Buccaneers first 2020 NFL Draft mock in month of December

With the Buccaneers currently holding the 12th pick in the draft, their options are somewhat limited. The first round is fairly front loaded – there is a bit of a drop off in talent for the round once the 15th pick or so rolls around.

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With that said, there’s a plethora of secondary help in the first round of this draft, specifically the top two safeties in the draft.

At 12th, the Buccaneers aren’t guaranteed to have a shot at Grant Delpit. He very well could go top ten or even top five, but much of the first ten picks will be offensive lineman. Since the Bucs no longer occupy a pick that will allow them to take prospects such as Tristan Wirfs or Andrew Thomas, prospects like Delpit and Clemson safety Isaiah Simmons will fall outside the top ten.

While Simmons is an elite open-field threat, the Buccaneers need a safety with elite coverage skills more than anything. While the secondary is young and promising, they are also still statistically the worst in the NFL this season.

Most fans probably won’t have a problem with drafting the secondary this year if the prospect taken is a top-tier talent, and Delpit is. He could step in as a day-one starter and playmaker on the defense. Though he is great in pass coverage which will help quell the long-ball tendencies of top NFC South receivers such as Julio Jones and Michael Thomas, he is also adept at open-field tackling and is competent at lining up in the front seven for blitzes as well.