The 2020 NFL draft is almost upon us, and with the coronavirus pandemic bringing life to a standstill, we’ll witness the first ever fully virtual draft. The lead up to the this year’s event has been challenging for coaches and league execs, who haven’t been able to do the traditional draft preparation like Pro Day visits or on-site interviews with prospects.
General managers will likely have to rely heavily on game film and analytics, more so than in years past. Jason Licht, who will be heading his seventh draft as Bucs GM, may very well be looking to take one of the many talented offensive linemen projected to go early in round one. Recent mock drafts have the Bucs going for Georgia OT Andrew Thomas with the 14th pick.
But, in Seth Walder’s latest piece over at ESPN.com, the analytics expert uses Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value to try and project which draft prospects have the best chance of becoming Pro Bowl-caliber players, and offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs (79%) and Mekhi Becton (75%) took the top two spots.
Both Wirfs and Becton had strong combines and seem to destined to be picked in the top 15 of the draft. Even if both players are off the board by the time the Bucs select at 14, SI says Georgia’s Thomas may be the most pro-ready tackle in this year’s class.
Seems like Bucs come out winners either way.
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