The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a perfectly serviceable tight end right now with Cade Otton, which isn’t exactly going to set your fanbase’s hearts on fire.
The 2024 NFL draft could change all that. The Buccaneers are projected to take Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders in the second round (No. 57 overall) of PFF’s latest mock draft.
“Cade Otton has been fine for Tampa Bay over the past two years, but the team could use more of a focal point in the passing game from the position,” wrote PFF’s Trevor Sikkema. “Plus, the Buccaneers will have to make a decision on Chris Godwin’s long-term future soon. Sanders is a legit receiving option who could make that choice easier for the front office.”
If the Buccaneers were to select Sanders, it would be the third year in a row the franchise has selected a tight end in the later rounds following Payne Durham (fifth round, 2023) and Otton (fourth round, 2022).
Ja’Tavion Sanders: Elite Blend of Skills, Athleticism
Sanders played in all 12 games for Texas on offense and special teams as a true freshman in 2021 then closed his career by starting 27 consecutive games over the last two seasons.
In two years as a starter for the Longhorns, Sanders had over 600 receiving yards each season and was a two-time All-Big 12 selection. He had 45 receptions for 682 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2023 as Texas made the College Football Playoff for the first time.
Sanders, 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, left college with one year of eligibility remaining and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds at the NFL combine.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Sanders to Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku, who had career highs of 81 receptions, 882 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns in 2023.
“Sanders possesses an average build, but he has room for more muscle,” Zierlein wrote. “He flashes as a run blocker, but he isn’t consistent at the point of attack. He can get up the field from in-line or from the slot, beating man coverage at his route stems or separating quickly from turns. He is able to dig in and win combat catches underneath and has proven to be highly effective running the seam or catching intermediate throws into zone pockets.
“Teams looking for a tight end with a more complete game might pass on him, but his potential to open up the passing game and become a highly productive pass-catcher should be hard to pass on.”
Could Bucs Use Another Tight End?
Durham fell flat as a rookie in 2023 with just five receptions for 58 yards.
Otton, on the other hand, has been a steady presence on offense with 89 receptions for 846 yards and 6 touchdowns through his first two seasons. Otton started 11 games as a rookie in 2022 and started all 17 games in 2023, with 47 receptions for 455 yards and 4 touchdowns.
“Cade Otton is a guy that if you look at his body of work in such a short time playing in the NFL, you take for granted that he played 98% of the snaps last year,” first-year Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen told Pewter Report in March. “That’s something we need to take off his plate a little bit, but you gain more of an appreciation for a guy that is playing 98% of the snaps in this weather, in this league, at a position where you are playing really two.
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