Son of Former Buccaneers Player Could Add to Versatile Defensive Line

Toledo's Judge Culpepper hopes to continue a family legacy in Tampa Bay.

River Wells | May 13, 2024

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Much has been made about Tampa Bay Buccaneers UDFA Kalen DeLoach out of Florida State — he even had his own time at the podium to speak to media. But he may not be the only one to look out for during the offseason.

DeLoach has Florida ties, but Toledo defensive lineman Judge Culpepper has ties to the Bucs. His father is Brad Culpepper, who played for Tampa Bay from 1994-99, and now he's with the Bucs as a UDFA.

"It's an awesome opprotunity, really cool," Judge told media. "I think [Brad] would have been happy wherever I went, but certainly being home, being in Tampa — there's no better place than Tampa Bay, in my eyes."

The legacy is so strong, in fact, that Pro Football Focus thinks he could be a player to watch. PFF posted a list of one UDFA to watch for every team, and their pick was Judge. Here's what they had to say about the Toledo product:

"Culpepper has racked up 62 pressures in three seasons for Toledo and earned a 66.4 grade in 2023. He’s shown glimpses of being a strong run defender and his father played in the NFL for nine seasons. The genetics are strong."

Judge started his career with Penn State before transferring over to Toledo. He's played five seasons of college football, with his best season coming in 2023. He netted nine sacks, 38 total tackles and a forced fumble for the Rockets.

It could be tough for Culpepper to make the team given the established depth on the defensive line, but special teams is always a consideration and you never know how things will shake out. If he does stick around, he'll continue a family legacy of playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For now, though, Judge is ready to fit in wherever he can and add to Todd Bowles defense that is full of talented playmakers.

"A lot of the defensive linemen on the field are super versatile guys, so I'm just trying to add something to that," Judge said. "Trying to be versatile, be able to play multiple positions and just add another element to that. Any value I can add, I just wanna do that."

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Published May 13, 2024

RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.