Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie TE O.J. Howard is no stranger to pressure-packed games and big-time situations.

Play Underdog For Heat-Celtics Game 6! Who ya got?

...

The former Alabama star seemed to thrive on the biggest stages during his impressive college career — a skill the Bucs hope their 2017 first-round pick brings to the NFL.

In an interview on the Buccaneers’ team website, Howard compared each NFL practice and game to the Alabama-LSU rivalry games that have been intense and hard-fought in recent years:

“In the NFL, every guy’s really good,” Howard said. “Like coach said, it’s like an Alabama-LSU matchup every day. That’s exactly what it is — it’s an SEC game every day for me. It’s no non-conference games. Everybody’s good. You have to have great technique and it’s more mental than anything.”

Howard will be expected to make an impact right away, and he’s already working with starting QB Jameis Winston:

The Bucs started training camp on Friday, so it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on Howard and how he progresses ahead of the 2017 regular season.