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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing in Derek Barnett for one of their 30 pre-draft visits with non-local players, reports Jenna Laine of ESPN.
I'm told that Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett has an upcoming 30 visit scheduled with the Bucs. He's dealing with a hamstring injury at his pro day today but is battling through it. He also battled through illness at the combine.
The Tennessee defensive end broke Reggie White’s school sack record by putting up 33 in three years, but there are some genuine questions about how he’ll transition to the NFL.
They may have room for a quality edge rusher (I mean...which team doesn’t), but does Barnett truly fit that role? There are some questions about his quickness and explosiveness, and he may be better rushing from the inside than on the edge — and the Bucs have plenty of players like that.
It’s interesting that the Bucs continue to look at defensive linemen, even though that hardly qualifies as a big need. Mostly, they’re probably just doing some due diligence in case Barnett falls a little further than expected.
Ultimately, this probably won’t matter. Barnett is almost certain to be picked before the Bucs go on the clock, unless they like him so much they’re going to trade up for him. But that’s not Jason Licht’s m.o., especially for a player who doesn’t quite fill a need right now.