Draft Day is finally here, which means after endless amounts of mock drafts, we’ll finally know where this year’s class will wind up.
But, this draft day seems poised to be a busy one for teams, as offensive tackles appear to be in hot commodity, with the top four tackles possibly all going at or near the top 10. That’s bad news for the Buccaneers, who hold the 14th pick and are in desperate need of O-line help now that they have Tom Brady. Unless the Bucs swing a trade to move up, they could miss out on a top-ranked tackle.
So, if that happens, what would they do at the 14th spot? Mel Kiper over at ESPN came up with a shocking pick in his final mock draft, with LSU receiver Justin Jefferson being the selection by Tampa Bay.
Per Kiper:
“Another pass-catcher for Tom Brady? With three offensive tackles off the board, the Bucs might not like who’s left. Jefferson is the best slot receiver in this class, and he’d get a bunch of short targets in Tampa.”
It’s a bold prediction to make on a first mock draft, let alone a final one. If the Bucs miss out on a tackle, it’s hard to envision them using the 14th pick to take another receiver when they could easily find a serviceable one on Day 2 or 3 of the draft. Still, Jefferson did have a big year for LSU in 2019, finishing with 111 receptions for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns. I’d be more inclined to say Tampa Bay trades down if tackles are gone and they’ll look to address their defense when it’s their time on the clock.
Still, missing out on a tackle in round one would be a rough way for the Bucs to kick off this draft.
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