What could this Crimson Tide safety bring to Tampa Bay?"Any team as bad against the pass as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were last season is bound to be targeting improvement in the secondary as a priority in the off-season.We’ve already seen the team sign one free-agent defensive back in Kentrell Brice from the Green Bay Packers. This coupled with word the team is looking at moving second-year player M.J. Stewart to safety in 2019 means the Bucs have two more safeties on the roster than they did entering the off-season this January.Alabama safety Deionte Thompson is one of the top guys in his group entering this year’s draft and could very well hear his name called on the first day of the NFL Draft. However http://www.buccaneerslockerroom.com/authentic-mike-evans-jersey , if he’s still around on day two, the Buccaneers could certainly give him a long look before deciding on who they ultimately select in the second round.So, before we get there, let’s take a look at the Crimson Tide defensive back ourselves. Deionte Thompson’s CareerWe’ve already established Thompson played for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The SEC juggernaut is well known for being a NFL factory and the Bucs currently enjoy the spoils of having one ‘Bama product on the roster in the form of O.J. Howard.In his three seasons of action, Thompson appeared in 29 games including 14 in 2018 and tallied three interceptions in his career in Tuscaloosa.If you’re thinking Thompson’s career is a little underwhelming for an Alabama defender, you’re correct. However, it’s important to remember you’re feeling that way because he’s an Alabama defender.Due to the talent he was following in Alabama, Thompson didn’t get substantial playing time until this last season. In his one year opportunity, he became a Consensus All-American and finished fifth in the SEC with three forced fumbles.Showing the talent his school has become known for, Thompson entered the NFL Draft after the season, and while some will wish he’d gone back for another year to develop and show even more there is no denying he has talent to succeed at the next level right now.ProsPlays with the aggressiveness coaches like Todd Bowles and Bruce Arians target in young players. Good in pass coverage and solid against the run. Physical, but smart in his play taking good angles against runs and consistently showing intelligence while in pursuit.Solid interception and forced fumble numbers display his desire and ability to get turnovers while his experience on special teams shows grit and the willingness to earn every snap he takes.With the right coaching and usage, will become a solid NFL starter within three years.ConsHits harder than his body type is likely able to handle for long periods of time against NFL competition.While he tracks the ball well in the air and is relatively good at reading a quarterback, smarter veterans will be able to manipulate him early on moving him out of position and opening up potential for big plays.One real year of college experience as a starting safety is worrisome, and will cause his stock to dip below the normal range of most All-American Alabama safeties.Doesn’t look like a guy you can install on day one as an every down starter at the safety position, so he’ll need to be used within specific parameters as he learns how to become a complete NFL defender.Why The Buccaneers Need HimSome will say fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide are spoiled and entitled. And some are, I’m sure. However, the players seem to be mostly humble men who appreciate opportunities and work hard to make the most of them. Most, anyway.Thompson was a four-star recruit out of high school, so he had plenty of offers to go to colleges and likely even had promises of starting from day one to a few. He chose to go to Alabama and scrap his way to a starting role.Bottom line is, this is a guy who is ready and willing to be an underdog. He may even enjoy it.The Bucs are the ultimate underdog. Back-to-back 5-11 seasons saw their coaching staff fired, star receiver traded and two fan favorite ‘heart’ players leave in free-agency.If there was one position group in the debacle of coach Dirk Koetter’s last two years which was the most responsible for the fall, it was likely the secondary.Any defensive back joining this group is going to be underestimated and down-right doubted. The group needs talent. Justin Evans is good, but battle injury and inconsistency in 2018. Stewart is new. Brice is new and was a back-up in Green Bay (not known for defense either). Isaiah Johnson has shown some flashes of being a solid contributor, but doesn’t appear ready for a starting role.There’s an obvious need, and with coach Bowles’ history of using many safeties, there may be room for one more. Will It Happen?It may be a little anti-climactic, but I’m going to put a ‘maybe’ on this one. Tampa Bay could certainly use help in the safety group. But they need help elsewhere too, and from the way I project things going in the draft, there are going to be players more talented at their positions of need for the Bucs than Thompson is at his.But - and this may surprise some of you - the NFL Draft seldomly goes the way I predict it to. So http://www.buccaneerslockerroom.com/authentic-alex-cappa-jersey , if there is a run on linemen, edge defenders or cornerbacks earlier than expected, Thompson could be the most talented guy left on the board on day two when Jason Licht gets his first crack at making a pick.If this is the case, then Thompson would be an easy pick with a high probability of success. Earlier in the off-season, he was projected as the top safety in the class. Now, more and more he’s being moved to day two. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah doesn’t even have him in his Top-50 at the moment.So it appears likely the Bucs will have their chance to grab him if they want him. The Buccaneers turned this match-up into a real nail biter down the stretch thanks to untimely turnovers via Jameis Winston and some special teams blunders. The defense showed up to the field battered with injuries to their top defense tackle Gerald McCoy and his defensive line mate in Vinny Curry. Injuries took a toll during the game as well to linebackers Kwon Alexander and Jack Cichy. That said, defense dominated the first half for Tampa and saved the offense in overtime under newly promoted defensive coordinator Mark Duffner. Let’s take a look at how the different units performed in this game.The offense imploded on itself and it all started up front. The offensive line as a whole played poorly and because of it, Jameis Winston had very little time to set his feet and get comfortable in this game. Donovan Smith struggled to handle Myles Garrett who would eventually cause some real havoc in the 2nd half on a forced fumble of Jameis Winston that turned into a Cleveland Browns offensive touchdown.It was a frequent issue for the Buccaneers offensive tackles to slow down the Browns edge rush in this ballgame. Emmanuel Ogbah and Myles Garrett combined for 3.5 sacks with another .5 sack picked up by Ogunjobi. Jameis Winston is next up and his play at quarterback in this game left a lot to be desired. The offense in it’s totality put up a lot of yardage and produced only three touchdowns, all via the ground. Winston finished with 10 carries of his own for 55 yards and a scramble touchdown. Where Winston struggled was with turnovers through the air, two poorly thrown balls for interceptions, and taking sacks in situations that were ultimately detrimental to the offenses ability to finish drives for points. Winston’s fumble can be put on the offensive line as Donovan Smith was beat off the snap and ultimately allowed for Garrett to get a clean swat of Winston’s hand in the pocket. The interceptions in this one were all on Jameis though. A late game interception nearly cost the team the “W” as he whiffed on seeing the sitting defender over the middle on a short toss that was intercepted. This definitely wasn’t Jameis’ best game, but luckily for him in this match-up he had a defense there to bail him and the offense out late. The ground game via the running backs was very ineffective which was a bit to be expected as the Browns came in with a very stout defense on the season. Ronald Jones got some more action and turned in a touchdown run along with a 9 yard reception. Jones finished with 7 touches for 22 yards. Peyton Barber led the backs in rushing attempts with 11 that went for 30 yards and he was unable to haul in either of the two targets he received. Rodgers saw most of the late game action as Koetter’s most reliable back when the pressure is on. He saw 4 total touches for 19 yards. Receiving the ball is always a strong suit for this offense and the combination of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin came through again. The two combined with O.J. Howard for 230+ yards receiving. Godwin caught 5 of his 6 targets in the game while Mike Evans topped the century mark. Winston struggled to get the ball to DeSean Jackson, connecting on 40% of his attempts to the speedster. Jackson did manage to score on a rushing attempt in the ballgame. The defense had finally arrived, then briefly left only to return late with a huge stop in overtime. The Tampa Bay defense, now led by Mark Duffner, came out and made a statement in the first half against the Browns. Kwon Alexander had his best half to date and the dynamic duo (on Sunday) of Jason Pierre-Paul and Carl Nassib. The fun ended for a brief moment in the 2nd half while Cleveland marched themselves back into the game to eventually tie it up thanks to the Buccaneers offense turning over the football and some special teams blunders but JPP and company clamped down when it mattered most. The defensive line was without two starters, the incumbent All Pro Gerald McCoy and free agent addition Vinny Curry, but Carl Nassib and Pierre-Paul helped lead this defense to some big stops. Nassib had two sacks in the game and JPP added another sack of his own, a 6th that tied the teams high from a season ago. Vea made little impact in the game and the same can be said for the rest of the defensive line. Late in the ball game the Buccaneers struggled up the middle and Nick Chubb was able to capitalize with a touchdown. Vea didn’t play poorly, but he didn’t play like a top 15 pick in this one either. The line backing duo of David and Alexander played incredible in the first half and then the unthinkable happened, Kwon Alexander went down with an injury. Alexander is feared to have torn an ACL, ending his season. Lavonte David will have to step up even more in Kwon’s absence as will Adarius Taylor who filled in the rest of the game. Also injured in this game was Jack Cichy who has quite the injury history of his own. The team will need to consider signing a linebacker and really hoping Kendell Beckwith is able to return from his ankle injury sooner than later. The defensive back’s played an okay game which in and of itself is an improvement of drastic measures over recent weeks. Justin Evans was around the ball often in this game and finished with 8 total tackles. M.J. Stewart, Jordan Whitehead and Carlton Davis all had bounce back games after being gashed the previous week. Overall it was a positive performance from a group that has struggled mightily all season long. Special Teams kept this game much closer than it ever needed to be. Chandler Catanzaro at the end of the day is a hero thanks to his NFL record setting overtime field goal of 59 yards, but he left his mark all over this game thanks to his inability to come through and make kicks. Catanzaro missed an extra point earlier in the game and then failed to knock in a potential game winning field goal as regulation expired. The kicking game in Tampa continues to be a train-wreck. The punt coverage team had a late blunder that squandered an otherwise sound game from the unit. Late in the ball game with the Buccaneers leading by 7, the punt coverage failed to bring down the returner and gave the Browns a 1st down in the red zone from 16 yards out. The Browns would then score on a pass play to Jarvis Landry to lead to a 23-23 tie. The Tampa Bay return men saw zero action on kickoff’s and Adam Humphries had 4 returns on 9 punts with a top return of 13 yards. 465 yards worth a punts from Colquitt gave Humphries little room to wiggle out any big returns. Final Reactions. Watching the defense step up with two starters absent and shut the door after several turnovers by the offense was really the story of this game. For the better part of 2.5 years under Dirk Koetter, the defense has failed when it needed to succeed most. For a brief Sunday afternoon, that changed as Pierre-Paul and Nassib led the charge up front. If the Buccaneers can get this style of defense and energy on a Sunday where the offense is firing on all cylinders then teams will have to really watch out for what this team can do. The Buccaneers head to Cincinnati next week and will face a veteran quarterback with several good weapons out wide, this should be a very good test for the Duffner led Buccaneer defense.