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2019 NFL Draft: 5 players Buccaneers could take in Round 1

By Rucker Haringey

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: Bruce Arians head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is seen at the 2019 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: Bruce Arians head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is seen at the 2019 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss Rebels
OXFORD, MS – SEPTEMBER 8: D.K. Metcalf #14 of the Mississippi Rebels catches a pass during a game against the Southern Illinois Salukis at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Oxford, Mississippi. The Rebels defeated the Salukis 76-41. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

4. D.K. Metcalf

This represents the highest point where the freakishly athletic Ole Miss receiver can go in the draft. There just aren’t many 6-foot-3 wideouts in the NFL that can legitimately run a 4.33 40 as D.K. Metcalf did at the Scouting Combine.

It’s important to note that Metcalf’s athletic testing didn’t go perfectly in Indianapolis. The 7.38 he posted in the three-cone drill raises a lot of legitimate questions about his agility. Despite those concerns, Metcalf is still a lock to be the first receiver taken.

If the Buccaneers are going to stick with Winston as their quarterback in 2019, they need to give him enough weapons to succeed. The departures of DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries leave Tampa Bay short of talent on the outside. Mike Evans is terrific, but he needs a quality option on the other side of the field to help keep defenses from double-covering him on every down.

The Buccaneers can only afford to select Metcalf here if they believe he projects to be a perennial Pro-Bowler. He definitely has that ceiling, but his probably of reaching his full potential is an open question in NFL circles.

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