Buccaneers 2020 NFL Mock Draft: Jameis Winston departs

While most indicators are pointing towards a Jameis Winston return to Tampa Bay in 2020, here is who the Buccaneers should draft if he does not.

Jameis Winston is loved by the Glazier family and smart money is certainly on his return to the Buccaneers through the franchise tag or a long term contract.

Even though this may seem like the most likely scenario, nothing is certain yet. There are many reasons for the front office to at least doubt Jameis Winston, namely the 30 interceptions that were thrown in 2019.

If the Buccaneers do decide to move on from Winston this offseason then their draft needs would expand from offensive and defensive line to also including a quarterback. Here is what the picks would likely resemble.

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1st Round: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State 

If Jameis Winston was to move on in free agency then the Buccaneers would immediately need to start looking for a replacement. While this would certainly give the Philip Rivers to Tampa Bay rumors some more credibility, this would not be a long-term solution.

The Buccaneers would have to find a young quarterback early and Jordan Love would be a perfect fit.

As it stands now Jordan Love is mostly projected to fall just outside of the top 20 and the Buccaneers would likely want to trade back as to not overdraft, but this shouldn’t be foreign for the Bucs as they did something similar in 2018.

The biggest issue with this pick is that Love’s strengths and weaknesses resemble those of Jameis Winston very closely. Love’s arm may be a little stronger than that of Jameis but he struggles with his decision making.

If the Buccaneers were to make this selection it would be because they believe that Jordan Love’s talent is too great to pass up and his problems can be fixed (unlike Jameis who’s interception problem has worsened over the years).