2017 NFL Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-round mock
Ahkello Witherspoon
Cornerback, Colorado
After completing the skill players of the team, the Bucs now shift to the defensive side of the ball for some defensive help. At this very moment, cornerback is not the most pressing need. They drafted Vernon Hargreaves very early last season, and Brent Grimes is still putting in work. Josh Robinson is not great, but he does have starter experience, and there is a good chance those are the three starters in Tampa Bay come week one.
However, Grimes is 33 years old, he is already a step slower than he used to be, and he is a free agent in 2018. Witherspoon would be a great pick to let develop behind a veteran like Grimes and has the potential to be an outside threat in the NFL in 2018.
Witherspoon showed up to the combine as the tallest, and longest cornerback in the draft. He was 5-foot-8 coming out of high school, and left Colorado at 6-foot-3. It took him time to grow into his body, and it showed on tape with some balance and fluidity issues.
Still, Witherspoon is a smart and instinctive cornerback who has ball skills and is not afraid to press. He definitely has some ironing out to do, but in the third round, he is one of the highest upside picks left. Witherspoon would be put in a great situation where he can learn and come along slowly, and it would not be a surprise to see a duo of Witherspoon and Hargreaves being a stud tandem in the NFL in the near future.