Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Draft strategy still a question

Despite some upgrades in free agency, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still have plenty of holes to address and their draft strategy may not be what many believe.

Draft season is a funny thing. We know as Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans that there are glaring needs on this team. Defensive end, running back, cornerback, safety, guard. There are holes on both sides of the ball and there’s no telling what direction the Bucs will want to go in.

There’s the obvious choice of Bradley Chubb. He’s an immediate game changer that the Bucs desperately need. The problem, however, is the Indianapolis Colts seem poised to take him one spot ahead of Tampa, throwing a wrench in the pipe dreams of Buccaneers fans across the nation.

So what do the Bucs do?

Well, the other popular choice is Quenton Nelson. Drafting Nelson would give the Bucs a ferocious interior, teaming him with Ryan Jensen and Ali Marpet, protecting Jameis Winston and opening holes for whatever running back the Bucs are going with. Nelson is arguably the best player in the draft, but draft pundits pound the “top ten is too high for a guard” narrative, despite the upgrade he would bring to any offensive line. I mean, if you’re going to pin your hopes and dreams on a franchise quarterback, isn’t it wise to invest in the group of men that protect him?

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Then there’s Saquon Barkley. Full disclosure, I want nothing to do with Barkley at number seven. With the depth of running back in this draft and the questions that surround Barkley’s game, he isn’t as slam dunk of a prospect as people want him to be. How can a player that ranked next to last in yards after contact in the NCAA be such a highly touted, “generational” prospect when there are players like Sony Michel, Rashaad Penny, Darrius Guice, and John Kelly that can be every bit as effective in the NFL while also being able to run up the middle and punish opposing linebackers?

If the Buccaneers are stuck at seven with Chubb and Nelson off the board and no trade partner, they seem interested in Derwin James out of Florida State. Now while I wouldn’t be thrilled drafting a safety at seven, there is no denying James’ talent and game changing abilities.

There’s a myriad of options for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to go and each pick, in turn, affects the next. That doesn’t mean that the Bucs need to reach for one position at seven just because it’s “the biggest” or “most glaring” need. You draft the best player available at a position of need. That’s how you build a core of solid players from one side of the roster to the other. Reaching for Arden Key or Marcus Davenport at seven and leaving a guy like Nelson or James on the board would be foolish. You’re sacrificing better talent to reach for need. The idea is to put the best players you possibly can on the field at every position.

Reaching is what gets teams in trouble. It’s what gets Brandon Weeden and Tim Tebow drafted in the first round. It’s what creates “steals” like Alvin Kamara and O.J. Howard. We don’t know what the Bucs are going to do right now. We know directions they could go in, but unless you have the number one pick, you have no choice but to adjust to what the teams ahead of you are doing.

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The Buccaneers will get a quality, day one starter at number seven. The only question is, who is going to be the most talented player available when it’s time to turn in the ticket?

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