27 Days, 27 Picks: CB Vernon Hargreaves III
In 27 Days, 27 Picks, Bucs Wire will analyze the last 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft picks, one for each day leading up to the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll take a look at the player’s college stats, their pre-draft numbers (either via the NFL Combine or their Pro Day), their NFL stats, some player footage and analysis at the end on whether the pick itself was a good one.
There were high expectations for cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III coming out of college. GM Jason Licht took notice and selected him with Tampa Bay’s 2016 first-round pick, but things didn’t quite work out for either side as his career progressed.
Check out the rundown on Hargreaves for our newest player in our 27 Days, 27 Picks series below:
College Stats
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Vernon Hargreaves played college football at Florida. He was a first-team All-American in 2014 and 2015 and was named to the All-SEC first team in every year he played.
Year | G | Solo | Ast | Total | INT | PD | FF | FR | TD |
2013 | 12 | 26 | 12 | 38 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2014 | 12 | 31 | 19 | 50 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
2015 | 12 | 24 | 9 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 36 | 81 | 40 | 121 | 10 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Pre-Draft Measurments
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
5 ft 10 1/2 in | 204 lbs | 30 5/8 in | 8 3/4 in | 4.50s | 1.58s | 3.98s | 39 in | 10 ft 10 in | 15 reps |
Pick Selected
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Vernon Hargreaves was selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
Player picked before him: CB Eli Apple, New York Giants
Player picked after him: DT Sheldon Rankins, New Orleans Saints
NFL Stats
Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Vernon Hargreaves has played six seasons in the NFL. He’s played four seasons with the Buccaneers, three seasons with the Texans and one season with the Bengals.
Year | Team | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | INT | PD | FF | TD |
2016 | TB | 16 | 68 | 8 | 76 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
2017 | TB | 9 | 37 | 5 | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
2018 | TB | 1 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
2019 | TB/HOU | 15 | 52 | 9 | 61 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
2020 | HOU | 16 | 61 | 11 | 72 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | HOU/CIN | 12 | 21 | 11 | 32 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 69 | 245 | 45 | 290 | 4 | 31 | 2 | 1 |
Player Footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2nEe3GVHlE
Pick Analysis
Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Where to start with this one?
Hargreaves was a highly touted prospect coming out of college, and rightfully so, but some of the warning signs were there. He ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash and was often given the “quicker than fast” label, and he also gave up 16.5 yards per completion in his final season at Florida. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but his footwork and nose for interceptions were things that GM Jason Licht didn’t want to pass up on.
What followed wasn’t what either party had hoped. Injuries riddled his first few years in Tampa Bay, and when he was healthy, he never had a stretch of excellent play like he showcased in college. It all came to a head in 2019, when coach Bruce Arians benched him and then subsequently released him midway through the year.
Hargreaves had one of his more productive years in Houston in 2020, but he was released once again in 2021 and finished out the year with the Bengals. After getting a penalty in the Super Bowl despite not even being active, he was released once again and has not found a new team since.
