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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