The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a new look and new quarterback for the 2020 season. The team that finished 7-9 last year and saw Jameis Winston throw for 5,109 yards and 30 interceptions will now have six-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady leading the charge for them in the fall.
With Brady on board, the Bucs and general manager Jason Licht have been working like mad to assemble a team that can make a championship run during the next two seasons with Brady under center. In the 2020 NFL draft, the Bucs upgraded their O-line by drafting Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs in round one and then adding safety Antoine Winfield Jr. to help their secondary in round two.
With a number of big gets in the draft, it should come as no surprise that NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice gave the Bucs an A- draft grade, which was the only A he gave to an NFC South team.
Per Filice:
“Wirfs looks like a plug-and-play starter at right tackle, with supreme athleticism and the biggest lower body I’ve ever laid eyes on at the NFL Scouting Combine. Round 3 frankly felt a little rich for Vaughn — RB Zack Moss’ violent, all-around game seemed a lot more enticing at that point — but the Buccaneers needed another backfield presence to join Ronald Jones II, and apparently the one-cut Vandy product was their guy. Johnson could be the final piece to Tampa’s loaded pack of pass catchers, as a big slot who runs the kind of nuanced routes Brady will appreciate. The one defensive player Licht snatched in the first five rounds is a gem. A versatile safety who’s perfect for today’s game, Winfield hits like his dad and has the playmaking instincts you’d expect from someone who grew up in NFL locker rooms.”
There’s a lot to like about what the Bucs did in the draft, but this team will need time together on the field to mesh. Hopefully, the league will be able to start training camp (and the season) on time.
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