Tampa Bay Buccaneers make the right move, trade up for Tristan Wirfs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the right decision Thursday night and traded up one spot to get their guy Tristan Wirfs with the No. 13 overall pick.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to find a way to get one of the top four offensive tackles in the first-round of the 2020 NFL Draft and they did just that Thursday night.

With just one of those offensive tackles remaining, the Buccaneers made the decision to trade up one spot to No. 13 overall and select Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs with the pick.

The Buccaneers traded the No. 14 overall pick and the No. 117 overall pick (fourth-round) to the 49ers to move up the one spot. They also picked up a seventh-round pick from the 49ers, as well.

The Bucs had to find a way to protect Tom Brady. They need an offensive lineman who could come in and make an impact right away, and Wirfs is exactly that.

Wirfs is the most physical offensive tackle in this 2020 NFL Draft and has the ability to step in and become a solid right tackle at the next level. He could also potentially play inside at some point later on in his career.

Though Wirfs may not have the range that a guy like Jedrick Wills Jr. has, he is still a freakish athlete who can move with great measurables. He’s an offensive tackle who has Pro-Bowl ability with the right coaching and development.

More so than anything else, though, he’s an immediate answer for the Buccaneers as they look to compete this season. Tampa Bay needed an offensive tackle that they could rely upon to come in and start immediately. Wirfs is just that.

It will be interesting to see what the Bucs end up doing in the second and third rounds and if they are able to score another mid-round pick with a potential O.J. Howard trade on Day 2 to replace that fourth-round pick they had to give up.