The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense led the NFL in third-down efficiency last year, allowing opponents to convert on just 34.5% of their attempts. Head Coach Dirk Koetter was obviously pleased by that, but for his team's defense to take another step forward, he felt like it needed to perform better on second and third-downs. Specifically, Koetter wanted to see improvement in the Buccaneers' run defense.
"You know, on first and second down, you’ve got to be able to stop the run," said Koetter during draft weekend, which included the third-down selection of big and physical linebacker Kendell Beckwith.