ESPN’s draft guru grades Tampa Bay’s draft.
The NFL Draft has come and gone and grades are starting to pour in as pundits analyze draft selections across the league. ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. has his and he likes what he sees from the Buccaneers.
Now, how drafts pan out won’t be telling for another couple of years. How many times have we seen Tampa Bay make what many called great selections for the player to not play up to expectations?
Regardless, it is still interesting to see how drafts grade out and words from Kiper below — who have the Bucs a B grade — provide hope towards the Bucs future on what could be down the road.
Graham Barton (26) is my top-ranked center, and he’ll immediately help a run game that ranked 32nd in yards per attempt (3.4) last season. While he played left tackle at Duke, he has All-Pro upside at the pivot. Chris Braswell (57) has been underrated for the past few months. The edge rusher isn’t the flashiest player, but he is an all-around defender with an interesting skill set as a pass- rusher. Tampa Bay has to get better on the edge in 2024.
Wideout Jalen McMillan (92) was a steal at the end of Round 3. He could be an outstanding No. 3 receiver as a rookie before taking on a bigger role in 2025.
McMillan is my favorite prospect in Tampa Bay’s class, but Barton should step in and be a top-10 center as a rookie. The Bucs got better this weekend.
Kiper wasn’t as high on Tykee Smith, who the Bucs selected 89th overall, but Tampa Bay will use him often as a rotational safety and in the slot. Oregon running back Bucky Irving was picked in the fifth round and Kiper wasn’t big on him either, but overall, Tampa Bay did well in Kiper’s eyes.
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