Vernon Hargreaves hasn't played a down in the NFL yet, but already has a feel for how he'll match up against some of the best wide receivers in the league. Hargreaves, a cornerback who played at the University of Florida before declaring for the NFL Draft, spent his collegiate career guarding several wide receivers who have already established themselves as some of the NFL's elite.
READ: MOCK DRAFT ROUNDUP, 2.0
"In the SEC, I've covered Amari Cooper, I've covered Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Kelvin Benjamin,'' he said. "I've covered those guys before. I've seen them before. Not to say that I'm ready necessarily, but it definitely helps to have covered them before, to track them before."
ESPN's Mel Kiper believes the Buccaneers will select Hargreaves with the No. 9 pick in this year's draft.
Hargreaves not only competed against those players, but saw some success as well; he faced Beckham in 2013, Hargreaves and Florida held the former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year to just two catches for 47 yards.
Most NFL Draft analysts believe that the Buccaneers will use their first-round pick on a defensive player, selecting either a cornerback or a defensive end. Hargreaves and Florida State's Jalen Ramsey, many believe, are the two-best corners entering the draft, but Ramsey could be gone by the time the Buccaneers pick at No. 9.
Hargreaves could still be there as the top ten winds down. If he is, he could be a target for the Buccaneers. ESPN's Mel Kiper has Hargreaves going to the Buccaneers in his lastest mock draft, as do NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein. Hargreaves and Ramsey, along with several other defensive backs, took the field on Monday for the final day of workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
