senior Bowl. Height is a speed rusher who wins with explosiveness off the snap and quickness to bend around the edge or make a move inside. He looks the role of an NFL pass rusher.

Height was known as the other edge rusher at Texas Tech while playing across from projected top ten pick David Bailey. However, that doesn’t take away from the 10.0 sacks that Height had for himself last year. In terms of overall talent, this is a legitimate prospect who will likely go in round two. 

What hurts his value isn’t entirely football related. Height will be a 25 year old rookie. He played six years of college football and he played at four different colleges in that time. Is that the result of this new NIL era or is their a deeper reason that he couldn’t last long at any one place?

Jacob Rodriguez, Linebacker, Texas Tech

In terms of college football, this was the biggest super star on the defensive side of the ball last year. Rodriguez stuffed the stat sheet with tackles (128), interceptions (4) and forced fumbles (7). Every college football fan knows his name and will want him on their team.

In terms of instincts, Rodriguez is excellent. He is always around the ball and making plays. That will translate very nicely to the NFL level. 

The question mark here is his athletic ability. I’m really hoping that we see him keep pace with the rest of this group. If he does then we could hear his named called as early as day two.

Nadame Tucker, EDGE, Western Michigan

In terms of questions to answer, I’m not sure anyone has more to prove than Tucker. He comes from a smaller school, but that has never scared away Jason Licht from drafting a player. What I worry about is the how and the why Tucker was so effective.

Tucker had just one impactful year of college football where he had 14.5 sacks and 21.0 tackles for loss last year. However, he did that after three years where he couldn’t get on the field at Houston. This isn’t totally unusual, but there is one thing that is.

Tucker will turn 26 in June. That makes him a player in his early to mid 20’s who couldn’t get on the field against higher competition, but dominated lower competition. If Tucker can prove himself against some of these big school offensive tackles then it will go a long way for his draft stock.

Thaddeus Dixon, Cornerback, North Carolina

The Buccaneers need cornerback depth. While I like the two rookies they drafted last year, this team still needs to develop some quality backups. The likes of Josh Hayes and Kindle Vildor just won’t cut it.

Dixon brings good size at 6 ‘1 and 185 lbs. He moves really well and seems to have the tools to be an NFL player.This is someone who I could see being a starter somewhere down the line.

Unfortunately, Dixon is underdeveloped. His one year under head coach Bill Belichick was nothing short of a circus from the former New England Patriots head coach and I feel like that prevented him from taking a step forward. Perhaps after a year working with Todd Bowles he can become that depth corner that this team needs.

Rayshaun Benny, Defensive Line, Michigan

The Bucs need someone to replace Logan Hall who likely won’t be back in Tampa. The team drafted Elijah Roberts for that role last year, but he’s a bit undersized and can be pushed around as a run defender. This defense needs a bigger body to bang with the big boys.

At 6 ‘4 and 305 lbs, this Detroit native brings some of that grit that the defensive line needs. He’s been a consistent contributor with Michigan going back to their national championship year.

Benny is a day three player who will never be a high impact guy. With that said, he can defend the run and has decent athletic tools to work with. Rotate him in situationally with Roberts and I think he’ll make a good role player.

Kyle Louis, Linebacker, Pittsburgh

Linebacker is the Buccaneers biggest need going into the offseason. They need to add not one starter, but two. Additionally, they need to improve their overall depth even if they bring in two new starters at this position.

Assuming the Bucs draft a linebacker early and sign one in free agency, I really like Louis as that depth piece. He is undecided, but uses that to his advantage in some ways. He is excellent in coverage and can be used specifically in that role while SirVocea Dennis can be more of that box run stuffer off the bench. 

With the speed and physicality that Louis has, he projects as a good special teams player. This is an important skill set for a situational depth player to have. Louis might never be a starter, but he’s the type of day three depth guy who can quietly have a big impact on a team.

Trey Zuhn, Offensive Line, Texas A&M

The depth of the Buccaneers offensive line room was tested in a big way last year. And while it seems like the team has found a diamond in the rough with undrafted rookie offensive tackle Benjamin Chukwuma, it became very clear that this team needs more help on their interior. 

Zuhn is very much a Jason Licht type. He was a college left tackle who seems to be a pretty good athlete. Despite this, most project him to play center or guard at the NFL level. This is the type of developmental transition that Licht has thrived with.

This is also a player that seems to have the high level of character that have defined the Buccaneers draft picks over the last several years. He is a multi year captain who brings a level of maturity as a 23 year old grad student. In terms of intangibles, projection and need, I can’t wait to see what this guy can do at the Senior Bowl.