New Mock Draft Monday as Buccaneers address a major weakness

It would be a significant steal for the Bucs if they managed to land LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the sixth round this coming April. Unfortunately, Edwards-Helaire’s draft stock is taking a massive rise as he is over 1,000 yards on the season and showing tremendous versatility and explosiveness in the process.

Ronald Jones is finally getting the reps that he deserves in the Tampa Bay backfield, but Peyton Barber is on the last year of his deal with the Bucs. It would be a surprise to see Barber back in the pewter and red next season, meaning the Bucs will need to add another back to fill in as a rotational role; let’s be honest, Dare Ogunbowale is not that back.

While small in stature at just 5-8 and 209 pounds, Edwards-Helaire displays great strength and speed as he has run through SEC defense after SEC defense. Over the 1,100 yard mark for the Tigers this year, Edwards-Helaire is averaging seven yards per carry, and has scored a whopping 15 touchdowns on the ground; the junior running back has also added 39 catches out of the backfield for nearly 300 additional years and a touchdown.

Not that he will still be on the board by the sixth round of the draft; if he is, then he’ll probably return to school. However at this point in the mock draft done on The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine, Edwards-Helaire was still on the board and needed to be nabbed.