Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Is Ezra Cleveland the answer at OT?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to address the offensive tackle position in the 2020 NFL Draft, but could it be a little later than the first-round?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some important decisions to make during the 2020 NFL Draft, and one of the most important positions to address will be at offensive tackle.

The overarching belief is that the Buccaneers will take an offensive tackle with that No. 14 overall pick in the first-round, but what if a top one is no longer available?

Draft analysts agree that the top-four offensive tackles in the draft are as follows (in any order):

• Jedrick Wills Jr. (Alabama)
• Mekhi Becton (Louisville)
• Tristan Wirfs (Iowa)
• Andrew Thomas (Georgia)

If those top-four offensive tackles are off the board, the Bucs could make a move to trade back and pick up another second-round pick or take a chance on finding a gem at offensive tackle a little later in the draft.

Could Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland be the answer?

When looking at the draft prospects, Cleveland is emerging as a player of legitimate interest for a ton of NFL organizations. Why?

Well, he has the measurables (6-foot-6, 311 pounds), his film looks good, he ran an impressive 40-yard dash time (4.93) and he did 30 reps on the bench press. One of the best indicators for offensive linemen in the NFL Combine is the 20-yard shuttle drill and he led all offensive linemen in that category.

Cleveland is currently a guy who could be available in the third-round, but would certainly be worth a look in the second-round. If the Bucs wanted, they could draft a guy like Javon Kinlaw in the first-round and then trade back in the second-round to get Cleveland and grab a later pick in the draft, as a result.

There are plenty of options to make it happen and Tampa Bay is showing legitimate interest, for obvious reasons.

If the Bucs can’t get one of the top-four options at offensive tackle, look for Cleveland to be high on their board as the draft progresses.