Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 Ways to win the 2020 NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to do well in the 2020 NFL Draft to be in the best position to succeed in the future. Here’s how they can do it.

The Buccaneers had a great 2019 draft class and will be looking to replicate that success in 2020. Jason Licht has some questionable draft picks in his past but seems to be taking steps in the right direction after the most recent rookie class.

It appears as though Bruce Arians has taken more of a central role in the selection process which will be to the benefit of the team.

The best hope for the Buccaneers is that they can be smart with their picks, maximizing the efficiency of each pick relative to its value.

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1. Draft a running back in the latest round possible 

Hopefully, it is starting to sound repetitive that the Bucs should not draft a running back with a high overall pick.

This is a rule that should be followed strictly and veering from this safe course could spell disaster for the Buccaneers.

The best round to find a new running back to pair with Ronald Jones starts with the fourth round at the earliest. Many mock drafts have Tampa Bay taking a new running back in rounds five and six which would be a good place to start the search.

2. Draft a tackle in round one or two

The Buccaneers must take an offensive tackle in the first two rounds of this draft if they want to give Jameis Winston the highest shot at success in 2020.

The best option for the Bucs is to use their first-round pick on one of the many talented tackles that are spread throughout the first round. The Buccaneers have a great chance of snagging a franchise tackle at the 14th overall pick.

To go along with this the Bucs need to move off of Demar Dotson. Dotson has become too expensive for the Bucs to keep on and has struggled with penalties in some very inopportune times. A rookie here would make a difference, especially in the future.

3. Draft IDL to replace Ndamukong Suh

While many Buccaneers fans want the team to keep Suh, the best thing for Tampa Bay to do in this draft is to replace older players with younger, cheaper options.

The Bucs would likely struggle little in finding a stellar defensive tackle in one of the earlier rounds and would be able to save themselves a decent chunk of money if the were to not re-sign Suh.

Suh played decent in his first year as a Buccaneer but just costs too much money to keep at his current rate.

4. Find depth at edge

The Buccaneers have two stellar edge rushers in the forms of Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett. Smart money is on the Bucs certainly bringing back Barrett for 2020 while also trying their best at keeping JPP on the roster.

Outside of these two, the Buccaneers would be wise to continue focusing on this position.

Edge is one of the most important positions for the team alongside corner (addressed), quarterback (likely addressed), and offensive line (addressed if the Bucs draft properly). Tampa Bay will likely lose some of their depth pass rushers during free agency and the draft provides a remedy for this.

5. Do not draft kickers/punters

The Buccaneers would likely lose half of their fanbase by drafting any kickers or punters in this upcoming draft. There is not a punter, with even the most diverse skill set, that warrants a draft pick.

The same can be said, albeit slightly less, about kickers. The Bucs drew a substantial amount of criticism for drafting Matt Gay last season and paid the price for it several times due to missed kicks.

Gay seems to be on the right path but either way the team has millions of better picks to make before drafting a new kicker or punter.