Tag: will brinson mock draft

Will Brinson’s latest 2020 mock draft has perfect scenario playing out for Bucs

See who Will Brinson believes the Buccaneers will draft in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft to help protect quarterback Tom Brady.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers know that the key to winning next year is keeping quarterback Tom Brady upright. The Bucs allowed 47 sacks last season on quarterback Jameis Winston, while the Patriots only allowed the six-time Super Bowl champ Brady to get sacked 27 times.

While Brady still appears to be in peak physical shape, he’s going to be 43 when the 2020 season starts. The Bucs can’t allow him to take a pounding like Winston did. And as we get closer to this month’s NFL draft, it seems clear to many analysts that offensive tackle is the Bucs’ top target in round one, where they hold the 14th pick.

Will Brinson’s new mock draft over at CBS Sports predicts the Bucs will select OT Andrew Thomas out of Georgia. “Big time score here for the Bucs, who land a top tier tackle prospect without having to trade up. They really want this to play out,” Brinson said of the selection.

Again, it seems to be more a question of which offensive lineman the Bucs take at 14 rather than if they’ll take one. Todd McShay’s post-free agency mock draft had the Buccaneers taking OT Mekhi Becton out of Louisville. Brinson’s mock, however, had Becton going all the way at No. 4 to the New York Giants. It’ll be interesting to see which scenario ultimately plays out for the Bucs.

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Will Brinson’s latest mock draft predicts the Bucs trade down in the first round

Will Brinson of CBS Sports thinks the Bucs will trade down in the first round of the 2020 draft.

It was hard to gauge what direction the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would go in at the 2020 NFL draft until free agency began and we saw which players were coming and which were going.

Right now, it looks like the Bucs are stacked next season on defense again after deciding to bring back both Shaq Barrett (franchise tag) and Jason Pierre-Paul (two-year deal). Oh, and they also signed some quarterback named Brady.

Now that the six-time Super Bowl champion will be under center for the Buccaneers in 2020, the task for Tampa Bay now is to find a way to protect the Golden Boy and keep him upright. The offensive line was a major issue last season for the Bucs, as Jameis Winston was sacked 47 times, fourth-most in the league. For comparison, Brady was sacked just 27 times.

So, it shouldn’t comes as a surprise that Will Brinson of CBS Sports has the Bucs taking an offensive lineman in the first round in his latest mock draft. What is surprising, however, is that Brinson believes the Bucs will trade down in the first round, swapping picks with the Las Vegas Raiders, dropping from 14 to 19, where they will take Josh Jones out of Houston.

Per Brinson:

“The Bucs have to improve the offensive line with Tom Brady in the fold. Another trade down could even make sense, but Jones is rising in this draft process.”

Jones is 6-foot-5 and close to 320 pounds, so would be a welcome addition to the right side of the offensive line. But, if an offensive lineman like Jedrick Wills of Alabama or Tristan Wirfs of Iowa is sitting there at 14, Tampa Bay may choose to stay where they are to take one of them.

The 2019 draft was all about rebuilding the defense for the Bucs. 2020’s draft will be about shoring up their offensive line to protect their franchise quarterback.

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