Where you land matters. Not every NFL organization is competing for championships every year. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a finite ceiling under their current regime, the floor is still incredibly high. Since winning Super Bowl 55 over the Kansas City Chiefs during COVID, the Buccaneers have had a stranglehold on the NFC South, having won the division the last four years.
One of their biggest advantages, in addition to striking gold on Baker Mayfield in the wake of Tom Brady retiring, has been the defensive mind of head coach Todd Bowles. He may only be so-so as a head coach, but he is simply overqualified to be anyone's coordinator anymore. Bowles is adept at getting his defensive front-seven players to make plays. Expect for David Walker to do the same.
Tampa Bay took a flier on the former FCS star out of Central Arkansas in the fourth round. Yes, he may have dominated at a lower level, but he dominated at a lower level. I would much rather take a calculated risk on an FCS player who pulverized his competition than an underdeveloped guy with NFL traits. Plus, it was not like Chris Braswell or Anthony Nelson were really crushing it last season.
Here is why Tampa Bay is the right organization to draft a player with considerable upside like Walker.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have landed a draft steal in David Walker
All throughout the NFL Draft process, the Buccaneers were tied to former Alabama Crimson Tide star linebacker Jihaad Campbell. It seemed like a match that was destined to happen. Campbell was a plug-and-play guy, while the defensive-minded Bowles would know exactly how to use him from day one. Instead, the Buccaneers reached on former Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
It was not until the early stages of day three that Tampa Bay got its solution at linebacker in the form of Walker. My FanSided.com colleague and False Start co-host Cody Williams raves about this guy. He may be more inclined than me to hype up a lower-level prospect, but I think we both would agree that Tampa Bay is absolutely perfect for a player like Walker. This is a playoff team in need of a boost.
At some point, the iconic Lavonte David is going to hang up the spikes. In due time, one of the Buccaneers' division rivals will emerge as a viable threat. The Atlanta Falcons seem like the best bet for that, especially after sweeping the Buccaneers a year ago. However, the Carolina Panthers should be much improved over what they were a year ago. 2025 is not the year for the New Orleans Saints...
To put it as simply as I can, Tampa Bay is a place where sustained winning can still be had, but the right influx of new talent can keep it fresh. It is up to notable draft picks such as Egbuka and Walker to make a difference in that regard. Tampa Bay has been able to reinvent itself seemingly every offseason with a new offensive coordinator. This is because the defense is the heartbeat of the team.
Walker will be asked to do a lot as a rookie, but the Buccaneers took him because they know he can.