Nashville, TN. (EETV) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded the #70 pick to the Los Angeles Rams for the #94 and #99 picks with the former of those picks turning into Jamel Dean. The former Auburn cornerback will get to stay in the South and play along side another former Auburn cornerback, Carlton Davis who was selected last year in the second round.
Jamel was ranked as the 16th best-rated corner according to ESPN, pre-draft analysis said the following: "Dean is a tall, long and well-built corner with outstanding speed... He's at his best in press-man, in which he can use his length to reroute receivers. He uses his long arms to bat the ball down at the last second."
He will surely help the Buccaneers secondary as they were 26th in passing yards allowed and opposing quarterback threw a ridiculous 73 percent against their defense. Dean impressed scouts at the NFL Combine when he ran his 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds. His physical tools stood out to scouts for sure.
Finally healthy in 2017, he started 11 of 14 games for the Tigers, collecting 43 stops, 2.5 for loss and eight pass breakups. He started 11 of 12 games played in 2018, recording 30 stops, two for loss, two interceptions and nine pass breakups. Dean was a highly-recruited prospect despite those knee injuries because he was a two-time first-team Class 4A All-State pick at Cocoa High School (15 receiving TD as a senior) in Florida.
The NFL Draft continues Sunday with rounds 4-7 on ESPN from 11:00 am-6:00 pm.
