The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can certainly use to get better on the interior of their offensive line moving forward after a number of years of subpar play. It looks like they're taking a closer look at players who would help with that.
According to Sports Illustrated's Ryan Roberts, the Buccaneers are among the teams that brought Wisconsin OL Bortolini in for a Top 30 visit ahead of the NFL Draft.
Wisconsin OL Tanor Bortolini has had 30 visits with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers.
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) April 18, 2024
A big riser in the 2024 NfL Draft class. Has experience at center and guard in his career, including 26 career starts… pic.twitter.com/OdvlN1RB4P
Bortolini grabbed a lot of attention from teams during the Combine. The big man set a Combine record for the three-cone drill. He also tested off the charts in other areas with a 4.94 40-yard dash, a 32-inch vertical jump, and a 9'4" broad jump.
Tanor Bortolini just had the fastest 3 cone ever for a center at the combine with a 7.16 and third fastest all-time among all OL. Jason Kelce’s was the previous high at center with a 7.22 in 2011.
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) March 3, 2024
Tanor Bortolini is a OG prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.97 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 6 out of 1434 OG from 1987 to 2024.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 3, 2024
Splits projectedhttps://t.co/PcsS2Kzfn4 pic.twitter.com/8DTXC0Sa5p
Bortolini, who has also garnered interest from the Jaguars, Ravens, Vikings, and Packers, has played both guard spots and center while at Wisconsin. He started all 13 games at center for the Badgers last year, allowing just one sack in 477 pass-rushing downs.
He projects at either center or guard, which should be of value to the Bucs looking for help at both center and left guard. Neither center Robert Hainsey nor left guard Aaron Stinnie stood out at either position last year, and the Bucs can certainly use an upgrade at either spot.
He would make a lot of sense when the Bucs are on the clock either in the third round, where Tampa Bay holds picks at 89 and 92, or perhaps in the fourth round at pick number 125.
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