Tag: Bucs draft

2020 Bucs draft class: All 7 picks made

Take a look at who the Buccaneers walked away with in the 2020 NFL draft.

That’s a wrap on the Buccaneers’ 2020 NFL draft.

The priority for the Bucs entering Thursday night was to find an offensive tackle for Tom Brady first and foremost. They did that by trading up a spot and taking Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick.

Here is a complete list of the Bucs’ 2020 draft picks:

Round 1 (No. 13): OT Tristan Wirfs, Iowa

Round 2 (No. 45): S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota

Round 3 (No. 76): RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt

Round 5 (No. 161): WR Tyler Johnson, Minnesota

Round 6 (No. 194): DT Khalil Davis, Nebraska 

Round 7 (No.241): OLB Chapelle Russell, Temple

Round 7 (No. 245): RB Raymond Calais, Louisiana

To see a full gallery of this year’s Bucs class, click here.

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Twitter reacts to the Bucs drafting safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

See how Twitter reacted to the Buccaneers drafting Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. with the 45th pick.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a chance to draft Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins with the 45th pick in round two of the NFL draft, but instead chose to address their needs on defense by taking Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Winfield seems like a perfect fit for Todd Bowles’ defense, and his father, Antoine Winfield Sr., was a Pro Bowl cornerback in the NFL, so football is in his genes.

While a running back would’ve been nice, Winfield addresses a more pressing need on the defensive side of the ball.

See how Twitter reacted to the selection.

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Mel Kiper had Tristan Wirfs as his second-ranked OT

The Bucs walked away from round one with Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs, a player many draft analysts were high on.

The Bucs snagged Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs with the 13th pick in last night’s NFL draft, trading up one spot to make sure they got one of this year’s top tackles.

Wirfs will fill an immediate need for the Bucs along the line and provide much-needed protection for Tom Brady. It was a surprise that Wirfs fell as far as he did, as many mock drafts had him as a top-10 pick. Even Mel Kiper of ESPN was high on the super athletic Wirfs, which is likely why he named the Bucs as one of his big winners from Day 1 of the draft.

Per Kiper:

“We said all along that the Bucs really needed an offensive tackle in Round 1. It was the biggest hole on an offense that no longer has many. And as Wirfs dropped a bit — I thought he might go to the Giants at No. 4, and he is my second-ranked OT — general manager Jason Licht moved up one spot to get him, throwing in a fourth-round pick to the 49ers to do it. While that’s a high price to move up one spot, Wirfs is worth it. He can step in and start immediately in front of Tom Brady, and he can manhandle defensive linemen in the run game. It’s a great get for a Bucs team that has Super Bowl aspirations.”

The Bucs are all-in on Brady right now and drafting a guy like Wirfs only adds to their hand.

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2020 NFL Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers team preview

Everything Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans need to know heading into the 2020 NFL Draft

Everything Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans need to know heading into the 2020 NFL Draft.

VITALS

Head Coach: Bruce Arians

General Manager: Jason Licht

2019 Record: 7-9

2020 DRAFT PICKS

1 (14)

2 (45)

3 (76)

4 (117)

4 (139, compensatory)

5 (162)

6 (195)

TEAM NEEDS

Offensive Tackle

Donovan Smith is locked in at left tackle for at least one more season, but while he’s been durable, he hasn’t been consistent. Things are even less certain on the right side, where Demar Dotson is a free agent, and would need an understudy even if he returned. Joe Haeg was signed as a stop-gap solution and versatile depth, but a long-term upgrade is needed here.

Running Back

Ronald Jones II flashed some promise in his second season after a dismal rookie campaign, but Peyton Barber is gone and there’s nobody to push Jones at the top of the depth chart. This year’s deep running back class should give the Bucs starting-caliber options all across the first three rounds, and Tampa Bay is likely to target one with pass-catching prowess.

Defensive Line

Ndamukong Suh was brought back on another one-year deal, but the Bucs need a long-term solution alongside nose tackle Vita Vea. Todd Bowles’ aggressive, hybrid scheme requires versatility, intelligence and athleticism, all things Tampa Bay needs more of up front. Don’t rule out adding depth on the edges behind Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul either, especially after the departure of key reserve Carl Nassib.

TOP TARGETS

Andrew Thomas | OT | Georgia

Javon Kinlaw | DL | South Carolina

Jedrick Wills | OT | Alabama

Clyde Edwards-Helaire | RB | LSU

K’Lavon Chaisson | EDGE | LSU

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Watch: D’Andre Swift on possibility of playing with Tom Brady, Bucs: ‘Every little kid’s dream’

Georgia football RB D’Andre Swift, the top back in the 2020 NFL Draft, discussed the possibility of playing with Tom Brady and the Bucs.

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USA TODAY Sports Mackenzie Salmon sat down with Georgia football star D’Andre Swift, the top running back prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft, to see how he’s preparing for the draft during the pandemic. Salmon also asked what it would be like to team up with Tom Brady and the Bucs.

“Every little kid’s dream,” said Swift when asked about the possibility of playing with Brady in Tampa.

Swift also walked Salmon through how he has been training during quarantine. He said that he has been staying in Athens to prepare for the draft and drives roughly an hour each day to Buford, Georgia where one of his trainers is located.

February up until the actual draft is a terribly busy time for both teams and prospects. This year, they’ve been thrown a curveball as coronavirus has prevented both parties from actually having face-to-face pre-draft meetings.

Swift said that almost everything has been conducted via FaceTime. Technically difficulties, weak internet connection and other obstacles have made that slightly more difficult, he added.

Swift said he will be home in Philadelphia during the NFL Draft to watch and celebrate with his family as he hears his name called.

And that shouldn’t take long — it’s expected that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will announce Swift’s name either in the first or early second round , seeing as how he is considered to be the top back in the draft.

His versatility with and without the ball in his hands is what makes him so special compared to other tailbacks in this draft class. Not only can he run you over, but he can also blow past you with his speed and he has one of the nastiest arsenals of jukes, spins and cuts that you’ll see from a college running back. But what really sets him apart is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and make things happen.

Swift’s catching numbers by season:

2017: 17 receptions, 153 yards, 1 TD

2018: 32 receptions, 297 yards, 3 TDs

2019: 24 receptions, 216 yards, 1 TD

If you get Swift into the right offense the sky is the limit.

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