The Tampa Bay Buccaneers inched closer to locking up their entire draft class Monday, as they announced they had signed third-round pick Jamel Dean to his rookie deal. Dean, a cornerback from Auburn, was the 94th overall pick in April's draft.
With Dean in the fold, first-round pick Devin White is the lone remaining Bucs draft pick who is still unsigned. The language surrounding third round picks' contracts in the current CBA is vague, which is why it often takes them a while to sign.
Dean has a history of knee issues, including a torn ACL in 2016, which might've caused him to fall further in the draft than he normally would've. He has elite athletic traits, and tested out with a 98th-percentile SPARQ score at the combine. He ran a 4.30 40-yard dash and had a 41-inch vertical.
At the very least, he'll provide some upside to Tampa's group of corners. The Buccaneers' secondary struggled mightily last year, so Dean has the chance to come in and earn playing time immediately if he shows well in camp later this month.
Last year for the Tigers, Dean had 30 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, and nine passes defended. The Bucs are transitioning to the first year of the Bruce Arians era, and they need the defense to take a major leap.
Todd Bowles is coordinating the defense now, and the unit is going to look a lot different in 2019. They went all in on building the defense in the draft, using each of their first five picks on that side of the ball.
In addition to Dean, they also drafted cornerback Sean Bunting out of Western Michigan 39th overall.
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