Bucs Nation
The Bucs might look to upgrade their secondary early.
When the Buccaneers traded away Carlton Davis to the Detroit Lions in March, that opened speculation that they might seek a youth movement at the position.
In a deep draft class full of interesting corners, the Bucs will have their shot at a plethora of talented young men with 4 picks in the first 100. Will they find intrigue in someone like Kamari Lassiter?
A 4-star recruit and No. 2 cornerback in the state of Alabama behind only Kool-Aid McKinstry, Lassiter fielded multiple Power 5 offers before deciding to return to his home state of Georgia to play for the Bulldogs.
He played 15 games as a reserve for the 2021 National Championship winner, but he still recorded 3 passes defensed and an interception (the only one of his college career) with sparse playing time. He then took over as full-time outside starter in 2022 and helped the team to a second-consecutive national title — he recorded 38 tackles (5 for loss) and 4 passes defensed.
He earned second-team All-SEC last season while starting all 14 games and tallying 37 tackles (3.5 for loss) and 8 passes defensed.
Lassister produced some mixed results during the draft cycle ahead of NFL Draft weekend on April 25.
During the NFL Combine, Lassiter measured a shade shy of 6-foot and weighed in around 186 pounds with a 73 3/4” wingspan (30 7/8” arms). He did only the positional and agility drills but made them count with an excellent 6.62 three-cone (the best at the event) and a 4.12 short shuttle.
At Georgia’s Pro Day on March 13, Lassiter again declined to do jumps and struggled in his runs by posting a concerning 4.64 40-yard dash with 2.69 and 1.58 20- and 10-yard splits, respectively. These are, objectively, some of the worst times you could hope to see from an NFL Draft prospect at the cornerback position.
Per Relative Athletic Score (RAS), Lassiter ranked bottom-third percentile in the 40 and 20-yard split and barely average in the 10. Overall, he ranks as a middle-of-the-pack athlete.
Per Next Gen Stats, Lassiter ranks even worse. Their scale (out of 100) puts him at an estimated 58 athletic score, which ranked 34th among corners who attended the combine.
Lassiter is not a player who screams “ready to contribute” immediately as a rookie.
He does not excel as an HWS athlete, which hasn't always scared Jason Licht away in the past at the position (Carlton Davis is a good example), but that means that his technique and football IQ will need to be pristine to get on the field consistently for Todd Bowles’s defense.
He’s not quite there yet.
While Lassiter is instinctive and reactive with good eye discipline, which are all paramount skills in a heavy zone scheme like Tampa’s, Lassiter is too grabby and that will...
