Potential trade-up targets for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 NFL Draft
By Evan Bachman
. player. 48. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. S. Alabama. Xavier McKinney
The Buccaneers’ current safety situation is pretty bad with none of Andrew Adams, Mike Edwards or Jordan Whitehead grading in the top 62 out of 86 qualified safeties this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Xavier McKinney would undoubtedly be a big upgrade over any safety currently on the roster.
McKinney has great instincts, he always seems to be around the ball, especially in coverage. He is a smart player who also shows good ball skills. He played all over the place, the box, at slot corner, and as a deep safety, but I think he’ll be best at the next level as primarily a deep safety.
The biggest weakness for him is below-average speed. He ran a 4.63 40-yard dash at the combine, which was 16th out of the 20 safeties that ran. This shouldn’t be a big deal because his instincts are good enough to overcome not being the best athlete in the world, but it could give some teams that are considering taking him some concern.
With him and Grant Delpit being head and shoulders above the rest of the safety class securing one of them has to be a priority for them and if they decide to go elsewhere with their first pick they can make a splash by trading back into the first round to address a big need.