Mock draft season is already in full swing, and now that their team has been eliminated from the postseason, Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are now turning their attention to this year’s early projections for the 2023 NFL draft.
The latest big-name forecast comes from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, who has the Bucs addressing one of their biggest needs with the No. 19 overall pick.
In his first projection for this year’s draft, Jeremiah has the Bucs selecting Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.
Here’s what Jeremiah had to say about the selection:
Forbes (6-0, 180) is a slender, playmaking cornerback prospect who notched three pick-sixes this past fall. He reminds me of a player I was around in Baltimore: Samari Rolle.
Jeremiah spent time in Baltimore’s scouting department, and if Forbes reminds him of a dynamic playmaker like Rolle, that would be good news for Bucs fans.
Tampa Bay is set to lose two of their top three cornerbacks (Jamel Dean, Sean Murphy-Bunting) to free agency, so targeting a potential replacement with their top pick makes plenty of sense. Forbes obviously knows how to make big plays, and make the most of them when he gets the ball in his hands. He’s also been tested against top competition in the SEC, which should allow him to make an immediate impact at the next level.
It’s interesting to see Forbes come off the board in the top 20 in this projection, considering there were two other corners still on the board that tend to show up more often in mock drafts, but neither Georgia’s Kelee Ringo nor South Carolina’s Cam Smith make the first-round cut for Jeremiah.
To check out DJ’s full first-round projection at NFL.com, click here.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw5aerff6ff182 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]
[listicle id=73508]