Buccaneers' Kendell Beckwith: Racks up 73 stops as rookie

Beckwith finished the 2017 season with 73 tackles (60 solo), including six for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and two passes defensed over 16 games.

The energetic LSU product beat the odds by not only participating in all of training camp following a November 2016 ACL tear while with the Tigers, but eventually securing a starting job to open the regular season. Beckwith opened the Week 2 opener against the Bears as the strong-side linebacker before shifting to the middle early in that contest when Kwon Alexander injured his hamstring. The 23-year-old remained at that spot until Alexander returned in Week 7, a development that was marked by a notable drop in IDP production for Beckwith. While he compiled an impressive 41 tackles over his five games in Alexander's spot, Beckwith managed just 32 stops over the remaining 11 games. He did post a pair of five-tackle outings in Weeks 15 and 16, which represented a slight increase in productivity. Following a college career in which he generated a solid amount of impact plays (24.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, one interception, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries), overall expectations were likely higher for Beckwith, but a full offseason in the Buccaneers' system and several additional months of distance from his aforementioned knee injury leave him poised for a more productive sophomore campaign.