Things might be at a standstill for much of the world right now as we all work to practice social distancing in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. But, one thing we can still rely on to offer us a little respite are mock drafts.
With April’s NFL draft moving ahead sans the festivities (at least for now), teams are going to have to put in a little extra work when creating their draft boards now that travel restrictions are preventing many from attending pro days or conducting in-person interviews with prospects.
Still, with such a deep draft, there’s enough to go around. The only question is, where will each player land?
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the picture is becoming a little clearer after the signing of quarterback Tom Brady and the re-signing of both Shaq Barrett (franchise tag) and Jason Pierre-Paul (two-year deal). With the defense looking formidable once again, the Bucs can now turn their attention to protecting Brady and shoring up the O-line.
In his latest mock draft, NFL.com’s Charley Casserly has the Bucs going with an offensive tackle with the 14th pick in the form of Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs. “Protecting Tom Brady has to be a high priority. Wirfs fills the bookend hole opposite LT Donovan Smith,” Casserly says.
It really isn’t rocket science here. The Bucs needed O-line help even before Brady boarded the ship. Now that the team has a six-time Super Bowl champion leading their offense, keeping him upright is their most important task, especially when you consider Brady will be 43 years old next season.
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