2017 NFL Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers final grade
By John Buhler
Second Round
Justin Evans
Safety, Texas A&M Aggies
If anything is going to wreck Tampa Bay’s season, it might as well be the Buccaneers’ secondary. Licht did use last year’s first-round pick on former Florida Gators standout cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. However, safety is a major concern in the Buccaneers defense.
Though they re-signed Chris Conte, that wasn’t enough for Licht to feel confident heading into mini camp. Addressing safety in the second round was the right call, but was Texas A&M’s Justin Evans the right pick? Probably not, as this was the only questionable pick Licht made in this draft.
Third Round
Chris Godwin
Wide Receiver, Penn State Nittany Lions
Tampa Bay had two third-round picks. Though the Buccaneers didn’t need a receiver as badly as they did before signing Jackson in free agency, using their No. 84 pick on Penn State Nittany Lions wideout Chris Godwin as an outstanding value pick for Tampa Bay.
Penn State finished as one of the five best teams in the country. While the bulk of James Franklin’s team returns to Happy Valley, Godwin has the chance to be as good, if not better, than the three wideouts that went in the top-10 on Thursday night.
Kendell Beckwith
Linebacker, LSU Tigers
LSU can cultivate NFL defensive talent better than anybody. While Duke Riley went to rival Atlanta earlier in the round, Tampa Bay ended day two of the draft by getting another Bayou Bengal tackling machine in the form of Kendell Beckwith.
He will join former LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander in the middle of Mike Smith’s defense. Smith is a solid front-seven coach, but never had the defensive talent in Atlanta he now has to work with in Tampa Bay. Look for Beckwith to come in and make a difference as a rookie for the 2017 Buccaneers.