Draft Day excitement is at it’s peak with this year’s class of prospects counting the moments until Thursday night in Detroit when they’ll anxiously await their selection. For Bucs’ fans and players, it’s been mostly positive vibes around AdventHealth Training Center. Tampa Bay’s front office has hit consistent home runs in keeping their own stars this off-season, so nailing the Draft will complete a near flawless setup for the 2024 campaign.
In this spirit, this will be our last Mock before Draft Night. This scenario I ran through involves TWO early trades, both within the first round. First, Tampa Bay trades the 26th pick and 125th pick to San Francisco for the 31st and 63rd pick. The Kansas City Chiefs then immediately trade the 32nd pick (last pick in the first round) and the 95th pick to move up one spot and get a player they were dead set on, giving the Bucs an extra pick as well as two picks far better than they had. EIGHT total Draft picks, listed below in order. ENJOY and GO BUCS!
Round 1/Pick 32- Kool-Aid McKinstry (CB/Alabama)
McKinstry is the whole package and CB1 on alot of boards. He’s long and rangy, fast, and disciplined. He has the ball skills of Trevon Diggs with the blanket coverage ability of Darrelle Revis. This Alabama native lived out his childhood fantasy of playing for the Crimson Tide and has been a consensus up and coming superstar since he was in High School. No surprises here as he will be a Day 1 starter, immediately making the Bucs secondary one of the best in the NFC.
Former Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry said he originally told Auburn he was going to commit to them publicly.
“I woke up three days later and was like, HELL NAH! I’m going to 'Bama.” #RollTide pic.twitter.com/WkIUQCnuK4
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) April 16, 2024
Round 2/Pick 57- Troy Franklin (WR/Oregon)
Franklin is coming off of an absolutely monster season for the Ducks. With Bo Nix as his QB1, this human highlight reel snagged 81 balls for almost 1400 yards while finding the endzone 14 times in 2023. With four multiple touchdown games, he comes in as a standout amongst one of the best receiver classes in recent memory and would make Baker Mayfield’s job alot easier considering his knack for circus catches and getting open.
@Buccaneers
My Favorite Draft Eligible WR’s in order
1.Keon Coleman
2.Marvin Harrison
3. Rome Odunze
4.Troy Franklin
5.Xavier Weaver*
6.Kris Mitchell*
7. Caulin Lacy*
8. Malik Washington*
The * are guys that will be Day 2-3 steals if not taken in the early rounds.
— Rum Drinker???? (@DaRumDrinker) October 25, 2023
Round 2/Pick 63- Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (Center/Georgia)
There are only about four centers that will likely be Day 1 starters, and VPG is one of them. This young man is dripping with potential. Though smaller than his peers at the position, he makes up for it with elite ability to get to the second (and third) level of a defense. He has a high motor, good awareness, and is able to keep his head which will serve him well in the NFL, though he will see stunts and twists from almost every defensive coordinator that he may not have seen as much in college. If this kid puts on a few pounds of lean muscle and listens to good coaching, the sky is the limit for him.
Round 3/Pick 89- Blake Corrum (RB/Michigan)
Sometimes, even when you have a skill position player able to do the job, you pick his replacement earlier than technically necessary. Blake Corrum being available in Round 3 is almost pre-ordained and if he makes it to Tampa, he’s guaranteed to be high on their board. His eye-watering speed and high motor just screams Tampa Bay, even as a tandem back to help Rachaad White & Chase Edmonds. The argument could be made to let Corrum sit a spell and learn the nuances of the NFL, but if Tampa grabs this gem at 89, don’t expect the fanbase to don the pitchforks if Liam Coen wants to give the youngster an early crack at an RB1 workload.
NFL teams likely to draft a RB early (and a rookie fit)#Chargers – Mar'Shawn Lloyd#Cowboys – Jonathon Brooks#Giants – Trey Benson#Raiders – Jaylen Wright#Buccaneers – Blake Corum pic.twitter.com/QZUFGCjHpg
— Alfredo Brown (@AlfredoABrown) March 12, 2024
Round 3/Pick 92- Dominick Puni (Guard/Kansas)
Puni found his way onto another of my mocks, so I won’t deny he caught my eye early. That said, the comprehensive sim had him ripe for the taking a handful of picks later this time, and there’s a *slightly* glaring need at Guard for the Bucs. A 6 foot 5 inch mammoth with a massive advantage over small and mid-sized rushers, Puni is one of those lineman that destroys undersized linebackers in space and is a guaranteed pancake if he gets the position to seal off a D-tackle without his feet set. Puni is a guy that defines “once he gets his hands on you, it’s over.”
Round 3/Pick 95- Austin Booker (EDGE/Kansas)
The selection of back to back Jayhawks could only be possible with a player like Booker. Matching a solid need in Tampa, Austin Booker has almost everything on some level that a pass rusher would ever need. At 6’4″ and 240 lbs, he is rangy but not awkward, fast but not without discipline, and he has the mind to read and diagnose protection slides and chipping tight ends you rarely see in a player at this experience level. Add the fact he has an endless gas tank and this is the blank canvass pass rusher Bowles could paint his masterpiece with.
Round 7/Pick 220- Jowon Briggs (DT/Cincinnati)
Jowon Briggs from the Bearcats is admittedly a wildcard. Collecting additional picks could give the Bucs the opportunity to take on a “project” such as Briggs, with a high ceiling and high floor. Briggs has EXTREMELY violent hands, which can be honed into a formidable defensive advantage for a savvy defensive coordinator, which Bowles is in spades. This player has most of the physical attributes, albeit with a slight lack of range, but he stands out as teachable and a value pick at any time late in the draft considering how good he could be if his clumsy technique is sharpened by professional coaching.
Round 7/Pick 246- Prince Pines (Guard/Tulane)
Tulane is an elite school for churning out trench warriors. Pines has an INSANE number of snaps under his belt and has played at both Baylor and Tulane. He does struggle with side to side play, leaving the potential open for corner blitzes and fast edge rushers like Micah Parsons to wreak havoc in his QB’s backfield, but would make a fine rotational lineman almost immediately and has a nice ceiling with some disciplined coaching and a plan to work on his feet quickness.
That concludes my last Mock Draft before this year’s NFL Draft! Thanks for reading and following the Buccaneers here at Sports Club Florida. Make sure to check out our other great contributors for more on all your favorite Florida sports teams!