Buccaneers reach for offensive tackle help in mock draft

The Draft Network has been a beacon for draft content, and in this week’s mock draft, they have the Buccaneers taking an offensive tackle.

The Draft Network, like we do, puts out a new mock draft every Monday, and this week it features their new draft order based off the first three weeks of the season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now picking 16th in their new mock draft machine, and in Benjamin Solak’s mock draft released yesterday, the pewter and red went after help at the offensive tackle position with their first round pick.

With the 16th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bucs selected Prince Tega Wanogho, tackle out of Auburn. While Wanogho is not the top tackle in the class, nor the most polished, he may have the most upside in the class as he is athletically gifted and has only been playing football for a short time.

Listed at 6-7 and 307 pounds, Wanogho is an absolute specimen who, with the right coaching, could become a top tier tackle in the league. As it stands now, Wanogho is looking like a day two pick, and he lands with the Buccaneers in our mock draft last week. However Solak states that, due to his upside, he will probably slide into the first round:

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"“I still firmly believe Prince Tega Wanogho goes in the first round — this is a Kolton Miller-caliber athlete at tackle, and Miller went in the Top-10 with worse tape than anything Wanogho has put out thus far.Wanogho hasn’t been playing football for that long, and is clearly both improving and ready to improve much more: the ceiling with his length and kick-slide quickness is Pro Bowl caliber. I wish the Buccaneers could draft someone a little more pro-ready, but I’m not sure I trust them to do so” (Solak via TDN)."

The Buccaneers will need to prioritize the offensive tackle position this summer as Demar Dotson is on his last leg with the team, and maybe with his career. With Dotson’s contract set to expire and no reliable swing tackle behind him, the Bucs will need someone who can step in and start day one.

While Wanogho may take some learning bumps if he is forced to start right away, he does have extremely tall potential. Solak thinks the Buccaneers are the team to take the chance on him in the first round as they may be a bit desperate to address their struggles stopping pressure off the edge.