Tristan Wirfs, OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but even the GOAT has his Kryptonite. And in Brady’s case, the one thing that has consistently provided problems is interior pressure. Brady is an outstanding pocket quarterback who prefers to step up away from outside pressure, and if he doesn’t have that move at his disposal, he’s not exactly going to rival Lamar Jackson with his speed out of the pocket. The New York Giants took full advantage of this in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI by sending Justin Tuck right up the middle, over and over, to get in Brady’s face and cut off his escape hatches.
The Buccaneers have one outstanding guard in Ali Marpet, and they took Ryan Cappa in the third round of the 2018 draft, but tackles Donovan Smith and Demar Dotson were less than spectacular in pass proteciton at the tackle spots. That’s Reason 1 the Buccaneers took Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick. At 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, Wirfs has the length and agility to play either left or right tackle in the NFL, but this weightlifting monster and former wrestling champion might look like a great guard as well, if that’s where the Bucs choose to place the bulk of their line talent.
“He went to Iowa and played a lot of football for a program that does a really, really good job of developing offensive linemen,” Buccaneers Director of Player Personnel John Spytek said of Wirfs, via the team’s official site. “Then you just put the tape on – he’s athlete, he’s graceful. His athletic ability stood out at the combine, but it was clear when we watched him back in September, the early tape this year, that he was going to be a high pick and it just kept trending that way… This has been a long process, but we’ve liked Tristan for a long time.”
Wherever he lines up, Wirfs will improve that line. It would be interesting to see if he kicks inside at any point in time. I’ve compared him to Isaiah Wynn, who the Patriots took in the first round in the 2018 draft, and who spent time at guard in college.