Tag: bucs nfl draft

Every draft pick the Buccaneers have in 2024

Here’s every pick the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have as the 2024 draft approaches, including compensatory pick projections:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to bring on a new draft class in 2024 come April, and they’ll have a few needs to address to try and compound off the team’s success in 2023.

While the Bucs only went 9-8 in 2023, but they won their first Wild Card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles and went toe-to-toe with the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round. The Bucs could certainly use some help on the interior offensive line and on the edge on defense, and this will be a great opportunity to plug holes like that going into 2025.

As it stands, the Bucs are projected to have seven picks in the 2024 NFL draft. See where most of them land, and where the team could get a compensatory pick for one of their 2023 free agents:

Antoine Winfield Jr. wishes his dad a happy Father’s Day on Instagram

New Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. showed his dad some love on Instagram today with this Father’s Day post.

The Buccaneers took offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs in round one of April’s NFL draft to be a force up front for new quarterback Tom Brady. But in round two, Tampa Bay chose to take one of the draft’s most dynamic defensive players to be a part of this young and promising defense in Antoine Winfield Jr.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Winfield’s father, Antoine Winfield Sr., was a Pro Bowl cornerback in the NFL, making his biggest mark with the Minnesota Vikings.

The younger Winfield knows it is his job to carry on the family name in the NFL now, and he took a moment today to wish his dad and role model a happy Father’s Day on Instagram.

Take a look.

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Where Are They Now: A look at every Bucs first-round pick since 2010

Take a look at where every Buccaneers first-round pick since 2010 is today.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came away from the 2020 NFL draft with the prized offensive tackle they were seeking in Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs. The rookie will be tasked with helping to protect quarterback Tom Brady, and the organization is banking on the hope that Wirfs won’t be a bust.

When it comes to the draft, there’s never a sure thing, and some first round picks turn out to be stars, while others become busts. With that, let’s take a look at where every first-round pick for the Bucs since 2010 is today.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12

Jeremy Fowler thinks RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn could have surprise fantasy value

See why Jeremy Fowler of ESPN believes Bucs rookie running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn could have fantasy value in 2020.

Leading up to the 2020 NFL draft, the majority of mocks had the Bucs taking an offensive tackle in round one, something that seemed all but certain after the team signed six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. And, many mocks felt the Bucs would continue to make upgrades on offense in round two by selecting a running back.

While the Bucs did take an OT in round one in the form of Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, they opted for defense in round two by drafting Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Ultimately, Tampa Bay addressed their backfield in round three by selecting Vanderbilt running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn. The move surprised some, considering top-ranked running back Zack Moss was still available. But the Bucs like the potential Vaughn displays and think he’ll be a great fit for Tom Brady.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN even  predicted that Vaughn could have some surprise value in fantasy football this season.

Per Fowler:

“Tom Brady loves a good running game, and the Bucs thought enough of Vaughn to draft him instead of trading for Leonard Fournette. Vaughn plays with an edge and doesn’t fumble, traits that could earn him valuable touches in a backfield with Ronald Jones.”

Jones had a solid 2019 campaign, finishing the year with 724 yards and six touchdowns. Vaughn will provide more support in the passing game, too, and Brady loves throwing to his backs. Vaughn might be worth a gamble for fantasy owners in the later rounds.

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NFL.com gives Bucs highest draft grade in NFC South

See what grade Gennaro Filice of NFL.com gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their 2020 NFL draft.

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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Antoine Winfield Jr. credits lucky underwear for draft day success

New Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. says it was a lucky pair of underwear that helped him on draft day.

It was widely assumed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would select an offensive tackle in round one of last week’s NFL draft, and they did so when they moved up a spot to 13 to draft Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs. Wirfs will join a line that will have to protect six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady next year — no small task for any tackle, let alone a rookie.

But the Bucs will also need their defense to be just as high-powered as their offense, which is why they opted for a safety in round two over a running back. That safety turned out to be Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr., son of former Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield Sr. The Minnesota star went to the Bucs with the 45th pick, and will instantly add explosiveness to a defense that needs help in the secondary.

Winfield Jr. seems thrilled about coming to Tampa Bay, and apparently, his draft day success can be credited to one lucky garment.

Take a look at his recent Instagram posts.

Wearing underwear and socks on a conference call? I like this guy’s style.

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The last time Brady’s team drafted an OT in Round 1 they won the Super Bowl, but there’s a catch

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted OT Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick. The last time a Brady team did that they won the Super Bowl.

When Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, it became clear that the team’s top priority entering the NFL draft would be to get one of this year’s top-ranked tackles to help shore up the O-line. After pulling off a trade with the Niners to move up one spot, the Bucs took Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick. 

And for any superstitious fans out there, they should know that the last time Tom Brady’s team drafted an OT in round one they won the Super Bowl the following season — but there’s a catch.

The player was tackle Isaiah Wynn out of Georgia, who the Patriots selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 draft. Brady and the Pats marched to an 11-5 record in 2018 on their way to winning Super Bowl LIII over the Los Angeles Rams.

But Wynn didn’t play in the Super Bowl. In fact, he didn’t play a single regular-season snap in 2018 after suffering a torn Achilles during the preseason. The Patriots did, however, get major contribution from their other 2018 first-round pick, running back Sony Michel, who was also Wynn’s teammate at Georgia.

Let’s hope Wirfs has a better start to his NFL career than Wynn. But, let’s hope their rookie seasons both end in championships for Tom Brady.

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Bruce Arians calls RB Raymond Calais a smaller but faster David Johnson

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians talked about seventh-round selection Raymond Calais and what he likes about the young running back.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed to add some talent to their backfield this offseason, and the 2020 NFL draft afforded them the perfect opportunity to do just that.

The Bucs used their third-round pick on Vanderbilt RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who has the pass-catching potential to be an effective back in Year 1. But the Bucs weren’t done there. In round seven, with their final pick at No. 245, Tampa Bay went with Louisiana RB Raymond Calais.

Even though Calais is a seventh-rounder, that doesn’t mean the Bucs don’t see a bright future for him. In fact, Bruce Arians had some strong praise for Calais shortly after he was drafted.

Comparing Calais to Johnson is a big compliment given that Arians saw and worked with Johnson up close during their time together with the Cardinals. It’ll be interesting to see how the backfield workload is handled next season, but it’s clear the Bucs have talent and depth to work with.

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Bucs select Nebraska DT Khalil Davis in sixth round

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used their sixth-round pick to take DT Khalil Davis out of Nebraska.

The Buccaneers are having a strong NFL draft, and it continued in the sixth-round today with the drafting of Nebraska defensive tackle Khalil Davis.

Davis will be joining a Bucs defense that features some big names like Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett.

Davis will be happy to be joining fellow Nebraska alums like Suh and Lavonte David. I’m sure they’ll have some fun with the rookie when they finally get on the field together.

While the Bucs have veterans along the D-line, they needed to infuse some youth into that unit, so the selection of Davis is a strong late-round pick.

Welcome to Tampa bay, Khalil!

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Mel Kiper loves the Antoine Winfield Jr. selection by the Bucs

See why ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. loves the second-round selection of Antoine Winfield Jr. by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers could’ve taken one of this year’s top running backs in round two, but instead chose to go with Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. to help bolster their secondary.

Tampa Bay eventually found a running back in round three in the form of Vanderbilt’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who could provide a spark as a pass catcher. But it was the Winfield pick that had Mel Kiper naming the Bucs as one of his big winners from Day 2.

Per Kiper:

“I had the Bucs among my winners after Round 1, and I love this pick, too. The 5-foot-9 Winfield is a ball hawk and versatile player who could line up as a center fielder, slot corner or even down in the box. He’s just a ball player. He has some durability concerns — he missed huge chunks of the 2017 and 2018 seasons — but this is a bet on his upside. He could slot in as Tampa’s free safety.”

There’s no questioning Winfield’s athleticism, and don’t forget that his father Antoine Winfield Sr. was a Pro Bowl cornerback in the NFL. Let’s just hope durability issues don’t become a concern for the younger Winfield.

Kiper spent the majority of his time talking about the Winfield selection, but did chime in with his own thoughts on the Bucs’ decision to draft Vaughn in the third round.

“The Bucs also got some help for Tom Brady with Vanderbilt running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn in Round 3. He didn’t catch many passes in college (42 over the past two seasons), but he has some potential.”

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