Kenyon Sadiq draft interview
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Kenyon Sadiq draft interview
Now that the NFL Combine is in full swing, teams can start to analyze certain prospects that they wish to select in the first round. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while wholesale change could come on the defensive side of the ball, they could also be looking at a highly unique tight end to potentially replace Cade Otton in a position of need.
Kenyon Sadiq is the clear No. 1 tight end prospect in the class, and could be highly coveted by NFL teams even without the need for a tight end. His unique athletic ability, while also being elite at the catch point, could make him a tantalizing prospect. According to the Pewter Report, the Bucs are so interested that they extended him the offer to a formal interview.
A Historic Combine Performance Turns Heads
It may be tough for the Bucs to get Sadiq now, especially after his combine workout. In the forty yard dash, he set a new record at the tight end position for the fastest ever 40, at 4.39 seconds. With a 43 and a half inch vertical and an 11 foot broad jump, he surely cemented his status as a first round pick.
The Bucs path towards drafting Sadiq will have to hinge on teams around them focusing on other areas of need as well. Several players, including some the Bucs could be interested in, could have catapulted up several draft boards, thereby making Sadiq’s workout a little more impressive. The Bucs should be thanking their lucky stars that they got to him as early as they did.
Defensive Needs Could Complicate the Decision
While a Sadiq interview entertains a possibility of drafting him, there are still a number of options available to the Bucs at 15 should Sadiq go earlier. A lot of fans could actually want a defensive player in the first round as there are more holes to fill on that side of the football. A player like Sonny Styles, who had an impressive combine himself, or Cashius Howell could come to mind.
That doesn’t take into account however, GM Jason Licht’s thinking. At 15, the Bucs are in a precarious position where some of the top prospects won’t be available and Sadiq may be the most appealing prospect the Bucs have met with still available. Still, Sadiq may not be the end-all, be-all for the Bucs at the position. A player like Max Klare out of Ohio State could still be available once the Bucs’ Round 2 pick comes around.
To many, the Bucs would be better off drafting a defensive player with their first pick before turning attention to the tight end position. With Sadiq’s stellar workout, it is no guarantee that he will still be there at 15. For now though, the Bucs have gotten off on the right foot with him with an early interview and a sense of urgency.
It may not be the pick that Bucs fans necessarily want, what with Sadiq’s boom or bust potential, but it could be a perfect fit if things go their way in April.