A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough question. This week’s prompt: Who is the best Bucs player to come from the Senior Bowl in the Jason Licht era?

Scott Reynolds: Ali Marpet Was An Incredible Find In Mobile

Former Bucs LG Ali Marpet – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In terms of sheer talent the Bucs have had a couple of amazing guards in the team’s history – both from the Senior Bowl. Davin Joseph, the team’s first-round pick in 2006, made two Pro Bowls before a knee injury in the 2012 preseason prematurely ended his career trajectory. Ali Marpet, Tampa Bay’s second-round pick in 2015, was probably the most talented guard in team history, but was snubbed for several Pro Bowls because of the team’s struggles and five playoff-less seasons until Tom Brady arrived and helped the team win Super Bowl LV in 2020. Marpet was named to his lone Pro Bowl the next season in 2021 after helping Tampa Bay win a franchise-best 13 games before abruptly retiring at the age of 28 with several years left in his prime.

Marpet turned heads at the Senior Bowl in 2015 after a stellar career at left tackle at Hobart College in New York. His superior athleticism, play strength and tenacity were on display in Mobile, Alabama when he moved inside to guard. The Bucs were looking for another guard to pair with Logan Mankins, another talented guard who was acquired in a trade with New England in 2024 at the age of 32 and made the Pro Bowl in Marpet’s rookie season. He caught the eye of general manager Jason Licht, who showed an affinity for finding diamond-in-the-rough offensive linemen in the draft beginning with Marpet that year.

Licht loved Marpet so much he traded up from the third round into the second round to secure him after selecting left tackle Donovan Smith out of Penn State in the second round. Ironically, the two played next to each other at the Senior Bowl that year and wound up becoming best friends in Tampa Bay and helped the team win Super Bowl LV together. Licht’s success of drafting small school offensive linemen from the Senior Bowl to play guard continued with Humboldt State’s Alex Cappa in 2018 and North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch in 2023 – but it all started with Marpet in 2015.

Matt Matera: Zyon McCollum Has Quickly Gone Up Through The Ranks

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

When it comes to Zyon McCollum and his value to Tampa Bay, it’s important to point out that McCollum played at the FCS school Sam Houston and wound up being a fifth-round pick (157th overall). From there he became an eventual starter and the best corner in Tampa Bay over the last two seasons. Players don’t typically travel that type of path too often. 

McCollum, who attended the Senior Bowl in 2022, was also invited to the East-West Shrine game that year as well, but opted for Mobile. He became the first defensive back from his school to get drafted since 1989, and the first player at any position out of Sam Houston to get drafted since 2018. Those were big shoes to fill, and fill them he did. Whether it was at the Senior Bowl or with the Bucs, the first noticeable trait about McCollum is his speed. His dedication to getting better every season has also been great to see. 

Although McCollum struggled as a rookie with tackling, he made it a point of emphasis and improved leaps and bounds in year two. That 2023 season also showed how important he was for the Bucs, as he started in nine games replacing injured corners. In 2024, he became the full time starter and recorded the first two interceptions of his career. There’s still a ways to go, but with his dedication to his craft, McCollum is proving to be an absolute steal by the front office after three seasons.

Bailey Adams: Anthony Nelson Has Given The Bucs Immense Value

Bucs OLB Anthony Nelson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

My original pick was going to be outside linebacker Yaya Diaby because of the way he went from relatively unproven to Senior Bowl standout to the Bucs’ sack leader as a rookie in 2023. But it may be too early to give the nod to Diaby, and on second thought, the value that Tampa Bay has gotten out of Anthony Nelson makes him an under-the-radar pick for this prompt. Nelson, an Iowa product, was at the 2019 Senior Bowl, and the Bucs liked him enough to make him their fourth-round pick in that year’s draft.

Nelson didn’t flash much as a rookie in 2019, though he did record a forced fumble and a pass defensed while playing sparingly over nine games (one start). In 2020, he played 16 games (one start) and recorded his first career sack as part of Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl LV-winning team. After that, the big 6-foot-7 outside linebacker really began to thrive. He notched a career-high 5.0 sacks over 17 games (two starts) in 2021, then topped that in 2022 with 5.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in 17 games (eight starts).

Nelson dropped to three sacks in 2023 and went back up to four in 2024, plus he had what wound up being a season-saving forced fumble in overtime of a Week 13 win over the Panthers. Over 92 career games in Tampa Bay (18 starts), Nelson has 18.5 sacks, 42 quarterback hits, 26 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and five passes defensed. The fourth-round pick has become a reliable hand in Todd Bowles’ defense. He’s someone who Bowles trusts to do anything at any given moment, and the fact that Tampa Bay has gotten so much value out of him entering his seventh season makes Nelson a great Senior Bowl success story for Jason Licht.

Josh Queipo: Cody Mauch Is On The Verge Of Being A Pro-Bowler

The Bucs have had an incredible run of good fortune from Mobile attendees over the years. The best may yet to come. Mauch is coming off of an impressive sophomore campaign where he had the lowest pressure rate among all starting guards in the NFC. He also paired well with Adam Slivon’s pick below to form one of the most impressive double team tandems in the league.

With two years left on his rookie deal, Mauch could vie for a Pro Bowl and possibly even an All-Pro nod in year three. That’s quite the ascension from a former left tackle out of North Dakota State who only took his first meaningful snaps on the interior when he first arrived at the Senior Bowl in 2023. Since then, he has successfully navigated the leap to the NFL, a position change from tackle to guard, and a side switch to the right. Pro Football Focus has him only allowing 19 total pressures and just two sacks in all of 2024, while crediting him with a 98.5 pass block efficiency rating and a 74.2 overall grade.

But the real reason Mauch stands head and shoulders above everyone else is this amazing review he gave on yelp while in Mobile.

Check out this Yelp review for Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux – Mobile Restaurant!https://t.co/Icfs3NMRbm

⁦@walk_ons⁩

— Cody Mauch (@CodyTud) February 3, 2023

Adam Slivon: Luke Goedeke Ended Up Being Great Value From Senior Bowl Pipeline

Luke Goedeke was a participant in the 2022 Senior Bowl, months before he became the 57th overall pick by the Bucs in the 2022 NFL Draft. Goedeke briefly practiced in Mobile, Alabama before suffering a hamstring injury and was out for the rest of the week. Still, he did enough to get on the map of Tampa Bay’s front office, and interestingly enough, worked as an offensive tackle during individual drills.

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Since then, Goedeke has only proven worthy of his Senior Bowl – and draft – status. Although it was well-documented that he struggled as a rookie at left guard, he quickly settled back in as an above-average right tackle over the past couple of seasons. Head coach Todd Bowles even said after the season that he made some of the biggest strides in 2024.

“I really like where Luke Goedeke played – I liked the way he came back this year and played,” Bowles said. “Even after he got hurt with the concussion, he came back and he made a lot of strides this season, as well.”

He has graded out as the 27th-best offensive tackle in 2023 and 2024 per Pro Football Focus. Playing in 13 games this past year, Goedeke allowed just three sacks despite often matching up against top-tier pass rushers. His gritty attitude has radiated within the offensive line room and onto the field, where he is known for his trash-talking. Luke Goedeke’s name was first discussed as a sleeper during Senior Bowl Week. Now? He’s solidified himself as one of the most underrated offensive tackles in the NFL.