Why the Buccaneers have to trade up in the 2020 NFL Draft
By Rob Leeds
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a tough spot for the 2020 NFL Draft. Their best bet to draft the biggest position of need is to trade up.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going all-in on winning in 2020. All of the free-agent signings and other offseason decisions point to high expectations for the upcoming season.
Tampa Bay’s biggest opportunity to win comes with them using the fast-approaching draft to fill their biggest remaining positions of need, and there is one position in particular that needs the most attention.
The offensive tackles for the Buccaneers struggled heavily in 2019. Jameis Winston threw under pressure continuously and the Bucs know that a similar situation would spell disaster for the less-mobile Tom Brady.
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To remedy this situation, Tampa Bay will look to find a starting-caliber offensive tackle in the first round of the draft. The top four tackles in this class are historically good, but their talent makes all four hot commodities.
The Bucs could hold out hope that one will fall to the 14th overall pick, but this is a very dangerous game. If the Buccaneers wait and all four tackles are off the board, the viable options to consistently protect Tom Brady quickly diminish.
Therefore, while it may be overly cautious, Tampa Bay would be in the best position if they choose to trade up in the draft to ensure that they can find their best option. The biggest problem with this is that all four tackles could be gone in the top-10, requiring more capital from the Bucs to trade up.
In most scenarios, the sure players off the board in the top-10 are Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Chase Young, and Jeff Okudah. With these four players out of the way, there is a very real chance that the four next best players are the offensive tackles.
The teams in the top-10 may have needs at other positions such as wide receiver or linebacker, but both of those positions can be found in any of the later rounds, while a franchise offensive tackle like these four comes around less than once every draft.
Because these offensive tackles are such an improvement over what the Buccaneers already have, a trade up to guarantee bringing one to Tampa Bay becomes inevitable.
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The Bucs would likely have to give up more than most people would be comfortable with, but the move would pay off in the long run. Giving Tom Brady the best protection possible is the most important step to win in 2020.