Could he find his way into the rotation?"

Outside of the quarterback position Sean Bunting Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey , edge rusher may be the most important position on the football field in today’s NFL. A good pass rush can confuse and derail any competent quarterback. The key to the demise of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers over the years has been the ability to generate consistent pressure. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it may be a difficult task finding players who can provide that spark. A lack of personnel, a switch in defensive philosophy, and new coaching in general are just a few of the obstacles in the way of becoming a good defense. The Bucs potentially have an inside presence when it comes to the likes of Vita Vea, Lavonte David, and (possibly) Kwon Alexander or Kendell Beckwith. The outside, however, is a different story. Enter Aaron Lynch, a former EDGE rusher for the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears. He has complied 18 sacks in five years and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2019. Should the Bucs take a look at Lynch?AARON LYNCH’S CAREERLynch’s career has been a mixed bag of results since he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.He came out and recorded 12.5 sacks in first two years, but a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and an ankle injury limited him to just seven games in 2016. A back ailment and a calf injury caused him to miss nine more games in 2017 and essentially sealed his fate as a free agent.He accumulated just 2.5 sacks in 2016 & 2017, but it was enough to warrant a one-year, $3.9 million contract from the Chicago Bears. He finished the 2018 season with 16 combined tackles, three sacks, four TFLs, seven hurries, and six quarterback hits on 33% of the team’s defensive snaps according to Pro Football Focus. His 73.6 overall defensive grade was also a career-high. Lynch was a focal point of the pass rush in San Francisco, but he appeared to find a niche as a role player in Chicago.Now, a lot of that could be due to the presence of former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Fangio was part of the 49ers when Lynch was drafted in 2014. Regardless, Fangio used Lynch primarily as a pass rusher in Chicago, where he played 58% of his snaps at either ROLB or LOLB, but he was effective when it came to stopping the run as well Cheap Sean Bunting Jersey , evidenced by his 87.0 grade in that department.At 6-foot-6, 270-pounds, Lynch has the perfect size of speed, length, and athleticism off the edge – and the Bucs need edge rushers in a bad way.How about that? A perfect segue鈥?WHY THE BUCCANEERS NEED HIMThis one is simple: the Bucs need pass rushers and Lynch can provide that at a decent price.There are still a ton of questions/scenarios to play out before we really get an idea of what this defense can or will do, but there is no question that the Bucs will need all the help they can get when it comes to pressuring opposing quarterbacks.Right now, Tampa Bay has Jason Pierre-Paul and Carl Nassib as the main edge rushers. There’s no reason to think that Lynch wouldn’t be able to find a home on this team. He has plenty of experience in a 3-4 system and has shown flashes of potential throughout his career.But his suspension, injuries, and weight issues are all red flags that this franchise must consider as well. That is a talking point that Jason Licht and co. could bring to the table if there is any interest from Tampa Bay’s side. Lynch would definitely be more of a rotational player. The Bucs can’t afford to make the same mistake and expect - and pay - a rotational player to perform like a starter a la Vinny Curry in 2018.WHAT WILL LYNCH COST?He shouldn’t be very expensive at all and I wouldn’t expect him to demand much, but teams will pay a premium price for pass rushers these days. If Lynch and his agent could stir up a good case, then he could very easily price himself out of Tampa Bay’s budget. If he can stay between the $2-$4 million number, then I’d say go for it. Anything over $4 million is too rich for my blood, though.WILL IT HAPPEN?For the right price? Sure.The Bucs need all the help they can get on defense. Former defensive coordinator Mike Smith wasn’t the sole cause for everything, this defense has multiple holes everywhere. Whether it be the starters or the backups, there are serious changes that need to be made if this teams wants to stop anyone in 2019. Lynch isn’t known as a great locker room presence and he isn’t bringing in some sort of stellar career, but he could be a “diamond in the rough” that Bruce Arians spoke about during his introductory press conference back in January. Tampa Bay used the 107th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Iowa defensive end Anthony Nelson. Here, we have three things you should know about the former Hawkeye."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2016 NFL DraftInjuriesFree AgencyGame FilmThree things you need to know about new Buccaneers DE Anthony NelsonNew,7commentsTampa Bay used the 107th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Iowa defensive end Anthony Nelson. Here, we have three things you should know about the former Hawkeye.EDTShareTweetShareShareThree things you need to know about new Buccaneers DE Anthony NelsonJeffrey Becker-USA TODAY SportsWith their fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers addressed their need for pass-rushing help by selecting Iowa defensive end Anthony Nelson. Plenty of fans are up in arms because Tampa Bay didn’t address the defensive line in the first two days of the draft. But with their first pick of day three, the Bucs went for a guy who has drawn comparisons to one of their current pass-rushers: Carl Nassib. It should be interesting to see how the new defensive coaching staff looks to use Nelson, as he was more of a 4-3 defensive end prospect. With the Bucs set to run a 3-4 the majority of the time, it should be interesting to see where the 6-foot-7 Sean Bunting Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey , 271-pound defender fits in.The Bucs didn’t seem to think pass rush was as big of a need on day two as secondary help, so here we are, with the team likely hoping that Nelson can develop into a starting-caliber guy some time down the road. His size is what stands out most, but he has ability that, with some NFL coaching, could help him become a solid contributor. Here, we have three things you need to know about new Bucs defensive end Anthony Nelson.Unsurprisingly, Nelson was a two-sport athlete in high schoolAt 6-foot-7, Nelson has the length of a legitimate basketball player. So, it’s not a big shock that he once played basketball in addition to starring in football. At Waukee High School in Iowa, Nelson was a two-sport athlete. His play on the football field earned him six offers. He was a two-year starter, picking up 62 solo tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 10 forced/recovered fumbles and 24 pass breakups. As a senior, he was an all-state selection, as well as the Class 4A Western Iowa Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to all of the success as a team captain on the football team, Nelson was also a captain of the Waukee basketball team. As a junior, he put up 14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Those are solid numbers, of course, as they put him right on the edge of averaging a double-double. Height can certainly benefit Nelson at the next level. Both his height and wing span should help him gain separation from blocks in addition to the threat of him being able to get his hands on passes at the line of scrimmage. Most guys are big, but Nelson’s measurables put him above almost every other player at his position in this class. His height is in the 98th percentile, his wingspan is in the 96th and his vertical jump is in the 87th. If the coaching staff can get him up to his potential Caleb Benenoch Jersey , he could quickly prove to be a steal in the fourth round.Nelson has always had success in the classroomJudging by some of the Bucs’ day two picks, it seems like they’re trending toward picking some pretty smart players this year. Nelson is no different. According to his Iowa player profile, he received academic all-district honors in both his junior and senior years of high school His hard work continued to pay off at the University of Iowa, where he earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He was a First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2017 and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. He then received Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American honors in 2018. Such success in the classroom AND on the football field is likely a large part of what helped him earn leadership positions with the Hawkeyes. In 2017, he was one of four sophomores in the Leadership Group. Then, in 2018, he was one of five juniors named to the Leadership Group.Tampa Bays seems really keyed in on high-character guys in this year’s draft. The addition of Nelson is just the latest example of that. Whether he was in a small or large role at Iowa, Nelson producedAfter redshirting in 2015, Nelson stepped up in 2016. He only started one game, but appeared in all 13 of the team’s contests. He finished the year with 33 tackles and seven sacks. Those seven sacks were good for second on the team, and he only started ONE game. That’s pretty impressive stuff from the new Buc. In 2017, Nelson was just as solid. He put up 41 tackles and a team-leading 7.5 sacks. He had four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal on his way to a Third-Team All-Big Ten selection by the league’s media. League coaches pegged him as an honorable mention for his performance as well. In his final year with the Hawkeyes in 2018, Nelson put up 45 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss (second on the team) and 9.5 sacks (second). He won the Team Hustle Award, earned a selection by the media for the All-Big Ten Second Team and also got third-team honors from Big Ten coaches.Consistency was a large part of Nelson’s career at Iowa, and he’s surely hoping to translate that repeated success to the NFL level with the Buccaneers. In each of his three years with the Hawkeyes, he put up 50-plus quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus: With Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton as the quarterbacks that the Bucs see twice every year, some pressure from Nelson is much-needed. You can find Anthony Nelson on Twitter at @ANelly98. Take some time to congratulate him and welcome him to Tampa Bay.