Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Final 2018 NFL mock draft recap and reaction
PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS – Published: 23 April – Drafter: Steve Palazzolo
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers get Derwin James again, and again Bradley Chubb is on the board!
Maybe these guys know something I don’t. Or maybe they believe Pierre-Paul and Spence are the future of the Tampa pass rush.
To me, Pierre-Paul’s 2019 price tag makes him too much to keep unless he just completely surpasses the high expectations already set.
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Anyway, we’ve already been over this. So, let’s dive into the rest of this mock draft.
Surprises galore as this one starts off with Baker Mayfield going number one to the Cleveland Browns. Wow.
This pick makes sense on two levels. First, I’ve conceded the Browns would be wise to draft a quarterback first overall instead of waiting to take whichever leftover passer the rest of the league doesn’t want.
The second reason this makes sense is because Mayfield is a horrible fit in Cleveland and would absolutely have his development torpedoed there! Such a Browns thing to do.
At pick four, the Browns shock and awe again as they take Wolverines interior defensive lineman Maurice Hurst. I get the need on the surface, but Hurst is not a Top-5 candidate anywhere else. I’d be thoroughly floored if this happened.
Fans of the Bucs would be happy to see Palazzolo’s version go down as again only one running back was taken in the first round.
Leaving Derrius Guice, Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Ronald Jones all on the board heading in to day two all but guarantees Licht a crack at a Top-5 back in the 2018 draft class.
So, there we have it. Three mock drafts to rule them all! Maybe not. But they do provide enough talking points to give us all plenty to disagree on until Thursday night.
Next: Bucs Should Ignore Guice Noise
Until Mel Kiper has his board busted, check out these mocks and give us your take on the selections. Come back this Thursday morning and check out my own final version. I am allowing trades in this one, so it should be fun. Plenty of Madden-esque madness I’m sure.
Hit up the comments or find me on social media to do so. Thanks for reading.