Scouting Bucs’ Formal Visits: S

With the NFL Mix within the rearview mirror, we at Pewter Report have you ever lined on which prospects the Bucs have spoken to. Over the subsequent two weeks, I’m going to offer you, the reader, with transient scouting experiences on the gamers the crew had formal visits with. You’ll be able to try our first article on the large receivers right here, and cornerbacks will be discovered right here. We are actually on to safeties.

Malaki Starks – Georgia

Georgia S Malaki Starks – Photograph by: USA At present

Top – 6’0.875

Weight – 197

Arm Size – 31.625

40 – 4.50

Vert – 33

Broad – N/A

3-cone – 7.26

Brief shuttle – 4.45

Starks is superior. He’s a uncommon mix of motion abilities, wonderful instincts and positive tackling all collectively. He’s an extremely versatile chess piece with over 500 snaps within the field, up prime and within the slot in simply three seasons. This makes him a possible match for nearly each crew within the NFL, together with the Bucs.

With Tampa Bay although, he provides a further alternative, as they have already got a chess piece in Antoine Winfield Jr. The mix of the 2 would give the Bucs an unimaginable probability to get extraordinarily a number of of their pre- and post-snap photos with each gamers shifting everywhere in the area.

Within the slot, he can play man protection each inside and out of doors whether or not the rep requires man or zone protection. In man, he sifts via site visitors from stacks and bunches rapidly and infrequently will get misplaced within the wash. He can sustain with virtually any receiver with fast ft and stable lengthy velocity. And he can get his head round to make late performs on the ball.

From the field or deep, he has lively eyes that empower him to make fast selections with good burst to pinch and crash routes rapidly. However he by no means is available in uncontrolled, so he’s constant in his breakdowns and a safe tackler who not often misses. Due to this, he works properly within the field as a run enforcer who can choose up over the ball routes from in-line tight ends and run the seam properly.

Whereas not an entire participant, that could be much less on account of an absence of ability and extra on account of an absence of alternatives. He was solely requested to hurry the passer a complete of 21 instances in his profession at Georgia, producing simply 5 whole pressures. However given the remainder of his ability set, I imagine that is an space of his recreation that also has fairly a little bit of room to develop.

Ignore the testing with Malaki Starks and wager on the good safeties. He carries verticals lots properly navigates picks/site visitors in addition to anybody in protection. pic.twitter.com/0bXb6jw7CP

Profession Stats (By way of PFF) – 160 tck, 41 atck, 6.9% MTR, 44 stops, 0 FF, 60.8% catch fee allowed, 0.83 yds/cov rep, 6 INT, 14 PBU, 18 FI

Starks is at present seen as a first-round choose by most consensus boards.

Xavier Watts – Notre Dame

Notre Dame S Xavier Watts – Photograph by: USA At present

Top – 6’0

Weight – 204

Arm Size – 31.25

40 – N/A

Vert – N/A

Broad – N/A

3-cone – N/A

Brief shuttle – N/A

The Bucs have publicly expressed an curiosity to find ballhawks this draft cycle, so it is smart they’re fascinated with Watts, who had 13 interceptions and two pressured fumbles in his profession at Notre Dame. Watts’ ballhawking is a product of his capacity to anticipate route distributions and rapidly set off to the ball with an aggressive mindset and an explosive burst.

The place Watts lacks is as a run defender, the place he can slender his angles and lose containment to the skin and over decide to the ball provider that leaves him uncontrolled. I used to be additionally not a fan of his efforts as a blitzer. His strain charges are unbelievable, (38.24% profession strain fee) however watching him, he’s typically blown off of his path by operating backs left in to go shield. He additionally has stiff hips that I believe contribute to a few of his struggles transitioning to take down ball carriers.

#ND S Xavier Watts is considered one of my favourite gamers within the class. He’s a extremely instinctual participant who showcases top-tier FB IQ + Play Recognition.

Over the previous two seasons: 13 INTs, 14 PBUs, 0 TDs allowed, 1 penalty

The previous WR/LB has turn out to be a legit ballhawk within the backend. pic.twitter.com/loYBlGINAj

Profession Stats – 154 tck, 45 atck, 13.5% MTR, 58 stops, 2 FF, 57.1% catch fee allowed, 0.54 yds/cov rep, 13 INT, 10 PBU, 13 FI

Watts is at present seen as a second- or third-round choose by consensus boards.

Jonas Sanker – Virginia

Virginia S Jonas Sanker Photograph by: USA At present

Top – 6’0.375

Weight – 206

Arm Size – 32.25

40 – 4.48

Vert – 35.4

Broad – 10’08

3-cone – N/A

Brief shuttle – N/A

Sanker examined as an elite athlete on the mix, with an unofficial 9.54 Relative Athletic Rating from Kent Lee Platte’s system. And on movie, it reveals. He has a fast and explosive set off. Add in lengthy arms and good approach and you’ve got the makings of a stable tackler who generally is a internet plus as a run defender from the second degree.

However what has me very fascinated with Sanker is his soccer IQ. He’s fast to course of, sift and make his solution to the ball. That led him to an extremely spectacular 9.06% cease fee in 2024. Sanker is a unbelievable go rusher with an virtually 50% profession strain fee. It is because he performs with a reckless abandon and performs at 100%.

The place Sanker can get uncovered is in his lateral mobility. His hips are a bit stiff and it’s no shock he skipped the agility drills on the Mix, which helped preserve his excessive RAS rating. When he will get into the slot in opposition to twitchy, fast short-area receivers, he can battle to maintain up and stop separation. However as a field security who can burst and blow up, Sanker is a superb choice.

Jonas Sanker (Virginia) is considered one of my favourite field safeties on this class. Good velocity + closing burst, virtually all the time wins on the catch level, performs with the mentality of a linebacker.

Leads FBS defensive backs with 173 solo tackles since 2023. pic.twitter.com/lpbMMpjMQD

Think about me a Jonas Sanker fan. pic.twitter.com/TFqB0SmQTG

I actually see Sanker in an analogous vein as Starks, albeit with barely much less athleticism and instincts. He might be a steal for the Bucs if public consensus is to be believed.

Profession Stats – 220 tck, 57 atck, 10.6% MTR, 81 stops, 5 FF, 63.4% catch fee allowed, 0.88 yds/cov rep, 2 INT, 15 PBU, 16 FI

Sanker is taken into account a late day two/early day three choose.

Jaylen Reed – Penn State

Penn State S Jaylen Reed Photograph by: USA At present

Top – 5’11.5

Weight – 211

Arm Size – 30.375

40 – 4.5

Vert – 33.5

Broad – N/A

3-cone – N/A

Brief shuttle – N/A

Reed is a bodily field security able to delivering jarring hits, and his play type reveals that’s his favourite a part of the sport. Most of his snaps, about 50%, have come from a deep alignment, with one other 25% coming from the slot and within the field every. Whereas most of his expertise is as a deep security, I imagine he might be at his finest within the NFL as a field security. On this function, he would be capable of play downhill, the place he can work in shut quarters on a lateral aircraft with a fast set off.

His athleticism will be uncovered, particularly his lateral agility, on occasion, resulting in missed tackles as a result of he’s efforting from poor angles. Mix this with an, at instances, excessive motor however uncontrolled shut and he can miss open area tackles a couple of would take care of. His tight hips additionally restrict how a lot he can be utilized in man protection, as he can get misplaced on two-way go’s and whip/return routes in addition to nook/put up and put up/corners.

In protection, Reed is a little more stable than nice. He’s inconsistent triggering to chop off passing lanes or difficult receivers on the catch level. That is evidenced by solely seven pressured incompletions in his faculty profession. He struggles to keep up leverage in protection. This has led to his 72.5% catch fee allowed over his profession. In zone protection, I believe he’ll work finest working ahead into sky flats and hooks the place he isn’t required to make a number of hip-transitions and have to trace the ball over his shoulder.

Excited to see Penn State SAF Jaylen Reed in opposition to Notre Dame tonight.

Extraordinarily lively & alignment versatile defender that arrives with POP. Certain tackler, good instincts… only a flat out good ballplayer that impacts the sport in a number of methods. pic.twitter.com/RLbuQfisPz

Reed’s finest asset as he enters the NFL is his particular groups work. That ought to make him a sought-after on day three of the draft. The Bucs have lately put a better precedence on particular groups, and that might make Reed a better precedence for them.

Profession Stats – 143 tck, 34 atck, 14.9% MTR, 53 stops, 2 FF, 72.5% catch fee allowed, 0.59 yds/cov rep, 5 INT, 5 PBU, 7 FI

My present draft board options these safeties within the following tiers:

Tier 2 – Malaki Starks

Tier 3 – Jonas Sanker

Tier 6 – Xavier Watts, Jordan Hancock