Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Vita Vea with their first pick
With their first selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected Washington defensive tackle, Vita Vea.
After months of discussions surrounding who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would take and in which scenarios the selection might get made in, we now know the first name to join the franchise in this year’s rookie class.
The popular names among Bucs fans stayed rather consistent throughout the off-season.
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb, Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson were eventually dubbed the ‘Big 3’ in Bucs draft conversations.
However, in the past month or so Florida State safety Derwin James rose up the boards and up the list of names among fans and media.
There was no chance all three of the favorite names would make it to the seventh pick, and this was confirmed early when Barkley was drafted by the New York Giants less than 30 minutes into the broadcast.
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Some tense moments built towards Jason Licht’s first crack at the draft board though as the Cleveland Browns shocked the NFL world by selecting Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward.
Following that surprise the Broncos and Colts took back-to-back heart breaking picks with Bradley Chubb and Quenton Nelson coming off the board in short order.
It didn’t take long for Licht to capitalize on what could’ve been a bit of a down moment for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers though.
By orchestrating a trade with the Buffalo Bills, Tampa got time to re-group after losing out on their alleged top three and gained two second-round picks to make up plenty of lost ground from the previous trade for Jason Pierre-Paul.
If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would have selected at seven, we all basically assume it would have been Derwin James right?
Well, Jason Licht sprinkled some movie magic on that number seven pick and turned it into two second-round picks and defensive tackle Vita Vea!
Following the trade with the Bills, two quarterbacks, one linebacker, and offensive lineman and Minkah Fitzpatrick left the board.
In other words, absolutely nothing the Bucs needed anyway. So, with three day two picks in his back pocket, Mr. Licht decided to continue bolstering an already improved defensive line.
Not a bad move considering the talent laying in wait on day two, especially in the secondary.
There’s more drama to come for sure, but for now, let’s all welcome the Washington star to the team. In fact, current rumors have tied the team to possibly trading back into the first round depending on how the board falls.
What do you think of the pick? Let me know in the comments, and stay tuned for more news and analysis all weekend long!