We're through the first round of the NFL Draft, but the work is only just beginning for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After stunning almost everyone by taking Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with the No. 19 pick, the Bucs must shift all of their focus to the other side of the ball on Day 2.
Kyle Crabbs put together a fantastic Day 2 mock draft over at The 33rd Team, but he made a glaring error when it came to the Buccaneers. He has Tampa Bay taking Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts with the No. 53 pick and edge rusher Josaiah Stewart out of Michigan with the team's third-round pick.
There's nothing wrong with either of these players, and Watts is actually another pretty sneaky zag for Jason Licht. After taking Emeka Egbuka with the No. 19 pick, though, the Bucs need to address both cornerback, edge rusher, and linebacker and starting the day off with a safety feels like another luxury pick over digging into a positional need.
Buccaneers can't afford to overthink Day 2 draft strategy
Keep in mind that safety could use some help as Antoine Winfield Jr. is entering a second straight season of not having a firm running mate. It's not the team's most pressing need, which would arguably be figuring out how to fix the pass rush.
It doesn't matter who is in the secondary if the Bucs defense can't get hands on the quarterback, and this mock would be a situation where fans pull their hair out if it plays out. In taking Watts, the Bucs would be passing on Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku which would be a massive mistake.
Ezeiruaku was mocked a ton to the Bucs at No. 19 in the weeks leading up to the draft, so to be able to land him in the second round would be a steal. He fills an immediate need for the team, would play alongside Calijah Kancey, and be able to learn from Haason Reddick as he settles in as a rookie.
It seems like a perfect situation, and one Tampa Bay would be foolish to overthink and go in a different direction.
To be fair, this mock has the Bucs taking Michigan edge rusher Josaiah Stewart in the third round, thus addressing the need. It wouldn't be the worst haul in the world if Tampa Bay walked away from Day 2 with Watts and Stewart, but there could be a scenario where they land Ezeiruaku and essentially get two first-round players for the price of one.
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