Now that Super Bowl LIV is over and the 2019 season is officially in the books, we can turn our attention to April’s all-important NFL draft, where team’s who missed out on hoisting the Lombardi Trophy this year will look to find the missing piece to their Super Bowl puzzle.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who hold the 14th pick in the draft, will be one of those teams. The Bucs finished just 7-9 in 2019, but their strong finish down the stretch has many people thinking playoffs next season. But, there are a lot of decisions that the front office needs to make between now and then, namely, what to do with quarterback Jameis Winston.
The Bucs also have to deal with the fact that they have a number of big-name free agents hitting the open market, especially pass rushers. So, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that Todd McShay has the Bucs thinking defensive end in his latest mock draft. McShay predicts Tampa Bay will select K’Lavon Chaisson out of LSU with the 14th overall pick.
Per McShay:
“Pass rushing was a strength for the Bucs in 2019, but they are now faced with free agency for Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh, Carl Nassib and Beau Allen — and expect Barrett to get paid after his incredible season. No matter how it shakes out, Tampa Bay will likely now need help getting after the QB off the edge, and a strong late-season push from Chaisson (4.5 sacks in his final four games) has him in play in this range. He’d bring a lot of speed to the front.”
The Bucs hit a home run last year when they selected a defensive player out of LSU in the first round — linebacker Devin White.
Despite the convincing case for Chaisson, McShay doesn’t rule out the possibility that the Bucs go with a quarterback.
“But don’t rule out a quarterback if GM Jason Licht decides Jameis Winston isn’t in the team’s 2020 plans. If Herbert is already off the board, Utah State’s Jordan Love, who is rising after the Senior Bowl, could be another option.”
It’s going to be an interesting offseason in Tampa Bay.
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