NFC South rookie grades: Buccaneers, Saints ace their top picks
By Nick Shook | Around The NFL Writer
With Super Bowl LIV in the books, the offseason is upon us. To get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, Nick Shook and Gennaro Filice are taking a division-by-division look backward to evaluate each team's crop of 2019 rookies, weighing hits and misses -- then looking forward at areas for each squad to focus on in the coming months. Shook examines the NFC South below.
RANK A-
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Round 1: (No. 5 overall) Devin White, LB, 13 games/13 starts.
Round 2: (39) Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB, 16 games/10 starts.
Round 3: (94) Jamel Dean, CB, 13 games/5 starts; (99) Mike Edwards, S, 15 games/7 starts.
Round 4: (107) Anthony Nelson, DE, 9 games/1 start.
Round 5: (145) Matt Gay, K, 16 games/0 starts.
Round 6: (208) Scott Miller, WR, 10 games/2 starts.
Round 7: (215) Terry Beckner Jr., DT, 0 games/0 starts.
White (91 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three passes defensed, one pick, three forced fumbles) was a stud, proving himself worthy of the No. 5 pick. Murphy-Bunting (44 tackles, three picks) also proved to be a legitimate player as a rookie, as did Dean, who finished with 17 passes defended and two interceptions in 13 games. Edwards was a valuable contributor as well, recording 45 tackles, one sack and six passes defended. Gay solved Tampa Bay's kicking problem, showing off his strong leg on multiple occasions in making five of eight attempts from 50-plus yards. Miller caught just 13 passes but made the most of them, recording 200 yards (15.4 yards per catch) and a touchdown in 10 games. Nelson played a healthy amount of defensive snaps to go along with 111 snaps on special teams but didn't make a significant statistical mark. Beckner was suspended for violating the league's PED policy and eventually released.
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By Nick Shook | Around The NFL Writer
With Super Bowl LIV in the books, the offseason is upon us. To get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, Nick Shook and Gennaro Filice are taking a division-by-division look backward to evaluate each team's crop of 2019 rookies, weighing hits and misses -- then looking forward at areas for each squad to focus on in the coming months. Shook examines the NFC South below.
RANK A-
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Round 1: (No. 5 overall) Devin White, LB, 13 games/13 starts.
Round 2: (39) Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB, 16 games/10 starts.
Round 3: (94) Jamel Dean, CB, 13 games/5 starts; (99) Mike Edwards, S, 15 games/7 starts.
Round 4: (107) Anthony Nelson, DE, 9 games/1 start.
Round 5: (145) Matt Gay, K, 16 games/0 starts.
Round 6: (208) Scott Miller, WR, 10 games/2 starts.
Round 7: (215) Terry Beckner Jr., DT, 0 games/0 starts.
White (91 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three passes defensed, one pick, three forced fumbles) was a stud, proving himself worthy of the No. 5 pick. Murphy-Bunting (44 tackles, three picks) also proved to be a legitimate player as a rookie, as did Dean, who finished with 17 passes defended and two interceptions in 13 games. Edwards was a valuable contributor as well, recording 45 tackles, one sack and six passes defended. Gay solved Tampa Bay's kicking problem, showing off his strong leg on multiple occasions in making five of eight attempts from 50-plus yards. Miller caught just 13 passes but made the most of them, recording 200 yards (15.4 yards per catch) and a touchdown in 10 games. Nelson played a healthy amount of defensive snaps to go along with 111 snaps on special teams but didn't make a significant statistical mark. Beckner was suspended for violating the league's PED policy and eventually released.
Full Story - NFL.com