LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne was at one time pegged as the No. 3 overall pick, which would have landed him in Minnesota and made him the highest drafted cornerback in more than a decade.
But in the ever-shuffling world of mock drafts, many people now project Claiborne to slip past the Vikes, which could well land him in Tampa Bay.
SB Nation’s mock draft is among those that currently have the Bucs taking Claiborne at No. 5.
FoxSports.com’s Peter Schrage also has Tampa taking Claiborne.
According to Schrage,
Claiborne’s the wise pick at number 5. Some scouts like Claiborne even more than last year’s 5th overall pick and Claiborne’s former defensive backfield partner at LSU, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson. Claiborne would be a much-needed addition to a young Tampa defense that got trounced upon last season.
Don Banks of SI.com also predicts that the Bucs will take Claiborne, declaring,
The Bucs have plenty of options that make sense, but in a division where Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Matt Ryan come calling six times a season, landing the draft’s top cornerback qualifies as a no-brainer, especially since Ronde Barber turns 47 any day now.
Claiborne just finished his junior senior at LSU, where he starred alongside SEC Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. Claiborne led the nation in interception return yardage (173) and ranked second in the SEC with six picks.
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