With Tom Brady now the field general for the Buccaneers, the team will want to be sure to surround him with players who can help him flourish in Bruce Arians’ system.
While the six-time Super Bowl champion will have a bevy of receivers to throw to, running back is another story. Peyton Barber jumped ship in free agency and headed to the Redskins, leaving Ronald Jones as the primary back. Jones had an admirable 2019 campaign, rushing for 724 yards to go along with six touchdowns, but the Bucs could use some insurance in the backfield. And the 2020 NFL draft seems like the perfect place to find it.
With depth at the running back position, the Bucs could easily find value on Day 2 of the draft. The question is, which collegiate back would be the best fit in Tampa Bay? According to NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund, Georgia running back D’Andre Swift is that back.
Per Frelund:
“Swift is such an exceptionally strong fit with the Bucs, thanks to the style of offense he was asked to execute at Georgia and his ability to be extremely productive in it. These two factors forecast for a shorter learning curve in the NFL. No back in this class helped his team stay ahead of the chains when contacted on rushing downs more than Swift. And considering the number of inside rushes we saw from him last year, that stat is particularly impressive. The 21-year-old is also a skilled route runner… and we know how much No. 12 loves to target his RBs.”
Brady does indeed love targeting his running backs. Patriots running back James White flourished as a pass-catching back playing with Brady. In the Patriots’ Super Bowl LI win over the Atlanta Falcons, White had 14 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown. If Tampa Bay can add a running back like that to their roster, they’d be unstoppable.
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