Who Stands Out to Koetter?

A photo posted by Dan Vitale (@danvitale86) on Jun 19, 2016 at 5:20pm PDT

If there is a way to make the roster its to stand out to the head coach. So when asked last week who is standing out in practices Koetter gave a politically correct answer then threw out one name above all.

Are there names that have popped out to you from this rookie class?

 Oh sure on different days all those guys have. I mean we got the tight ends, the running backs, the defensive lineman, Luke the middle linebacker has moved up the depth chart a little bit. These guys are all working hard and you know its a long way from 90 to 53 but love the way their working.

That middle linebacker is Luke Rhodes of small school William & Mary, where he was a 2 time team captain and is known for his vocal leadership and extreme motor. Luke has an NFL ready body 6'2 242 lbs similar to Dan Vitale (seen above) and has all the athletic gifts to become a good player. Considering the already crowded room the bucs have at linebacker, Rhodes will have to compete to earn a spot on special teams. Lets see how high up the depth chart Luke can rise?

Plenty Of LB Competition

The Bucs have themselves a nice set of starting linebackers with David, Alexander and Smith but who will play behind them? Licht drafted Devante Bond in the 6th round so maybe he sticks but who else is there competing for spots?

Licht went out after the draft and found himself 3 fine candidates in Micah Awe, Cassanova McKinzy and Luke Rhodes that will make training camp and pre-season really fun to watch. All of which have different traits that could help them stick to the roster. They will all be competing with guys already on the roster in Jeremiah George, Josh Keyes and Adarius Glanton. Licht has brought in plenty of competition for the defensive line, linebackers and corners that will truly bring the best out of everyone and make simple practices that more intense. The defense needed a boost in talent and thats what happened this year.