The Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked away from April’s NFL draft with two highly-touted players out of the University of Minnesota.
In round two, the Bucs took Golden Gopher safety Antoine Winfield Jr., whose father Antoine Winfield Sr. was a Pro Bowl cornerback in the NFL. In round five, Tampa Bay added to their receiving corps by selecting Minnesota wide receiver Tyler Johnson. Both Winfield and Johnson will be looked upon to be key contributors to a Bucs team looking to make a deep postseason run.
And while they’ll be busy making a name for themselves in Tampa, their former Gopher teammate Rashod Bateman will be looking to make some noise in college before next year’s draft. As of now, ESPN’s Todd McShay has Bateman rated as the 19th best prospect for the 2021 draft.
Per McShay:
“With 60 catches, 1,219 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019, Bateman produces. And if you want an example of what he can do on the big stage, look no further than a ridiculous 203-yard performance in the midseason upset of No. 4 Penn State. Bateman will work the middle of the field, uncovers quickly and then has the soft hands to haul in the pass.”
The Bucs likely won’t look to take a receiver in round one next year, but never say never. After all, who would’ve imagined Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski would be suiting up for Tampa Bay this fall?
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