Bucs Preseason Week 2 Rookie Roundup

Despite a disappointing overall showing by the Bucs in their second preseason game against the Jaguars, there was still plenty to like about what their 2024 NFL Draft class showed. With several of the players from that class set to become key contributors it’s important that these players continue to develop and show that they are improving as the regular season nears. And this crop continues to show that.

C Graham Barton

Barton put another notch in his belt on his road to showing he can come out of the gate as a strong addition to the offensive line. His performance was not as dominating as his week one performance against the Bengals, but it was still a clean sheet for the Duke product. He allowed zero pressures across eight pass blocking snaps on the game.

Barton also helped elevate the Bucs running game to a 7.2 yards per carry on the night. It wasn’t as flashy with less pancake blocks and climbing to the 2nd level, but Barton helped run the Bucs zone concepts well, moving in sync with his linemates and preventing penetration by the defense so running backs could find room and lanes to work.

NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger featured Barton for the second week in a row on one of his X (formerly Twitter) clips “Baldy’s Breakdowns”.

.@Buccaneers with 3 rookies playing on the interior of the O-Line @grahambarton53 @ElijahKlein79 #XavierDelgado getting the job done. Havent seen 3 rookies play this well together on the inside all preseason #coaching #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/AzgBKiqVT6

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 18, 2024

OLB Chris Braswell Jr.

Braswell was praised by Bucs head coach Todd Bowles in the lead up to the Jaguars game saying, “Braswell has been excellent since he’s come on with Joe [Tryon-Shoyinka] and Yaya [Diaby] having been down. The experience and the leaps and bounds in which he gets better by the day, he’s been one of the more pleasant surprises here since we’ve been up here in Jacksonville. He keeps getting better and better. I love the things he’s doing and love where he’s at.”

Those improvements didn’t translate into a standout performance Saturday night. Pro Football Focus gave Braswell one of the lowest grades among all of the Bucs defensive players, and did not credit him with a single pressure on the game. While I don’t think he “popped” I take issue with both points from the grading site. Take a look at this clip of Jose Ramirez’s first sack on the night.

Jose Ramirez Sack #1. DB pressure off the edge + LG looking to double the Nose give him an easy lane to the QB. Kudos to Ramirez for taking advantage w/a quick jump. pic.twitter.com/1a1nqJ3CaK

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) August 19, 2024

Look at the other side of the pocket. Braswell has an impressive bull rush knocking the right tackle back into the quarterback. But those reps were few and far between, even when he was in against backups. Braswell is going to need to improve his strike timing and hand placement if he is to improve his effectiveness as a pass rusher. He had a few good reps in coverage and as a run defender holding his gap. But I will say he needs to improve his overall strength and physicality as a run defender to really keep up with the rest of the Bucs outside linebackers.

I noted last week that Braswell is by far the rawest prospect of this Bucs draft class and his performance against the Jaguars showed that is still the case.

WR Jalen McMillan

McMillan had just one catch for six yards in his second preseason game. With only six routes run his 1.0 yds/rr wasn’t that bad. And the fact that he was targeted on half his routes showed he was getting open, and quarterback Kyle Trask is comfortable looking for him.

His footwork is so smooth. pic.twitter.com/63YremygJc

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) August 18, 2024

The above clip was one of two targets that Trask and he failed to connect on. McMillan was most likely supposed to sit the route in the void which is why the throw was behind him. Still, despite the misses McMillan still showcased smooth movements, crisp routes and a penchant for getting open. In addition, he was an effective blocker. If he turns out to be a more physical player than I thought he would be coming out of college, the ceiling for what he can be goes way up.

DB Tykee Smith

Smith had a more stable second game than his first. No penalties for him against the Jaguars and he was solid in coverage, playing his role in zone coverage well. He was only targeted once for a short gain across 18 total plays. He also had a standout play as a pass rusher where he nearly got to Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones for a sack, eventually causing Jones to scramble out of the pocket and throw the ball away. Smith was the closest player in coverage on the Parker Washington touchdown, but in the inverted cover-2 the Bucs were running on that play his responsibility was over top of the outside receiver and he was not to blame for the coverage bust that led to the score.

Just a really ugly rep all around for Marcus Banks. pic.twitter.com/Q7ZeTQpDP8

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) August 19, 2024

RB Bucky Irving

Irving had another solid outing, showcasing his ability to find his way through gaps that his offensive line opened up for him. He compiled 26 yards on six carries while forcing another two missed tackles. His ability to deftly contort parts of his body as he is being hit by defenders from anything other than a head-on angle helps him generate additional yards that amplify his effectiveness. Add to that some nifty change of direction skills and it was another strong showing for the young running back. He also nailed his lone pass protection rep for the second week in a row, displaying the one trait that is most crucial for a team to trust him to be on the field in the regular season.

Great job by Bucky to feel the inside sell-out by the DE and know that he has Walton now sealing the outside to find daylight when the inside lanes were clogged. pic.twitter.com/TVViXubHXQ

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) August 18, 2024

I’m hoping to see Irving speed up his processor in terms of deciding to push creases earlier and whether he truly has enough of a final gear to get 30–40-yard runs when they are available to him, but overall, I am comfortable saying he will be an upgrade over what the team has previously had at the RB2 spot.

OL Elijah Klein

Klein continues to impress given he was little-known before the Bucs selected him in the sixth round of April’s draft. This week the team challenged him with playing right tackle. It is a position he had not played in any of his six years at UTEP. The results there are as you might expect. He got beat on multiple reps as he was not used to the depth of pass sets needed to succeed on the outside and his footwork was a little too slow for him to keep his base and balance as defenders were able to work against him with more room.

BUT, once he was back inside at right guard he picked up right where he left off the week prior. Klein’s play strength is NFL ready. He has a strong base and a wicked anchor that makes going through him a difficult task for opposing defenders. He pairs that with a killer punch and strong hand usage. He isn’t afraid to get into a brawl with anyone. Klein is making a case for getting him on the field sooner rather than later and could mean that the Bucs are deeper at a position once considered one of their biggest weaknesses.

Elijah Klein has been playing some ball so far this preseason. It’ll be tough to keep him off of the field this year. Excellent timing, placement & use of independent hands on this rep. Also played well at RT in this one.. pic.twitter.com/HlrMgtsbcO

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) August 19, 2024

TE Devin Culp

Despite being a plus athlete Culp was a seventh-round pick due in large part to questions about his hands. He had a 15.5% drop rate over his college career. So having him catch both of his targets while average 8.0 yards after catch helped to showcase his strengths (his athleticism to work after the catch) while also showing he may be improving at holding on to the ball. Throw in another solid blocking effort and he is making a strong case for making the final roster.

Culp provides a much higher ceiling than current TE3 Ko Kieft who is a limited athlete that is a plus blocker. Culp has shown he can match Kieft at least in terms of being assignment sound while adding a more dynamic element as a playmaker who can attack a defense as a pass-catcher.