CB Draft Review

The NFL draft is quickly approaching, and as the combine winds down it’s time to start preparing for whom the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will announce as their selections on that stage at Lambeau Field. To simplify this process, I’ve ranked seven of the Bucs needs:

This is the point on the list where I can understand if you’ve put any of the remaining positions as your number one need. The Bucs defense was plain awful last year. There were a few solid games, but most of the season they were injured, and their depth was perhaps their biggest overall weakness. With every offensive starter (on one of the best offenses in the league) returning next season, expect the Krewe to stock up on high value defenders throughout the entire draft. Luckily, this is one of the stronger position groups in the draft, even outside of headline-dominating Travis Hunter, particularly in the first three rounds. While they have Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum on the roster, neither was particularly exciting or even consistent. Dean dealt with injuries throughout the year (what else is new?), while McCollum showed signs of development, but I would be reluctant to say he is trustworthy.

This seems to be a position the Bucs have struggled to keep consistent playmakers, with players like Carlton Davis getting paid a boatload by New England after being traded last year, and before that, it was frustrating to watch the failed developments of early picks like Vernon Hargreaves and Sean Murphy-Bunting. Still, the Bucs need to address this position early this year, and if the right player lines up at the right time, don’t be surprised to see them use their first round pick on this position.

Rather than just listing drills and a bunch of numbers, I’ll be using the RAS system, created by Kent Lee Platte (@mathbomb and @mathbomb.bsky.social on Twitter and Bluesky). RAS, or Relative Athletic Score is a composite scale that factors height, weight, speed, and agility drills to spit out one number that can be viewed as a percentile. For example, QB Mac Jones had a RAS of 7.15, meaning he is just below the 72nd percentile for physical traits among QBs, while former WR Calvin Johnson’s 2007 combine and Anthony Richardson’s 2023 combine scored them a perfect 10.00 for their respective positions.

Until pro days finish, I’ll be using combine measurements as well as available film to break down each prospect, which means if they didn’t test certain drills at the combine, their RAS may be incomplete.

What are the Bucs looking for in a Cornerback? The key number, especially for an early-round selection, is going to be their Relative Athletic Score. Nearly all of Licht’s early CB selections have been freaks of nature. Licht and Bowles are aligned here: Big, physical, fast, agile Corners are the key to the style of defense they want to play. They rely on a high blitz rate, and they often leave their corners alone on islands in zone coverage. Of Lichts draft picks, here are the highest rated CBs by RAS:

Vernon Hargreaves III 9.26

Sean Murphy-Bunting 9.64

Jamel Dean 9.93

Zyon McCollum 10.00

They absolutely need to draft someone who can be a competent Nickel Corner as early as next year, given that rookie breakout Tykee Smith is slated to move to Safety next year.

TX Jahdae Barron

5’10” 6/8 194 lbs

40 yard dash: 4.39s

Vertical: 35in

Broad jump: 10’3”

RAS: 8.82

Barron is pretty widely considered to be the second best cornerback in the draft this season, and in most other years it wouldn’t be crazy to say he would be the best. While slightly undersized, it does give him an advantage in terms of versatility as he played a little bit of everything at Texas. He could start at any of the three and be just fine as a rookie. This would be a best case scenario pick for Tampa. He’s among the best in the country against the run and in zone, and his flaws, while few and far between, are fixable at the next level. He does tend to get handsy when he’s matched up with faster receivers, and gets a little antsy with his back to the ball, but his ball tracking skills are top tier, and I suspect both of these issues will get resolved with reps in the pros. I’m not sure he will fall to the Bucs, as his hype has reached a wider audience of fans, but this draft class is weird: it seems like there’s no consensus on what will happen even in the top three picks, much less the first round. With the way offensive players have been taken early in the draft the last couple years, a slide to the 19th pick is feasible, and would be a no-brainer decision.

Fit Grade: A+

MICH Will Johnson

6’1” 6/8 194 lbs

RAS: ???

Unfortunately for the RAS fans (me), Will Johnson will not participate in Michigan’s pro day after suffering a hamstring injury. After a weird 2024, where he missed half the season with turf toe, and was oddly inconsistent the other half, I’m hoping he sees a return to form in the pros. I had high hopes after his 2022 and 2023 seasons, where he posted elite numbers. From what we do know, his bigger frame allows him to match up against anyone, and he’s got the quickness and change of direction to play anywhere on the field. I have concerns about his straight line speed, and how that will affect his already weak man coverage, but he is above replacement in zone and against the run. I have concerns about his tackling as well, but that’s become a theme for Bucs DBs anyways. It’s even more likely he falls to 19 than Barron, and I suspect he would find himself here if that were the case.

Fit Grade: A-

MISS Trey Amos

6’0” 6/8 195 lbs

40 yard dash: 4.43s

Vertical: 32.5in

Broad jump: 10’6”

RAS: 8.87

Amos is in an unfortunate spot on the draft board for the Bucs, as I don’t believe he’s worth a 19 overall selection, but he probably won’t fall to the Bucs second round pick. Other than having some tackling issues, he doesn’t have any holes to his game. He’s pretty great in coverage and above average elsewhere. The former track standout is instinctual and gets very active with his hands, though not usually to the point of drawing penalties. His limited production in terms of interceptions is concerning (just four in his five year career), but he could be a CB2 as early as next year, and if the Bucs don’t like what’s available for them at other positions, perhaps they call his name in the first round.

Fit Grade: B

UK Maxwell Hairston

5’11” 2/8 183 lbs

40 yard dash: 4.28s

Vertical: 39.5in

Broad jump: 10’9”

RAS: 9.63

Hairston made some money at the combine. His draft stock has taken off in the last month. Mad Max missed almost half the season with a shoulder injury, and he graded pretty poorly against almost everyone this season. Don’t let the counting stats fool you either. His interceptions were more being in the right place at the right time than any sort of anticipation or ball skills. He’s a good tackler and a physical competitor despite his size, but he gets very handsy and his slight build will make it hard to match up with true number 1 receivers or play press man. This is another player in a weird spot, where there’s a good chance he’s available in the second round, but I wouldn’t risk it.

Fit Grade: C-

ECU Shavon Revel

6’1” ⅞ 194 lbs

RAS: ???

Revel is going to be a sneaky name to watch on day 2. Unfortunately he tore his ACL in the third game of the year, and was only full time starter beginning midway through 2023. Not even a full season of reps as CB1 on an AAC team is quite the risk even in round 2 and 3, but had he played out the season and tested at the combine , I’m fairly certain people would be talking about him as a potential round 1 pick. He’s an absolute freak of nature and his athleticism jumps off the screen even if he wasn’t nearly 6’2”. His run defense is a bit of a weakness, but not for lack of effort. He brings a low completion rate (38.1% in his three games!) but not quite the ball skills to produce turnovers. His technique is unpolished but he got away with it in college due to his speed. This alien specimen ought to be taken in the second round if he’s available for the Bucs and he would be quite the steal in spite of his deficiencies.

Fit Grade: B-

ISU Darien Porter

6’2” ⅞ 195 lbs

40 yard dash: 4.3s

Shuttle: 4.04s

3-Cone: 6.71s

Vertical: 36.5in

Broad jump: 10’11”

RAS: 9.99

Take everything I said about Revel and turn up the intensity by a factor of 10. It’s rare to see DBs as tall as Porter, in part because they usually end up being Wide Receivers. Naturally, that’s what Porter was recruited for before switching to CB because of his special teams proclivity. The former track star is in the 95th percentile for height and arm length. He’s unpolished against the run and getting off of blockers, and a lack of experience makes his technique shoddy and if he’s there in round 2, he’s my pick.

Fit Grade: A-

FSU Azareyeh Thomas

6’1” 4/8 197 lbs

40 yard dash: 4.58s

Shuttle: 4.21s

Broad: 10’2”

RAS: 8.11

Thomas is a fairly average athlete, but his big frame and technique makes up for it. He’s very strong in man coverage and his active hands place him among the very best technique-wise in press man. Although he was measured as the heaviest of these corners so far, he could stand to add weight and strength so that he doesn’t get thrown around as much in the run game. He’s a gritty competitor, and his football IQ appears to be very high. One underrated aspect of his game is his usage in blitz packages, and it would be interesting to see him as a nickel in the Todd Bowles system. Thomas doesn’t have the flash of other prospects but his floor is much higher than some others ranked ahead of him.

Fit Grade: B+

ND Benjamin Morrison

6’0” 2/8 193 lbs

Bench: 17 reps

RAS:???

Morrison didn’t test anything but his bench press at the Notre Dame pro day, but there’s a large body of work to look at on tape. Morrison started nine games as a true freshman, notching six interceptions, the most by a ND player since Manti Te’o’s Heisman Finalist season. He played eleven games the next year, but missed over half of the season for the Fighting Irish’s championship run. He forced an incompletion on 20% of targets thrown his way over the last two years and he only allowed a completion rate of 44% in his six games of the 2024 campaign. He’s a great corner prospect on tape, but the injuries concern me. This season, it was a torn labrum in his hip that sidelined him, and as important as lower body injuries are for NFL players in general, hip injuries are about as devastating as can be. He’s been medically cleared and is set to do a private workout before the draft, but the injury history has made him slip from just outside the top ten in mock drafts, to all the way out of the second round. All that said, I don’t think he’s a great scheme fit for the Bucs, with man coverage being more his strength, though he is among the best run defenders in the entire draft.

Fit Grade: B

Out of a fairly good draft class, this tier of prospect is exactly where the Bucs will find the most value. Obviously there’s no shot at getting Travis Hunter, but any of these guys would make me plenty happy as a fan of the team. While I still think there are more important positions to fill for the Bucs, due to positional value this is probably the second most important hole to fill in the draft. With a Jamel Dean contract year coming up, finding a replacement level player to save money would be a 3D wizard chess move to improve the team and save cap space next year.