Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ideal pick at each trade down possibility
By Rob Leeds
10th Overall pick via Denver: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
The first trade down scenario would be with the Denver Broncos, who currently own the tenth pick in the draft. With only seven picks in this year’s draft, the Buccaneers could add additional assets in both this year’s and next year’s draft without falling out of the top-ten on Thursday night.
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While Denver has made two moves at the quarterback position this offseason, acquiring Joe Flacco from the Baltimore Ravens and shipping Case Keenum off to Washington, they are by no means exempt from selecting a quarterback in the first round in less than one week. The Buccaneers would be a prime candidate to become trade partners with the Broncos if they mean business.
The best-case scenario for the tenth pick is that Houston’s Ed Oliver is still on the board, and if this is the case, the Buccaneers would have to draft him. Oliver is the consensus second best defensive tackle behind Alabama product Quinnen Williams. Oliver would fit in perfectly on the Buccaneers defensive line alongside the likes of Vita Vea and Jason Pierre-Paul, and would use his athleticism to abuse his matchups with interior offensive linemen.
For a defense that is trying to add speed at all positions, Oliver ran a 4.73 40-yard dash at Houston’s pro day, which was .10 seconds faster than Quinnen Williams. Oliver also had a solid final season at Houston where he recorded 3 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.