The Buccaneers grabbed Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in round two of last night’s draft, a move many people liked given Winfield’s ball-hawking skills and ability to be all over the field.
In round three, Tampa Bay decided to an a back to their offense, going for Vanderbilt running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn. Vaughn was chosen ahead of Utah’s Zack Moss, who was ranked higher than Vaughn on many pre-draft boards, but Tampa Bay seems to like Vaughn’s potential out of the backfield, especially in the passing game.
But in his Day 2 grades, Chad Reuter of NFL.com felt Vaughn was a reach by the Bucs, and thinks Tampa Bay could’ve benefited more by drafting a defender, which might be why he gave them just a B.
Per Reuter:
“Winfield’s playmaking skills overcame his lack of size (5-9) and any other fears teams may have had about him. Bucs fans will appreciate his ability for years to come. Vaughn is a solid back who was probably picked a little too early. He should be a strong four-year contributor though, because his versatile skill set will allow him to affect multiple facets of the offense. The Vandy star, or another back with similar abilities, may have been available later; the team might have benefited more from prioritizing a pass rusher in the third round.”
I’ll defer to Bruce Arians and Jason Licht on the Vaughn pick. It’s clear the team saw something special in him and view him as the perfect fit in their new-look offense.
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