Now that the first round is behind us, it’s time to look ahead at who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be able to target on NFL Draft Day 2.
Despite there being a run on tackles and things looking grim for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 19 overall on Thursday, Jason Licht figured things out.
That’s sort of a theme this offseason, as it’s not the first time the Bucs front office has taken an otherwise dire situation and revealed that it had a plan the entire time. In free agency it was finding ways to bring back Jamel Dean and Lavonte David while signing Baker Mayfield to compete with Kyle Trask.
In the NFL Draft, Licht turned a situation where no tackles ended up falling to the Bucs and landed defensive tackle Cajilah Kancey from Pitt.
Not even Kancey knew the Bucs were going to take him at No. 19 until they did, which is a master class in a front office keeping secrets.
With Kancey slotted in with Vita Vea up front, attention now turns to what the Buccaneers can do on NFL Draft Day 2 to keep the momentum going and continue adding to the roster.
NFL Draft Day 2: 10 players Buccaneers should target
This is going to be a pick the Buccaneers need to trade up for if they want to make it happen, which is where the risk lies. Mayer fell out of the Top 31 for a reason, but was that because his stock was overrated or tight ends just caught a raw deal?
After all, Dalton Kincaid didn’t go until the last portion of the first round so this isn’t all on Mayer.
If the Bucs want to add to the offensive side of the ball, they can move up and grab the second-best tight end in a class that is being heralded as legendary at the top. The early read on that prediction is that it was lofty considering how long it took for one to be selected, but Mayer could be a lifeline for whoever ends up being quarterback next season and could be crucial to potential success with Kyle Trask.