Bucs trade up to 13, select Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs

Wirfs was the fourth tackle off the board by the time the Bucs made the pick.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers struck a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to move up one spot to No. 13 in the first round of tonight’s NFL draft, where they selected Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs.

Wirfs was the fourth tackle off the board by the time the Bucs made the pick, as Andrew Thomas went No. 4 to the Giants, Jedrick Wills No. 10 to the Browns and Mekhi Becton No. 11 to the Jets. The Bucs clearly didn’t want to run the risk of losing out on one of this year’s top-ranked tackles, so swapped positions with the Niners after the Las Vegas Raiders selected Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs III with the 12th pick.

Protection for Tom Brady was Tampa Bay’s top priority entering tonight, so getting a guy like Wirfs, who some mock drafts had pegged as a top-10 pick, is a big win for the Bucs and a great way to kick off Day 1 of the draft.

Let’s see if the Bucs will add some backfield help in round two tomorrow.

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