The NFL draft is a month away, and while we may not be treated to the same extravagance and festivities like in years past due to the coronavirus pandemic, the draft itself will still offer plenty of excitement.
With several teams in the market for quarterbacks, guys like Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and perhaps even Jordan Love could find themselves selected in the top 10.
One team that won’t be looking for a quarterback, at least not in round one, is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who came out the big winners in the Tom Brady sweepstakes. With Brady on board, the priority for Bruce Arians and co. is to make sure Brady gets protection along the offensive line. Jameis Winston was sacked 47 times last season, while Brady was sacked only 27 times in New England.
The draft should provide Tampa Bay with the perfect opportunity to find a reliable offensive tackle, and in his newest mock draft, Mel Kiper Jr. foresees the Bucs using the 14th pick on Georgia OT Andrew Thomas.
Per Kiper:
“After the Bucs largely bypassed free agency to address their offensive line — they did add swing tackle Joe Haeg — this is the spot in which they need to get help protecting Tom Brady. (It felt strange to type that.) With Demar Dotson still a free agent, the right tackle spot is wide open. Thomas played both left and right tackle for the Bulldogs, and he would help keep Brady’s jersey clean. I also thought about a running back to help Brady, with D’Andre Swift a great option to catch a bunch of passes from the future Hall of Famer. But offensive tackle feels like a lock at this point.”
The thought of Swift in the Bucs’ backfield seems almost too good to be true. It would be a real-life Madden game every time the Bucs take the field. Even if the Bucs don’t grab Swift, Chad Reuter over at NFL.com predicted the Bucs would select Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins with the 45th pick in round two. Not a bad pick up.
But, let’s face it, Brady’s addition to the offense is what matters most. Protecting him comes first.
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