TAMPA, Fla. -- Vernon Hargreaves III sat behind a table at One Buccaneer Place, flashing the self belief that makes him appealing to his new franchise. It was Friday afternoon, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback showed little wear from living a whirlwind of activity since he was taken No. 11 overall the night before.
“Confidence isn’t something that leaves you,” Hargreaves said. “It’s with you. It’s something that you have. It’s kind of like a trial-and-error thing. Whatever happens, happens. If I get beat, I’ve got to bounce back, make more plays, and I’m going to learn.”
Confidence is part of Hargreaves’ on-field persona and it’s a trait that drew rave reviews from coach Dirk Koetter and general manager Jason Licht on Thursday. Licht even went so far as to say, “We like his ego. He’s got an ego, and that’s what we like about corners.”
Time will show how Hargreaves will evolve in the NFL and if his on-field bravado will be an asset for him. This early in his journey, the 5-foot-10, 204-pound athletic talent, who had nine interceptions and 38 passes defensed in three seasons at Florida, vows to be the same player who became a three-time first-team All-SEC selection and the highest-drafted cornerback in Buccaneers history.
“There’s a whole bunch of good guys that are here to learn [from],” Hargreaves said. “Brent Grimes is a guy that I really look up to. I like to model his game. I’m going to be in his pocket, ask him a whole bunch of questions. He’s going to be annoyed with me. But he’s just going to have to deal with me for a little bit.”
So where does the confidence come from? Hargreaves’ mother, Jackie, points to the fact that her son grew up around football with Vernon II, his father, serving as a linebackers coach at Miami (Fla.) from 1998 to 2005.
“When he was young and my husband coached at the University of Miami, and we had Reggie Wayne, Edgerrin James and Dan Morgan -- he grew up [with them],” Jackie said. “Those guys babysat him. ... He just saw the mental toughness in them and he just kind of followed right behind it. And that was it, because there wasn’t a whole lot of film watching like a lot of people think. It was just me dropping him off at practice while I ran errands and those guys babysitting him and being around practice and that kind of thing. And he just kind of picked it up from there.”
Added Vernon II, now a linebackers coach at Arkansas: “He puts the work in and he has always put the work in. ... Somewhere in there, he figured it out.”
The Buccaneers hope Hargreaves figures out how to be a standout presence within a re-tooled defense under new coordinator Mike Smith. Hargreaves’ selection is part of work to improve a unit that allowed an NFL-worst 69.87 completion percentage and a 102.3 opponent passer rating last year.
It will be interesting to see if opponents will exploit Hargreaves’ size, and the NFC South presents challenges. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is 6-3, 220 pounds, and Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin is 6-5, 245 pounds.
“I’m ready to showcase my skills,” Hargreaves said. “You really see how good you are on Sundays. You know it’s a whole different ballgame. You’ve got to be elite. So I’m excited to showcase my skills.”
And what about entering the same division as Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Matt Ryan?
“We all know what they can do,” Hargreaves said. “We all know that they’re three of the best right there, and we’ve got to do our best job at competing and knock them off.”
Confidence allowed Hargreaves to come this far. He isn’t about to leave it behind now.