Addressing depth at tight end is something the Buccaneers must do this off-season. Could the Michigan stand out fall to them in day three?
Cameron Brate is coming off a Pro Bowl caliber season despite the fact that he won’t be participating in the all star game. He finished with the most touchdowns by a tight end in the NFL with eight – which also ties the Buccaneers’ record for most in a season by a tight end in franchise history. As great as Brate is and the chemistry he and Jameis Winston share are, there is still a need to address the position this off-season.
No, that doesn’t mean the Bucs need to draft a starter, but they certainly need depth. Jake Butt from the University of Michigan was highly regarded as one of if not the top tight end in the draft. That is until Butt suffered a torn ACL in the Orange Bowl against Florida State. Now? Well, his draft stock is going to drop. Significantly.
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So what could that mean for the Bucs? Well, that means they make have an opportunity to get a top-tier tight end prospect for pennies. Depending on how far he drops, he could be far too good a deal to pass on.
I wouldn’t take Butt in the second round, and probably not the third given where the Bucs draft. Still too big of a risk. There are other, positions that are in greater need of addressing than tight end to take in the first two nights of the draft. However, if Butt begins sliding in the fourth round, it’s time to make a move. In fact, he may even be worth trading ten or so spots up to get. Trading up in the fourth round pales in comparison to the cost of doing so in the first round, so it’s not as if Jason Licht would mortgage the future to make that type of jump.
In four seasons with the Wolverines, Butt played in 43 games, garnering 138 receptions for 1,646 yards and eleven touchdowns. His 6’6″, 250-pound frame is prototypical, and he has some raw blocking skills. They need developing, but the basics are there. The Bucs need a tight end that can block for whoever is running the ball because that is certainly somewhere Brate is lacking.
Butt also falls under that category of finding Winston help on offense. The two tight end sets the Bucs could run could open a lot of things offensively in Koetter’s playbook. There truly is no downside if the Bucs are afforded an opportunity to scoop Butt up on the third day of the draft.
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Do you think Jake Butt is worth a pick? How high would you draft him? Sound off in the comments below!