Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022 NFL Draft guidebook and strategy
By Rob Leeds
Positions for Buccaneers to focus on
The Buccaneers don’t have many needs. This is a nice problem that we have dealt with for going on two years, even if the draft strategy last season did not reflect this. (No one on the planet can say Kyle Trask to be a backup quarterback was the best player available at the end of the second round).
Regardless, the positions to focus on are as follows:
Guard
The Buccaneers could probably get by with Aaron Stinnie as a starting guard. His ceiling isn’t that high, but it doesn’t really need to be when the other four players are so great. Still, Tampa would like to find another guy with a ceiling like Marpet’s, and that is more than on the table with this class.
A lot of mock drafts have the Bucs going after this position in the first or second round, but the end of Day Two and the start of Day Three would be much better value when looking for a starting-caliber guard. It’s already happened before with Marpet and Alex Cappa.
Defensive line
Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul are both old and expensive. Not a great combination, even if both guards are strong defensive leaders. The Bucs can find more of the edge option like JPP in a deep class, but IDL could be difficult if you try to stick to best player available. Still, there are a few options in the first few rounds that could replace Suh and save the Bucs some money.
Wide receiver
Not a need for the Bucs, but the depth of options here is ridiculous. There aren’t any generational talents like Ja’Marr Chase in this group, but it feels like there are about 15 guys in this class with a mountain of upside on the first two days. The Bucs may like their top three, but exploiting a deep class like this to find another option for Brady is far from a bad idea.
Secondary
The Bucs have two starting corners on contracts that are about to expire and a veteran safety that could only be here for a year. A team like the Buccaneers always needs to keep bringing in new defensive backs, especially after what we saw last season, and a couple of potential losses coming up makes this a bigger focus area than most would think.