Buccaneers shut down ridiculous conjecture with win versus Colts
By Rob Leeds
The Buccaneers certainly don’t regret missing out on Jonathan Taylor in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The 2020 NFL Draft was a massive way for the Buccaneers to make their team one of the best in the NFL. This class quickly proved to have some of the best picks in franchise history, and Tampa’s first two picks would likely go in the top-10 if other teams had a second chance to make their selections.
Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. were near-perfect selections. Wirfs has emerged as one of the best linemen in the NFL, and Winfield had a legitimate claim to the Defensive Rookie of the Year title last season.
Both of these rookies played massive roles on the road to winning the Super Bowl, and the idea that Tampa has any misgivings about either pick is ludicrous.
Adam Schefter created quite a commotion before the game when he explained how much the Buccaneers loved Jonathan Taylor in the 2020 class. Schefter reported that Tampa mulled over the idea of Taylor at 14 if Wirfs was off the board, and they also wanted him to drop in the second to add him there.
Fortunately, the Buccaneers dodged a massive bullet.
The Buccaneers absolutely made the right picks in the first and second rounds. Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the third round is still a question mark, but no team should ever take a running back in the first two rounds.
Tampa was allowed to like Taylor as a back, but even Winfield Jr. was a better pick at 14 than Taylor. Running backs don’t matter in the modern NFL as the scheme does, and assuming that Taylor would be substantially better than any of the Buccaneer backs today on their roster does not consider their scheme’s shortcomings.
There is a reason why most of the high-profile backs in the NFL are struggling with injuries or poor play right now. The position is fickle. A committee approach is the better option in the modern era. Just look at Christian McCaffrey. When was the last time he helped in a game?
Wirfs and Winfield were perfect picks. If you gave the Bucs those same picks over again, they would make the same choices 1,000 times over. Jonathan Taylor was never the right pick there for Tampa, and now, the Bucs have the last laugh after shutting Taylor out of the game for three full quarters.
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