Buccaneers Land One Of The Top Undrafted Running Backs On The Market
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't end up drafting a running back after being linked to Bijan Robinson (who went in the top-10) over the past couple of months. With that being said, it didn't take long for the Buccaneers to land one of the top undrafted running backs on the market.
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Shortly after the NFL Draft concluded on Saturday evening, former Syracuse standout Sean Tucker announced that he had signed an undrafted free agent deal with Tampa Bay. Tucker is coming off a record-setting career with the Orange but slid down boards due to an injury that kept him from working out at the NFL Combine.
The Maryland native was medically cleared earlier this month and held a personal Pro Day workout last week. He recorded a vertical jump of 38-inches while also bench pressing 225-pounds 29 times which would've been the best number by a running back at the combine. In March, Tucker posted a video to social media of two attempts at the 40-yard-dash where he ran a time of 4.33 seconds and 4.39 seconds.
If healthy, Tampa Bay might have found a steal amongst the pool of undrafted free agent. Tucker is a legitimate talent who was regarded as one of the top running backs in his class prior to this odd situation. He stepped into the starting role four games into his tenure with Syracuse and never looked back.
Tucker set the single-season rushing record in 2021 with 246 carries for 1,496 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 20 catches for 255 yards and two more scores. A First-Team All-American and back to back All-ACC selection, he developed into one of the most explosive players in the country during his time in college. In total, he appeared in 33 games, recording 589 carries for 3,182 yards with 27 touchdowns on the ground while catching 64 passes for 622 yards and four more scores.
The 5-foot-10, 209-pound prospect joins a running back room in Tampa Bay that incudes Rachaad White, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Chase Edmonds, and Patrick Laird. Tucker will have an opportunity to stick with the team on the 53-man roster or on the practice squad if he retains the skillset that led him to stardom at Syracuse.
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