Buccaneers Land Pass Rusher of the Future in Recent NFL Mock Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been able to keep their pass rush fairly solid over the years, but new blood could be arriving in the first round of this year's NFL Draft to give it a boost.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles is most well-known for his ability to craft disguised defenses that create problems for opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators.

Of course, there are also times when the Buccaneers' head coach simply dials up a pretty straightforward blitz look and tells the opponent that his side is better than theirs. 

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It helps when you have impactful pass rushers, and this year Tampa Bay found a gem of one in third-round NFL Draft pick YaYa Diaby. But they may be adding another in this year's selection meeting if 33rd Team Marcus Mosher's vision comes to fruition.

"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit on YaYa Diaby during the 2023 draft, but they could still add more defensive line talent," Mosher says. "Chop Robinson is one of the best pass rushers in this class and would be a fantastic long-term pairing with Diaby and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Chop Robinson (44) celebrates following a sack on Massachusetts Minutemen quarterback Taisun Phommachanh (3) during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Massachusetts 63-0 / Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Diaby has exploded in his rookie season to the tune of 7.5 sacks, leading the team through the regular season and into the playoffs. 

Fellow outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka's five sacks are second-most among the position group while veteran Shaquil Barrett's 4.5 have led to some speculating the team may move on from him this offseason.

There's just as much speculation surrounding Tryon-Shoyinka's fifth-year option which many expect the Bucs to decline as he heads into his fourth NFL season in 2024. 

Regardless of their decisions there, it's clear Tampa Bay has to prioritize figuring out how to best secure its pass rush for the years to come, and Robinson would be a big contributor to that future in this scenario.

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In his three seasons playing Big 10 football (one with the Maryland Terrapins and two with the Penn State Nittany Lions) Robinson has collected 11.5 sacks total with 9.5 coming in the past two years.

Robinson didn't participate in Penn State's Peach Bowl loss to the Ole Miss Rebels and as of now, it doesn't appear that he'll be participating in any pre-draft All-Star games like the Reese's Senior Bowl. 

That means, beyond the tape, the next time we'll get to see Robinson put his talents on display will likely be in Indianapolis for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

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