Could an edge rusher fall?
Bucs fans should want Shedeur Sanders to go into the top-10 next month in the draft.
There are a lot of (planted?) rumors that Sanders won’t be selected in the first round, forget top-five or even top-10.
On face value, this seems ridiculous. Kenny Pickett went in the first round for crying out loud. Sanders is just as good as Pickett.
But Bucs fans should pray for Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart and Sanders, Colorado’s quarterback, to go into the top-15.
If that happens, that means a good defensive players gets pushed down in the draft. So, cross your fingers there are four teams that are quarterback hungry (Miami quarterback Cam Ward may go No. 1 overall to Tennessee).
The more Joe thinks about it, the more Joe believes the Bucs are going to get a really nice player at No. 19 in the draft, certainly if Sanders, Shough and Dart are drafted before the Bucs are on the clock.
Just about everyone who studies the draft thinks Penn State’s Abdul Carter will be the first edge rusher off the board, probably in the top-five.
Could the second-best edge rusher slide to No. 19? Joe has seen weirder things happen.
Field Yates of BSPN has Jalon Walker as his No. 2 edge rusher. Joe has seen enough people say that Walker is also an off-the-ball linebacker. In short, he may be a better player than Jihaad Campbell.
Former NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, speaking on Rich Eisen’s show, said he’d take Walker over Carter in a heartbeat. Mayock said in his notes of breaking down tape of Walker, he has “Micah Parsons” jotted down several times.
Here is Yates’ breakdown on Walker:
My grade for Walker is at edge rusher, though he played a significant portion of his snaps at inside linebacker for Georgia. Even in a part-time pass-rushing role, he tied for the team lead in sacks in each of the past two seasons (6.5 in each year) and uses his modest length to his advantage to get underneath opposing tackles. On a Georgia defense stacked with NFL players, Walker was easily the most impactful in 2024. He had 62 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a pair of fumble recoveries. And he has the juice to fire off the edge and disrupt the quarterback.
Well, if guys like Mayock and Yates are slobbering over Walker, then NFL suits likely are, too.
However, if there is a run on quarterbacks, could Walker (or Carter) slide down far enough, let’s say No. 11, for Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to go get him?
Then again, a good defensive player should fall to the Bucs, especially if there is a run on quarterbacks. That defensive player could be Mike Green, Walter Nolen, Demetrius Knight, Jahdae Barron, Nick Emmanwori or Campbell.