STOP! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not taking a running back

Deep into mock draft season, there have been multiple draft experts predicting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to select Josh Jacobs with the fifth overall pick. This has to stop.

It has been on more than one occasion now that the Tampa Bay Bay Buccaneers have been mocked to take Josh Jacobs with the fifth overall pick in the draft. This time it was NFL.com’s Chad Reuter (@chad_reuter) that predicted the Bucs to land the Alabama running back to round out the top five in the 2019 NFL Draft.

This is staggering for a number of reasons; while we have seen running backs Ezekiel Elliot and Saquon Barkley go in the top five in recent years, this year’s draft class does not stack up against the 2016, nor 2018 class. While Jacobs would be a fit for the Buccaneers at the top of the second round, even that seems unlikely given that they have been reported to be in on Le’Veon Bell and drafted Ronald Jones with a high pick just a year ago.

While Jacobs may very well be the top running back in this class, he should not warrant a top-20 selection, and it would not be a surprise to see the first round end with out a ball carrier selected once April rolls around. It would be especially surprising to see a back with as limited numbers as Jacobs had with the Crimson Tide be selected that high.

It is much more likely that the Buccaneers will trade out of the fifth slot with a team in need of nabbing Haskins, Murray, or Lock than for them to select Jacobs. Even if Tampa Bay hangs onto the fifth pick in the draft, they are more likely to go after Jawaan Taylor, as they do in this mock draft, Devin White, or Ed Oliver than to select a running back. It is difficult to comprehend how many expect the Buccaneers to pursue Jacobs with the fifth overall pick in the draft, even if he is the best running back in the class.