Tag: Devin White

NFL.com ranks Buccaneers’ rookie class as second-best of 2019

See why NFL.com thinks the Buccaneers’ rookie class was the second-best in the NFL in 2019.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not have made it to the postseason in 2019, but the second half of the regular season saw them playing some of their best football in ages. A 4-2 finish to the season has people thinking playoffs next year.

But that’s easier said than done. The Buccaneers have a number of big-name free agents, including quarterback Jameis Winston and linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who led the NFL with 19.5 sacks this past season. While free agency looms large for the Bucs, they also have the NFL draft coming up in a few months.

Last year, Tampa Bay reloaded on defense with players like Devin White, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean. The Bucs’ rookies were so impressive that NFL.com ranked them as the second-best rookie class of 2019, behind only the San Francisco 49ers.

Here’s their breakdown of the Bucs’ young rooks:

“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.”

Tampa Bay owns the 14th pick in April’s NFL draft, and Will Brinson of CBS Sports thinks the Bucs will look to LSU safety Grant Delpit to help their secondary. Hopefully, the organization will have just as much success this time around in the draft as they did last year.

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Throwback Thursday: Devin White becomes a Buccaneer

Take a look back at the 2019 NFL Draft to see the moment when LSU linebacker Devin White officially became a Buccaneer.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the 14th pick in April’s NFL draft after a 7-9 finish in 2019. Last year, the Bucs selected in the fifth spot, using the pick to take star linebacker Devin White out of LSU.

White was considered by many to be the best linebacker in his class, and several analysts pegged White to be the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. White’s rookie year got off to a rough start, however, as he battled tonsillitis in the week leading up to the home opener against the San Francisco 49ers, and then suffered a knee sprain in Week 2 that sidelined him for three games.

But White came on strong in the second half of the season, winning defensive rookie of the month in November and December and capping off his season with a 91-yard fumble return touchdown in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons. It was White’s second fumble recovery touchdown of the season and the longest in franchise history.

White is the cornerstone of this young Bucs defense, and the team is hopeful he’ll be their leader on and off the field for years to come. For now, though, take a look back at that fateful moment on draft night in 2019.

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This preseason prediction about Devin White almost came true

If not for an injury and slow start to his rookie season, Bucs linebacker Devin White could’ve accomplished this.

Everyone knows that when it comes to the NFL draft, nothing is a sure thing. Even though a player gets drafted first overall, you never know if you’re getting a Andrew Luck or JaMarcus Russell.

But for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who held the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft, there’s no question that they hit a home run with their first round selection of linebacker Devin White out of LSU.

White was seen by many experts as the best linebacker in his class, and in her preseason prediction for the Buccaneers, Jenna Laine of ESPN predicted White would win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Per Laine:

“If it weren’t for White’s health, there’s a good chance this could have happened. Instead, he started the season playing through tonsillitis and then suffered a sprained MCL in Week 2. In the final six games, he registered two sacks, four fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, one interception and two defensive touchdowns. He was named NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month for November and December.”

Several other experts predicted White would take home the coveted rookie honor, but after his knee sprain in Week 2 he saw his odds of winning the award drop. Despite a strong finish, it may not be enough to get him over the top.

Still, Bucs fans have to be excited to see what White does in his sophomore season and beyond.

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Bucs rookies claim top-10 spot on ESPN’s rookie class rankings list

See where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookies ranked on ESPN’s list of the top rookie classes by team.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the 14th pick in April’s NFL draft after their 7-9 finish this season. Despite their record, however, the second half of the season saw the team play some of its best football, namely from their rookie class.

Tampa Bay used the majority of their picks in last year’s draft to address their defensive needs, including taking linebacker Devin White with the fifth overall pick. While it took some time for the rookies to come into their own this season, ESPN still had them No. 7 on their rookie class rankings list, which used Pro Football Focus’ wins above replacement metric (PFF WAR) to rank all 32 teams on the value of their rookie class over expectation given.

Here’s what they said about the Bucs’ ranking:

“The Buccaneers have made the secondary a priority in recent drafts, and they have hit on some of those picks. Both Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean showed promise as rookies, particularly Dean. He played like one of the better cornerbacks in the league over the second half of the season.”

You might be wondering why White’s name didn’t show up. They saved that for a section devoted to breaking down how each team’s top pick fared.

“The biggest strength for linebacker Devin White (No. 5 overall) coming out of LSU — his coverage ability — didn’t translate to the NFL right away. He did finish the season with his five highest PFF coverage grades of the year, which bodes well heading into 2020.”

The Bucs’ defense is on the rise, so it’ll be interesting to see if Bruce Arians and co. continue to build through the draft, or, if they’ll use their early round picks to address their offensive line issues this time around.

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ESPN’s 2019 re-draft shows the Bucs made a couple of big splashes

See who ESPN thinks the Buccaneers would take in rounds one and two if they had to redo the 2019 NFL draft.

Earlier, I wrote about the first round picks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the last decade as we prepare for April’s draft when the team will select 14th for the second time in franchise history.

One of the best draft picks by the Bucs over the last decade was linebacker Devin White, who the team took fifth overall in last year’s draft. White had a stellar rookie year and seems to be the franchise cornerstone for this defense going forward.

And, in ESPN’s latest piece where they do a 2019 re-draft now that we’ve seen how the rookies performed during the course of the season, it seems the Bucs did a solid job in both rounds one and two.

ESPN had Tampa Bay selecting Devin White and Sean Murphy-Bunting again with their first two selections.

Here’s what they said about White:

“White was 100 percent the correct pick for Todd Bowles’ defense, and he might have been the front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year had he not missed three games. He has become not only an impact player but a culture-changer in Tampa Bay. Five of White’s six takeaways in the final five games — four fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one interception, with two touchdowns — came in moments in which there was a point differential of seven or fewer.”

Murphy-Bunting is more of a surprise in this re-draft, not because of his play, but because of the criticism surrounding the initial selection.

Here’s what Jenna Laine said about SMB:

“This pick was originally met with some skepticism from league sources, who were concerned the Bucs had reached and Murphy-Bunting would have to make a big jump from Central Michigan. And while he initially took some time learning both outside and nickel positions, he came on strong late in the season with two game-clinching interceptions. His three picks were tied for the most among all rookies, and he started 10 games.”

Let’s home the Bucs hit another home run in the draft come April.

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Ranking the Buccaneers’ first round picks of the last decade

Take a look at our countdown from worst to first of the Bucs’ draft picks of the last decade.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be keeping an eye on some prized college all-stars at this week’s Senior Bowl, hoping to get an up close look at the players as they prepare for road to the NFL draft in April.

Tampa Bay holds the 14th pick this year after a 7-9 finish, and for a team looking to end their decade-long postseason drought, finding the right player in the first round could mean the difference between a postseason run or another early offseason.

But just how well have the Buccaneers fared over the past decade when it comes to their first round selections? Let’s take a look now, ranking them from worst to first.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12

This Devin White tweet will have LSU fans roaring with laughter

See what Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White had to say on Twitter after the LSU Tigers won the national championship.

Regardless of which college team you root for, there’s no arguing the fact that LSU reigns supreme today as champions of college football.

After a decisive victory over defending champion Clemson, the Tigers can take the mantle as best team in the country. Led by Heisman winner Joe Burrow and head coach Ed Orgeron, LSU seemingly came out of nowhere this season as they fought their way to the top.

With the win last night, they finished the fight, and LSU alum and Bucs linebacker Devin White took to Twitter to celebrate, while also posting a hilarious photo.

Take a look.

Fantastic.

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Blown call by officials in Week 8 may have helped Titans get to the playoffs

If not for a missed call in the Bucs-Titans game back in Week 8, Tennessee might not have made it to the postseason.

The Tennessee Titans are looking like a true Super Bowl contender today. After stunning the New England Patriots on the road last weekend in the Wild-Card round, the Titans went into Baltimore last night and downed the 14-2 Ravens, 28-12, to advance to the AFC Championship Game.

What’s most surprising of all perhaps is that the Titans just barely got into the playoffs. It took until the final game of the regular season for them to secure the final wild card spot, finishing the year with a record of 9-7.

But, let’s not forget that one of those wins came amid a controversial call all the way back in Week 8 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveled to Tennessee. With the score 27-23 in favor of the Titans, Tennessee lined up for a 46-yard field goal with just under four minutes to play. Instead of kicking it, holder and punter Brett Kern took off for the first down, but was lit up by Bucs linebacker Devin White.

The ball comes loose and Bucs safety Andrew Adams takes it the other way for the touchdown. But, the officials called Kern down by contact, thus the touchdown was negated. What would’ve been a game-changing play for the Bucs that would’ve put them ahead late in the fourth quarter, instead resulted in a turnover on downs. The Titans would go on to win the game, pulling their record to 4-4 instead of 3-5.

Tennessee could’ve still gone to make the playoffs even if they had lost that game, but you have to imagine it would’ve made things all the more difficult for them.

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Make sure you run into the new year like Bucs LB Devin White

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie linebacker Devin White had a stellar rookie campaign, and seems ready to keep the momentum going into 2020.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White had a lot to live up to after being drafted fifth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Not only was the former LSU star pegged as the best linebacker in his draft class, but he was also the first linebacker taken in the first round by the Bucs since 1995, when they selected future Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks.

White’s rookie year got off to a rough start, though, as he dealt with illness and then a knee sprain, all within the first two weeks. But, after being sidelined for several games, White returned to the field with a vengeance, displaying his superhuman athleticism and potential.

White earned Defensive Rookie of the Month honors the last two months of the season, and culminated his stellar rookie campaign by returning a fumble 91 yards for a touchdown in Week 17’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The play was the longest fumble return touchdown in Buccaneers history.

So, as White puts the 2019 season behind him and looks to 2020, he’s ready to keep on rolling, evident by this fun tweet he put out earlier in the week.

Take a look.

Tampa Bay finished the season 7-9 and will select 14th in April’s NFL draft. And, if CBS Sports’ latest mock draft is to be believed, he could have an old college teammate joining him in Tampa very soon.

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Daniel Jeremiah’s 2019 rookie rankings shows little respect for Devin White

Daniel Jeremiah’s final rookie rankings for 2019 has Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White falling out of the top 10.

The 2019 regular season is in the books, and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they head into the offseason with a newfound sense of optimism. After a 3-7 start to the year, the Bucs finished 7-9 and now hold the 14th pick in April’s NFL draft.

One of the biggest bright sports of the Bucs’ season was the strong second half performance of rookie linebacker Devin White, who was sidelined for several games earlier in the year with a knee sprain. White had dominant performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and even returned a fumble 91 yards for a touchdown in Week 17, the longest fumble return in franchise history.

White also earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors for both November and December, proving he is one of the league’s young emerging stars.

Which is why it is so surprising to see White ranked only at No. 11 on Daniel Jeremiah’s list of the top 25 rookies of 2019 over at NFL.com. DJ had White ranked at No. 8 on his list at the beginning of December, but dropped him three spots on his final list. Jeremiah moved New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones up 11 spots from 18 to 7 on the latest list. It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that White, who has been as dominant as any rookie defender the past two months, would fall down the list and out of the top 10.

I’m sure any team in the league would jump at the chance to get a young star like him. Maybe White can use Jeremiah’s list as added motivation heading into the offseason.

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