The NFL Scouting Combine phase of the offseason will officially commence on Feb. 24 and will run through Mar. 3. Teams use the Combine, a standardized annual event, to assess hundreds of college football's top prospects before the Draft. The week-long period consists of physical and mental testing, as well as interviews and medical evaluations. How players perform during the preliminary testing as attention is garnered on a national scale and the pressure builds can determine placement on mock drafts from various pundits. Each year players rise and fall based on athleticism displayed in Indianapolis. Free agency looms, which also plays a vital role in dictating the hierarchy of needs for each franchise. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are slated to pick 19th overall in the first round. Here are predictions as to who could come off the board in the first round:
NFL.com
- Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com (Feb.18)
- Pick: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
- Comments: McMillan could go earlier in Round 1, but Tampa Bay would be a perfect landing spot. Chris Godwin is due to become a free agent, and Mike Evans can't play forever, can he?
CBS Sports
- Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports (Feb.21)
- Pick: WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
- Comments: If Chris Godwin stays in Tampa this doesn't happen, but if the Bucs let him go, Luther Burden III is a ready-made replacement. He's a dynamic playmaker who does his best work out of the slot.
The Draft Network
- Keith Sanchez, The Draft Network (Feb.23)
- Pick: Edge Mike Green, Marshall
- Comments: The edge rusher position is one that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken multiple swings at in order to find a true premier guy. While YaYa Diaby appears to be an ascending edge rusher for the Buccaneers, they still need to find a counterpart that can help boost this pass rush further. So, with this pick, the Buccaneers go with Marshall edge rusher Mike Green. Green is an explosive player who has the upside to be a double-digit sack producer. With how much Todd Bowles likes to blitz, it could give Green more one-on-one opportunities to be successful very early in his career.
PFF
- Dalton Wasserman, PFF (Feb.24)
- Pick (trade with Rams, Bucs pick at 26): Edge Mykel Williams, Georgia
- Comments: Tampa Bay gains an extra pick from the Rams and picks up a versatile, high-ceiling player in Williams. While he still needs to develop as a pass-rusher, Williams would help a Buccaneers edge unit that had just one player grade above 60.0 in run defense last season.
The Athletic
- Beat Writer Mock Draft, The Athletic (Feb.20)
- Pick: LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
- Comments: Lavonte David and K.J. Britt may be headed to free agency, so it's a good thing Campbell is such a perfect fit for Todd Bowles' aggressive defensive system. The 6-3, 245-pounder played off-ball linebacker for the Crimson Tide, but he's athletic enough to play on the edge, too. Campbell only registered 5.5 sacks in three seasons at Alabama, but his athletic profile is undeniable. He was a five-star prospect and the No. 1 edge rusher in his high school recruiting class.
