Reese’s Senior Bowl: Day 1 Players to Watch

As Bucs Nation continues to react to the official news Tom Brady is retiring, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are maintaining its focus on the future, including free agency and the upcoming NFL Draft.

One of the biggest events in the draft evaluation process is the Reese’s Senior Bowl, held annually in Mobile, Alabama.

Tuesday marks the first day of practices for the American Team coached by the Detroit Lions staff, and the National Team coached by the New York Jets staff.

As we look ahead to day one of the practices, here are three guys we’re looking to see perform on the Senior Bowl practice field.

QUARTERBACK KENNY PICKETT, PITTSBURGH

No sense in beating around the bush here. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need a quarterback of the future.

Could it be Kyle Trask? The 2021 second-round draft pick by the Bucs is the only quarterback under contract for 2022 as of right now, but there is reasonable doubt to think he may not be ready.

Of course, Bruce Arians welcoming a rookie in one of his - or maybe the - final push for another Super Bowl title is hard to imagine, especially given the capital the team would have to spend to move up to get him.

Still, if there’s a quarterback everyone has their eye on as the top guy in Mobile to start the week, it’s Pickett, with North Carolina’s Sam Howell a close second.

So we’ll keep an eye on his performance to see if he can spark some trade making inspiration on day one.

DEFENSIVE BACK ROGER MCCREARY, AUBURN

Short, small, and slow. Not things you want in an NFL defensive back.

There has been some early concern about McCreary’s measurables, but at the end of the day, the proof is in the film.

This Auburn defensive back has day one buzz around him, and if he can show scouts some of these ‘issues’ aren’t actually a problem, then he will make a lot of money and garner attention from teams in need of help in the secondary.

WIDE RECEIVER CALVIN AUSTIN III, MEMPHIS

Memphis has been churning out some solid talent into the NFL ranks on offense, and Austin III is looking to be the next in that modern tradition.

No matter who is playing quarterback for the Buccaneers in 2022, adding to a receiver with his talents will only help make the offense more explosive and versatile.

As long as he confirms or improves on his current evaluation.

Plenty of talent to be seen in Mobile, and Bucs Nation will be on ground for it all. So be sure to come back often for updates and analysis.

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