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Buccaneers land running back in Daniel Jeremiah’s Mock Draft

By Ryan Doyle

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 29: Josh Jacobs #8 of the Alabama Crimson Tide carries the ball in the second quarter during the College Football Playoff Semifinal against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 29: Josh Jacobs #8 of the Alabama Crimson Tide carries the ball in the second quarter during the College Football Playoff Semifinal against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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The Tampa Bay  Buccaneers made a stunning choice in this Mock. Deciding to address their subpar rushing attack in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah took an unusual route for his pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first NFL Mock Draft of 2019.

Jeremiah had Tampa Bay selecting Alabama running back Josh Jacobs with the fifth overall pick. Jacobs had a tremendous junior season for the Crimson Tide. He rushed for 640 yards, scoring 11 touchdowns on 5.3 YPC. He also caught 20 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

Although Alabama used multiple backs in 2018, Jacobs stood out. He quickly rose to become one of the top running back prospects in the 2019 Draft.

Here is Jeremiah’s take on the pick:

"The Bucs didn’t see any return on their investment in Ronald Jones, a second-round pick last year. Jacobs is a dynamic player with ideal toughness."

While Jacobs may be the first running back taken come April, the Buccaneers taking a chance on him in the top five would be a shock. They just invested a second-round pick in Ronald Jones a year ago and have plenty of holes on the defensive side of the ball.

With teams able to find running backs at about almost anywhere, it seems like a stretch to see the Buccaneers choosing to select a running back in the top five of the Draft.

Still, there are reasons for Tampa Bay to go down this route. Jacobs may be the key to create a truly dominant offense in Tampa Bay.

As Jeremiah said, Jones was a flop in his rookie season. Tampa Bay was unable to find any success on the ground, ranking 29th in the NFL in rushing yards per contest.

The Bucs were forced to rely on former undrafted free agent Peyton Barber to lead the way on the ground. He averaged just 3.7  YPC and wasn’t able to make any plays as a receiver.

Putting a talented back like Jacobs into an offense which ranked third in the NFL in yards, would finally make Tampa Bay unpredictable. Take a look at the other elite offenses in the NFC. The New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams have both talented quarterbacks and running backs.

Next. Buccaneers 7-round Mock Draft Vol. 2. dark

Although there are reasons to believe Tampa Bay would make an out of the box decision and select Jacobs, it doesn’t feel feasible at this point.

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