Depending on the outcome of some Week 17 games, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could pick in the top five, or outside the top ten in the NFL Draft.
At the moment, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the sixth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft with a 5-10 record.
However, depending on the finish of a handful of games in the final week of the season, they could climb, or fall down the draft board. The best pick Tampa Bay can land is the fourth pick. The worst is the 12th pick.
For those rooting for the best possible pick in the 2019 Draft should hope for a Tampa Bay loss on Sunday. A loss, combined with an Oakland Raiders win and Detroit Lions win, would shoot the Buccaneers up to the fourth overall pick, the highest possible position they can attain.
In simpler terms: Buccaneers loss + Raiders win + Lions win = 4th pick.
If just one of those teams wins, Tampa will jump one spot to the fifth overall pick.
If the Bucs lose and don’t receive any help from the Raiders or Lions, they will hang on to the sixth pick in the draft. However, if the Bills’ SOS becomes better than Tampa’s, they will jump the Bucs.
So, the worst-case scenario with a Bucs loss would see them jump one spot back, to the 7th overall pick.
Things get a little more confusing with a Buccaneers win. With so many teams holding a 5-10 or 6-9 record, they can all essentially jump each other depending on the final game of the season.
A win would land Tampa a pick anywhere in the 7-12 range.
For those that are still interested in seeing a Buccaneers win on Sunday, root for a Bills, Giants, Jaguars, Panthers, and Broncos victory. If any of those teams win on Sunday it will help Tampa’s draft position if they do in fact beat the Falcons.
Here are the games Buccaneers fans should be watching on Sunday if the Buccaneers win.
Dolphins @ Bills 1:00 P.M.
Cowboys @ Giants 1:00 P.M.
Jaguars @ Texans 1:00 P.M.
Panthers @ Saints 1:00 P.M.
Chargers @ Broncos 4:25 P.M.
Again, if Tampa Bay loses, these games don’t mean anything. If the Bucs are able to finish their season on a high note, find pleasure in rooting against the teams in bold.
Hopefully, I can write about the Buccaneers playoff scenario, rather than draft position in 2019.
Questions or need confirmation on a position about the Bucs draft position? Send us a tweet! @ThePewterPlank