The Buccaneers turned their attention to Todd Bowles’ defense on day two of the draft.
After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers treated their fanbase to a fairly significant surprise in round one, they took a much more predictable approach in day two.
Where The Bucs Got It Right
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The Buccaneers locked up offense on day one, but day two saw the team shift their focus back to defense— Specifically the defensive backfield. The Buccaneers had just two picks Friday night and they doubled down on cornerback.
Tampa Bay needed help on defense like toilet paper needs a roll and after Thursday night’s stunner, the Buccaneers got back to basics addressing a need many figured they would.
With their round two selection, the Bucs snagged the first of their two brand-new shiny toys for Todd Bowles, in Benjamin Morrison.
Morrison, out of Notre Dame, is a big outside-the-numbers cornerback. While the Buccaneers’ starting corners are likely set for week one of next season, Jamel Dean has a long history of games missed. Dean has yet to play a full slate of games in the NFL. With Dean likely to miss time and nearing the end of his contract (potentially tenure) with the Bucs, drafting Morrison sets Tampa up for success in 2025 as well as further down the line.
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With their second pick of the night, the Buccaneers double-dipped at corner and scooped up Jacob Parrish. The selection of Parrish is actually a very telling pick. Parrish has versatility and likely will be deployed as a nickel corner in Todd Bowles’ defense. Last season, the Buccaneers had rookie Tykee Smith playing the nickel cornerback position. There have been hints of Tampa moving Smith to his natural position of safety and that would appear to be the case. After the team let Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards leave, the team was either set to draft a safety, leaving Tykee Smith as a slot corner, or taking a slot corner and shifting him to safety. Living inside the latter scenario, the Buccaneers would appear have enough horses for their secondary heading into the 2025 season and beyond.
Where The Bucs Got It Wrong
One thing that is interesting is while the Buccaneers did emphatically check off a box— Cornerback, they did leave other (front seven) boxes unchecked.
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Heading into day three of the draft, the Buccaneers have not addressed their consistently disparaged edge-rusher group. The team signed Haason Reddick in free agency while also bringing back Anthony Nelson to play his continued rotational role. Still, the group is mostly counting on players who were there a season ago when the unit underachieved.
The Buccaneers also have neglected multiple opportunities to provide Lavonte David with a running mate. The 2024 season was peppered with difficulties to sustain quality linebacker play opposite David, who is returning next season but for how many more rodeos?
Not only do the Buccaneers need help at the position in the current, but long-term Tampa Bay will need to make an investment.
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