Bucs Draft 2024 Preview + Bucs Best Bets: EDGE

Pewter Report analyzes the top players in the 2024 NFL Draft with its position previews – energized by CELSIUS, the official energy drink of Pewter Report. Bailey Adams continues the previews with the outside linebacker/defensive end position, with a comprehensive look at what the Bucs have and what they need at the position.

Adams also provides a detailed list of this year’s top outside linebackers. In addition, Scott Reynolds offers up the Bucs’ draft needs and the annual Pewter Report Bucs Best Bets – the most likely edge rusher for the Bucs to select in Rounds 1-3 and in Rounds 4-7.

What The Bucs Have At Outside Linebacker

What the Bucs have at outside linebacker is a lot of guys. In other words, there’s a good bit of depth at the position, with YaYa Diaby, Randy Gregory, Anthony Nelson, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez currently filling out the depth chart.

With the Bucs moving on from veteran Shaq Barrett this offseason, Diaby — who notched 7.5 sacks as a rookie in 2023 despite not becoming a starter until November — appears to be the only one who has a starting role locked down for 2024. That’s not to say he doesn’t still have some developing to do, as he’ll look to improve upon his 7.5% pass rush win rate and get in the backfield with more consistency.

After Diaby, the Bucs have veterans in Gregory and Nelson (who is more of a rotational player), as well as a fourth-year player in Tryon-Shoyinka, who will get one last chance to establish himself in 2024 after the team declined to pick up his fifth-year option for 2025.

And then there are a couple of intriguing young outside linebackers in Watts and Ramirez. Watts, an undrafted free agent in 2023, flashed in his minimal playing time on Sundays. In fact, he posted a team-best 23.1% pass rush win rate and made a strong case to get more snaps. As for Ramirez, Bucs general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles were quick to point out the work he did on the practice squad as a rookie against offensive tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke and proclaim their excitement to see him continue his development.

What The Bucs Need At Outside Linebacker

What the Bucs don’t have at outside linebacker is a true alpha-type. Diaby, who is a ways away from being a finished product as a pass rusher, is currently slotted in as their No. 1. And while there is a lot of depth at the position, there isn’t a player who feels like a complete shoe-in for the other starting role opposite Diaby.

The Bucs need an edge rusher who can be counted on to put up big sack numbers year in and year out while affecting games on a consistent basis. The team went well over a decade without a double-digit sacker, then it had one in three out of four years between 2018 and 2021 (with Jason Pierre-Paul falling just short with 9.5 in 2020). But in the last two years, Tampa Bay hasn’t had anyone come close to 10 sacks. Vita Vea led with 5.5 in 2022 and Diaby led with 7.5 last year.

If the Bucs are able to find that clear-cut alpha pass rusher in the 2024 NFL Draft, it would do wonders for that position group as a whole. Because they would then have their two starters, and it would allow Gregory, Nelson, Tryon-Shoyinka, Watts and Ramirez to round out the room in important depth roles rather than banking on one of them to emerge as a viable starter. Keep in mind that Gregory, Nelson and Tryon-Shoyinka aren’t under contract in 2025.

Top Outside Linebackers In 2024 NFL Draft

*Important Note: These players are NOT listed in the order of Pewter Report’s ranking for them. Rather, the numbers are provided to show you the rough order in which we expect them to come off the board during the draft.

1. Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner – Junior – 6-2, 247 – 4.46

After splitting his high school career between American Heritage and St. Thomas Aquinas, Turner made an immediate impact as a freshman at Alabama. He racked up 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in his first year, earning Freshman All-American and All-SEC Freshman honors. That set the stage for a three-year career with the Crimson Tide that saw him tally 23.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss. Turner is explosive and uses his hands well, plus he boasts impressive play strength. All these traits make him the top EDGE in this year’s class.

2. Florida State EDGE Jared Verse – Redshirt Junior – 6-3, 254 – 4.58

Florida State EDGE Jared Verse Photo by: USA Today

Verse was amazingly a zero-star tight end recruit out of high school and began his college career at Albany before transferring to Florida State in 2022 and continuing his domination. In 40 collegiate games between the two schools, he posted 32.5 sacks and 50.5 tackles for loss. Verse has a great build and possesses an exceptional get-off, which he combines with good power and high motor. Verse is a likely Top 20 pick and had a Top 30 visit with the Bucs.

3. UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu – Senior – 6-4, 259 – 4.64

Originally at Washington, Latu suffered a neck injury during a 2020 practice that caused him to briefly medically retire. After missing the 2021 season, he transferred to UCLA and put the neck issue behind them. Over two years with the Bruins, his production was off the charts, posting 23.5 sacks and 34 tackles for loss. He has a great pass rush move set and shows elite hand usage. Any questions surrounding Latu will be about his medicals – not his traits, tape or production.

4. Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson – Junior – 6-2, 254 – 4.48

Robinson has a consistently explosive first step and good athleticism, but he still needs some polishing as a pass rusher. He doesn’t have ideal length, nor is he consistent enough with his hands. Robinson’s numbers for the Nittany Lions weren’t exactly eye catching either, having totaled just 11.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss over three years. But he did only start 11 of the 35 collegiate games he played in and even if the production hasn’t always been there, the potential is clear for the Penn State product.

5. Western Michigan EDGE Marshawn Kneeland – Redshirt Junior – 6-3, 267 – 4.75

One of the risers in this year’s EDGE class, Kneeland has drawn comparisons to longtime Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan. He has NFL size and length with the twitchiness needed to be successful. He’s physical and converts his speed to power well enough to win, but he’s also still a work in progress with some of his pass rush moves. Kneeland is coming off his best collegiate season, but it very much appears like the best is still yet to come for him as he transitions to the next level.

6. Missouri EDGE Darius Robinson – Grad. – 6-5, 285 – 4.95

Robinson has prototypical size. His body type goes hand in hand with how he wins as a pass rusher. His bull rush has impressive power behind it and his length helps in a big way. He can also line up in a number of spots. His 40 time at the NFL Scouting Combine showed what everyone already knew, and that’s that he won’t win with speed. Robinson also doesn’t have a whole lot of bend to his game, but as long as he continues to display the type of play strength that led to an 8.5-sack 2023 season at Missouri (which included a seven-game sack streak), he’ll have a high floor in the NFL.

7. Penn State EDGE Adisa Isaac – Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 247 – 4.74

Penn State OLB Adisa Isaac – Photo by: USA Today

Isaac was actually more productive than Penn State teammate Chop Robinson was. A two-year starter, he totaled 11.5 sacks and 27 tackles for loss between 2022 and 2023. He has great hands, both in terms of quickness/violence and placement. That helps his pass rush profile in a big way, and it led to a lot of his success with the Nittany Lions. He could stand to add on some weight and if he does, there are plenty of athletic tools there for him to develop into a high-upside NFL pass rusher.

8. Alabama EDGE Chris Braswell – Redshirt Junior – 6-3, 251 – 4.60

Braswell gets overshadowed a little bit in this class in part because of his own teammate at Alabama (Dallas Turner), but the explosiveness that he plays with is hard to miss. He has the speed and strength to win, and with more development within his pass rush repertoire, he can elevate his ceiling even further. As it stands now, he already has a pretty high floor as a rotational rusher. He played behind Turner and 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. for a while, but despite starting just two games last year, he racked up eight sacks and three forced fumbles.

9. Kansas EDGE Austin Booker – Redshirt Sophomore – 6-4, 253 – 4.77

Booker hasn’t played a lot of football, first redshirting in 2021 at Minnesota before playing just 18 games (one start) between 2022 (Minnesota) and 2023 (Kansas). He only played 505 snaps in college, and his inexperience can sometimes show on the field. Despite that, he’s trending upward and has the athletic profile to be successful. When he adds some more to his frame and rounds out his game as a pass rusher, he has the potential to soar past the eight-sack, 12-TFL season he had for the Jayhawks in 2023.

10. Washington EDGE Bralen Trice – Redshirt Junior – 6-3, 245 – 4.72

Washington EDGE Bralen Trice Photo by: USA Today

Trice started for two seasons at Washington and showed a penchant for physicality no matter where he lined up on the line. He had 16 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, showing good hands and competitiveness that coaches and teammates love. His edge speed and length are less than ideal, but his first step is quick and he can overcome his weaknesses to be disruptive.

11. Utah EDGE Jonah Elliss – Junior – 6-2, 248 – N/A

Elliss went from being an off-ball linebacker in high school to a two-year starter at defensive end for Utah. He isn’t the best in the run game and lacks length, which could limit his ceiling in the NFL. Despite that, he does use his hands well and has good bend that could serve him well in situational roles. His 2023 All-American season was a good launching pad for his draft stock, as he put up 12 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in just 10 games.

12. UCLA EDGE Gabriel Murphy – Redshirt Junior – 6-2, 247 – 4.68

Murphy has really good technical ability, with quick feet and good hand usage. That helped him overcome his lack of ideal length from the outside linebacker position, and he proved to be disruptive as a pass rusher throughout his college career. He started out at North Texas and after breaking out with a seven-sack season in 2021, he transferred to UCLA. In 26 games (all starts) with the Bruins, he put up 9.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. Murphy is likely to be an early Day 3 pick.

The Best Of The Rest

13. Houston Christian EDGE Jalyx Hunt – Senior – 6-3, 252– 4.64

Hunt started his career at Cornell as a 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety, spending three years with the Big Red from 2019-2021. However, the pandemic cost him his 2020 season, so it wasn’t until he transferred to Houston Christian in 2022 that he moved to a hybrid outside linebacker role and transformed his body. In 11 games that year, he notched seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. The DeBary, Florida, product then added 6.5 sacks and nine TFLs as a senior. Hunt has good athleticism and foot speed and with more time to develop, his explosiveness could turn into sustained success at the position.

14. Ole Miss EDGE Cedric Johnson – Senior – 6-3, 260– 4.63

Ole Miss EDGE Cedric Johnson Photo by: USA Today

The younger brother of Bucs wide receiver Cephus Johnson, Cedric Johnson has the type of athletic frame and length that will serve him well at the next level. He has some tools to work with, but he’s still on his way to building out his pass rush move set. The 21-year-old was steadily productive at Ole Miss, playing in 10 games as a freshman and racking up three sacks before starting 11 games as a sophomore and kicking that up to a career-high 6.5 sacks. Four and then 5.5 sacks over the next two years gave him 19.0 for his career over 46 games (29 starts).

15. Colorado State EDGE Mohamed Kamara – Grad. – 6-1, 248 – 4.57

There’s no getting around the fact that Kamara is undersized, and he’s pretty much maxed out his frame. His arm length isn’t ideal either, but there’s also no denying that he overcame a lot of that with physicality, motor and leverage. He launches out of his stance with explosiveness, and he put up big-time production over the last three years. He went from 7.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in 2021 to 8.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in 2022, then finished with a 13-sack, 17-TFL season in 2023 that earned him Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors.

16. Washington State EDGE Brennan Jackson – Sixth-Year Senior – 6-3, 264– 4.69

Jackson has played a lot of football over the last three years, playing in 38 games at Washington State while starting 37 of them. He had 18.5 sacks over those three years to go with 30.5 tackles for loss and nine passes defensed. His high motor and love for the game are evident, but he doesn’t have high-level speed or bend. Jackson projects as a rotational player in the NFL.

17. Houston EDGE Nelson Ceaser III – Redshirt Junior – 6-2, 254– 4.89

Ceaser blossomed into a First Team All-Big 12 player in 2023 as Houston made the jump to the Power Five. In fact, he led the conference with 9.5 sacks over 11 games while captaining the Cougars. He stopped the run better than one might expect for a player of his size, but he doesn’t have the length or strength that he needs to beat powerful blockers. His get-off also isn’t as consistent as it needs to be, but the variety of pass rush moves he has is a plus. If he sharpens those moves, he’ll be able to carve out a spot on the bottom of an outside linebacker depth chart somewhere.

18. UConn EDGE Eric Watts – Senior – 6-5, 274– 4.67

When you look for the ideal size and overall build of an NFL pass rusher, you’re looking for someone like Watts. His competitiveness is relentless and his physical traits sometimes manage to do the work for him. However, he’ll need to fully unlock the power behind his build and sharpen his pass rush ability both in terms of his move set and his get-off. He topped out at seven sacks in 2022 and blocked two field goals for the Huskies. A Day 3 pick, Watts has some intrigue to him largely due to his size and physicality.

Bucs Best Bets: EDGE

Bucs Best Bet – Rounds 1-3: Western Michigan OLB Marshawn Kneeland

Kneeland is big, athletic, physical force off the edge. His game has drawn comparisons to Cam Jordan’s game coming out of Cal over a decade ago. Interestingly enough, neither Kneeland nor Jordan was a big-time sack producer in college, but Jordan wound up becoming a multi-year Pro Bowler and had six double-digit sack seasons in New Orleans. The traits and effort are there for Kneeland, who had 12.5 career sacks at Western Michigan, to have a similar path and really develop his pass rush game at the next level.

Kneeland violently attacks his opponent and his motor always runs high. He’s a stout run defender and the Bucs likely appreciate the fact that he remained loyal to Western Michigan and withdrew his name from the transfer portal and returned to the Broncos for his senior season despite initially committing to Deion Sanders and Colorado. The Bucs met with Kneeland formally at the NFL Scouting Combine and also had him in for a Top 30 visit prior to the draft.

Bucs Best Bet – Rounds 4-7: Colorado State OLB Mohamed Kamara

After the second round there aren’t many great options for edge rushers, as this is not a particularly deep draft for the position. But the Bucs could draft Kamara in the fourth round on Day 3. Tampa Bay had another successful, quick, undersized pass rusher from Colorado State in Shaq Barrett, who was also 6-foot-1, 250 pounds. Kamara’s size isn’t for every team, but Todd Bowles doesn’t mind shorter outside linebackers if they can really rush the passer.

Kamara logged 45.5 tackles for loss and 25.5 sacks in his Rams career and wins with incredible burst and bend around the tackle, and has violent hands. Kamara has a wide array of pass rushing moves and a sophisticated rush plan. The Bucs have a similarly built player already on the roster in Markees Watts, so that’s proof that Kamara could be a good fit in Tampa Bay as Todd Bowles can never have enough good edge rushers who can get to the quarterback.

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