Could Jones hang with Barkley in the rushing race if he's also getting the lion's share of carries in Tampa? I think so, but I don't think it's clear yet what percentage of the rushing load he will carry. The Buccaneers do still like Peyton Barber quite a bit, and I think they like the contrasting styles that Barber and Jones give the rushing attack. It seems more likely that the Buccaneers will do like most teams do in today's NFL and utilize at least two if not three running backs with great frequency.

That said, the Buccaneers do have a pretty good history of throwing their highly-drafted running backs right into action as rookies and getting good results. Both Warrick Dunn (first-round pick in 1997) and Cadillac Williams (first-round pick in 2005) won Rookie of the Year awards after big seasons. Dunn didn't lead rookies in rushing that year (Cincy's Corey Dillon did) but he did lead them in yards from scrimmage (1,440). Caddy did lead all '05 rookies in rushing despite missing several games due to injury, recording 1,178 yards.

Doug Martin had 1,454 rushing yards in his magnificent rookie campaign of 2012, but that actually was second in the league to Washington's Alfred Morris. Other Buccaneer running backs who had good to great rookie campaigns include a quartet of second-rounders: Mike Alstott (1996), Errict Rhett (1994), Reggie Cobb (1990) and Lars Tate (1988). Alstott made more of an impact as a pass-catcher in his rookie year, while Rhett and Cobb had the misfortune of entering the NFL in the same seasons as Marshall Faulk and Emmitt Smith, respectively.

Assuming injuries don't play a part in the chase for any of the rookie backs involved, Jones's best chance to emerge on top is to come out of the gates hot and provide some early explosive plays, the kind that the Bucs have been craving on offense for the last two years. Director of Player Personnel John Spytek recently told the Good Morning Football crew that Jones brings a new dimension to the offense, something the team hasn't had for a while. If he proves that quickly, the Bucs could choose to stick with the hot hand and give Jones a bigger share of the load.

Scott …

I saw where you said that Mark Myers could be the first NFL player out of Southeastern University, which is relaly close to where I live. That would be pretty cool for Myers! My question is, would that make him the player in Bucc history with the most surprising or unexpected college background? The only one I can think of-because he's on the team right now-is Ali Marpet, who came from something called Hobart. (I admit I had to look that up.) Maybe there were some really small school players from a long time ago that you would now about. Thought it was worth asking. Thanks!

Tim Dennis, Lakeland (via email to tbbsocial@buccaneers.nfl.com)

There have been plenty of players from small schools that have made their marks on Buccaneers history, and Tim is right to note Ali Marpet, who is the first NFL product out of Hobart since the 1930s. Hobart is a Division III school in Geneva, New York, a private liberal arts college that is definitely not known for its athletics. Four Hobart products appeared in the NFL in the 1920s and 1930s, but each one only played a single year. Marpet has already played three seasons all by himself. He's essentially the first real NFL player ever from that program. We might not have to look any farther to find the best answer to your question.

Marko Myers could essentially be the first NFL player from the Southeastern University program, which was only established in 2013 and has only been playing since 2014. Except take out the "essentially" in that sentence, because he could literally be the first Southeastern Fire player to make it on this level. I should note that Myers has in some sense already broken ground by signing with the Buccaneers, but in this case I'm talking about actually playing in the regular season.