The juice is no longer loose. The Buccaneers have signed first-round pick O.J. Howard, according to a team announcement. 
Heading into the draft, the Alabama product was projected by some as a top 10 pick. With that in mind, the Bucs were over the moon when they were able to grab Howard at No. 19 overall. Evan Engram and David Njoku were also widely regarded as Day 1 talents, but Howard was universally considered to be the best TE in this year’s crop.
The 6’6″ tight end tallied 45 catches and 595 yards with three touchdowns in his senior year for the Crimson Tide. Blessed with tremendous athletic ability, Tampa Bay is excited about the prospect of using him in a lot of two tight end sets alongside last year’s starter Cameron Brate. In time, Howard could become the team’s TE1 and a top overall performer at the position.
Howard is the first member of the Buccaneers’ rookie class to sign. The team still have five players to go, including second round safety Justin Evans, third round wide receiver Chris Godwin, and third round linebacker Kendell Beckwith.