Buccaneers 2020 Draft: Anthony Gordon an intriguing option

After another tumultuous season with Jameis Winston, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should consider drafting Anthony Gordon of Washington State University.

Under Bruce Arians, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have improved in many areas. One area coming into 2019 that needed much improvement was at quarterback. It was believed that “The Quarterback Whisperer” Bruce Arians, could help Jameis cut way down on his interceptions.

Fast forward through 17 weeks of National Football League play, and what’s the outcome? Jameis Winston threw more interceptions than he ever had before in a season.

Winston also set a record in futility. He is now they only player that has ever thrown thirty touchdowns while also throwing 30 interceptions. This is a record that he may hold onto for a while.

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There are plenty of opinions out there as to what the Bucs should do to fix the problem going forward. One of these options, of course, is to franchise tag Winston for a year, and then draft a quarterback in the 2020 draft.

If the Buccaneers choose to take a quarterback in the draft, they might consider Anthony Gordon out of Washington State. He’s a high value pick that could be a diamond in the rough in rounds 2-4.

The more obvious selections such as Joe Burrow will almost without a doubt be long gone by the 14th selection. Going for another position in the first round is almost a given, unless a bigger name slips to the Bucs at 14.

Gordon is a player that may end up producing like some of the bigger names, and could be brought on for substantially cheaper in a lower round. The Bucs could certainly do worse very easily. Standing at at 6’3″ 210 lbs his size isn’t bad. His weight should come up for play in the NFL but that is a much easier fix.

Taken on their own, his stats are impressive even by PAC 12 standards. Actually, they are rather impressive by almost any standard. In 2019 Gordon was 493 of 689 (71%) for 5,579 yards and 48 touchdowns with 16 interceptions.

A lot of people may cross him out right away because of his playing in the Pac 12. That is a mistake in my opinion-don’t make me list all the great quarterbacks that have come out of that conference. It doesn’t make much sense to disqualify a player because of where he played, or the conference that the school is in.

Every player should be evaluated on their own merit without helmet-watching of any kind. Gordon’s play stands out when compared to the rest of the quarterback class and that is how he should be evaluated.

I have kept up with Gordon’s stats all this past season. After every week’s games I checked his play out. I’m convinced this quarterback would be a good selection for whoever chooses him. Being that I’m a Bucs man, I would love to see the Bucs draft him to back up Jameis in 2020. Beyond that is for time to tell.

Consider this, after 9 weeks of the NCAA season Gordon led the nation in passing attempts, completions, yardage, and touchdowns. Yes, that is right, better than Joe Burrow at that stage. Imagine having both of those players on your college fantasy football team. This writer knows exactly how that felt, and it was a dream come true.

Hopefully the Bucs will consider Gordon’s value after the first couple rounds and pull the trigger if he is still on the board. Gordon may not be a starter right away, but with his talent and his age he could be an exceptional backup behind Jameis if the team is uncertain about the future at quarterback.