Bucs Nation
Will the Buccaneers go cornerback early in the draft?
The 2024 rendition of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a group that was peppered with injuries. While the ailments didn’t isolate themselves to any singular position group or side of the ball, the Buccaneers’ defensive backs were hit pretty hard. Every single member of the Bucs’ starting secondary failed to play in all 17 games, save for Zyon McCollum. The corner spot opposite him was manned by Jamel Dean, at times Tyrek Funderburk, occasionally Josh Hayes, for a limited time Bryce Hall even saw the field. All different names and faces but the constant theme was the depth or lack of depth was hurting Tampa’s defense.
Jamel Dean was a predicted cap casualty by some heading into this offseason but by all accounts, has secured himself at least one more year in Tampa Bay. With Dean remaining in the fold, the two starting cornerback spots projected to be locked up. The issue in Tampa is, for how long?
Jamel Dean has yet to play a full season’s worth of games in his NFL career— His personal best is 15, though he tends to linger around 13 per season. The Buccaneers chose to move off Carlton Davis last offseason, in a move that was somewhat controversial at the time. That decision may not have been the incorrect one on paper, however, it did expose the lack of depth the Bucs were able to field at the position. Davis, like Dean, has never played a full slate of games and he himself also missed a significant amount of time last season with the Detroit Lions.
Through the first phase of the offseason the Buccaneers have made an effort to address the need for depth at cornerback position— Re-signing Bryce Hall and bringing in free agent corner Kindle Vildor. Still, Todd Bowles, when asked about the group, admitted his pines for more depth.
The Buccaneers, through most projections figure to take a defense-heavy approach to this draft. Returning all 11 starters on the offensive side of the ball from a season ago, where the team’s offense (ranked top-5 in most major categories) was the bell cow for the team’s overall success, does lean into that thought process. The question becomes with holes at all three levels of the Todd Bowles’ defense, which portion(s) of the unit will he prioritize addressing? If cornerback ranks high on Tampa’s list Darien Porter may be a difficult prospect to ignore.
Porter is a sixth-year senior— despite that, he does not have extensive time spent on task. Porter spent his first five years playing a limited role, mostly seeing reps on special teams exclusively. It wasn’t until last season that he flashed a sample of what he could do, Porter was Honorable Mention All-Big 12. In a display of athletic versatility, Porter played in 12 games, starting 7. He amassed 18 tackles and grabbed 3 INTs, while also finding his way to two blocked kicks— Something...
