Buccaneers: CBS Sports projecting Travis Etienne to Tampa Bay

CBS Sports is projecting a talented and explosive running back to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It’s still way-too-early to be thinking about the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are already being linked to one explosive offensive weapon.

CBS Sports released its updated 2021 NFL Mock Draft and, interestingly enough, the publication had the Buccaneers picking No. 31 overall. If that projection was correct, that would mean that Tampa Bay made it to the Super Bowl but came up short against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Just as intriguing as the placement of their projected draft pick is, it’s even more interesting who CBS has the Bucs taking.  The answer? Clemson RB Travis Etienne.

Buccaneers would benefit greatly from adding Travis Etienne to the roster

Now, many believe that the Bucs will go after a left tackle in the first-round of this coming draft and that may very well be the case.

Though I’m not usually a proponent of taking running backs in the first-round, Etienne might be the exception.

Etienne is the most explosive playmaker in College Football this season and he is proving at Clemson to be more than just a running threat. He is catching balls out of the backfield and is continuing to show that he will be a big-time playmaker at the next level.

Etienne would fit perfectly in the Buccaneers’ scheme and would be a nice complimentary piece to Tom Brady and Ronald Jones II in the backfield. The other reason Etienne makes sense is because the Bucs aren’t planning for the future.

If you want a player who can come in and instantly help make the offense better, he’s your guy. Etienne isn’t going to be a workhorse at the next level who carries the ball 30 times a game, but the Bucs don’t need him to. That’s why this pairing would make so much sense.

Etienne would be an upgrade to the running backs already on the roster and would give the Bucs a more balanced attack offensively almost instantly as a rookie.