We are through the first two days of the NFL Draft and so far things have gone perfect for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It won't be until this summer that we find out what this draft class looks like, and even longer until the fall until they see real action, but right now it's hard to hate how the Bucs draft has gone. Tampa Bay had four picks in the Top 100 and has found insane value at each selection.
The weekend started with Graham Barton being picked in the first round, ideally to replace Ryan Jensen as the team's center of the future. On Friday the Bucs flipped to the other side of the ball by taking Alabama pass rusher Chris Braswell with the No. 57 pick. That was followed by another defensive selection with Tykee Smith out of Georgia before wide receiver Jalen McMillan rounded out the night.
Only one more day remains, and the Bucs have three more picks to make before a bow is tied around this year's draft class. There's a chance Tampa Bay adds another pick -- as they currently don't have a fifth rounder and might trade up -- but the draft could end right now and everyone could feel good about what happened.
Thankfully there's more, and the Bucs have a chance to add a few more impact players before the weekend is over.
Best players remaining for Buccaneers on Day 3 of the NFL Draft
There are still two positions the Bucs seemingly need to address before the draft is over, one of which is cornerback. On Friday Tampa Bay drafted Jalen McMillan with the No. 92 pick, which is the one it received as part of the Carlton Davis III trade back in March.
Even before Davis was traded the Bucs needed to address the secondary, but after he was shipped out to Detroit the need got bumped up a few spots on the list. It didn't go high enough that the Bucs used a Top 100 pick on the position but there are still guys like T.J. Tampa who provide potential Day 2 value on the final day of the draft.
Cornerback
- T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
- Khyree Jackson, Oregon
- Caelen Carson, Wake Forest
- Kris AAbram-Draine, Missouri
- Jarvis Brownline, Louisville
- Chau Smith-Wade, Washington State
- Myles Harden, South Dakota
- D.J. James, Auburn
- Cam Hart, Notre Dame
- Decamerion Richardson, Mississippi State
- Kamal Hadden, Tennessee
- Kalen King, Penn State
- Nehemiah Pritchett, Auburn
- Josh Newton, TCU
The other obvious position the Bucs need to address is interior offensive line. Taking Graham Barton in the first round helped plug a hole in the center of the line -- both figuratively and litereally -- but the work rebuilding the offensive line isn't done.
Guard depth isn't particularly strong on Day 3, but the Bucs could walk away with either Mason McCormick or Christian Mahogany and feel really good about what it added to the line.
Offensive Guard
- Mason McCormick, South Dakota State
- Christian Mahogany, Boston College
- Trevor Keegan, Michigan
- Javion Cohen, Miami (FL)
Don't count out the Bucs taking a running back on Day 3. Todd Bowles mentioned that he'd like the Bucs to add another running back and there's plenty of talent left at the position on Saturday. Ray Davis is of particular interest, as he has ties to new offensive coordinator Liam Coen and might be a natural fit for his system.
There's also guys like Jaylen Wright and Bucky Irving that make sense too, as well as gadet back Will Shipley out of Clemson.
Running Back
- Jaylen Wright, Tennessee
- Bucky Irving, Oregon
- Ray Davis, Kentucky
- Blake Watson, Memphis
- Isaiah Davis, South Dakota State
- Audric Estime, Notre Dame
- Will Shipley, Clemson
Perhaps third on the list of positions the Bucs should address on Day 3 is linebacker. Losing Shaq Barrett and Devin White this offseason subtracted from the depth, but there's some serious talent still remaining.
Drafting a linebacker isn't about replacing anyone, rather it's about trying to add to the room in a meaningful way. That's something Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Tommy Eichenberg, or Jordan Magee might be able to do. Pay attention to Magee, who is a Temple kid that could pique Todd Bowles interest thanks to their mutual collegiate ties.
Linebacker
- Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson
- Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
- Jordan Magee, Temple
- Cedric Gray, North Carolina
- JD Bertrand, Notre Dame
- Steele Chambers, Ohio State
- Darius Muasau, UCLA
A double-dip at offensive line isn't out of the question on Day 3, nor is the idea of the Bucs returning to the edge rusher pool.
Mohamed Kamara has been circled on our list for a while, specifically if the Bucs missed out on Marshawn Kneeland -- which they did. The second and third round were great for Tampa Bay, and things could get even better if the Bucs land Kamara to add even more depth to the edge rush unit next season.
Edge Rusher
- Xavier Thomas, Clemson
- Austin Booker, Kansas
- Javon Solomon, Troy
- Brennan Jackson, Washington State
- Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
- Gabriel Murphy, UCLA
- Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Notre Dame
- Nelson Ceaser, Houston
- Grayson Murphy, UCLA
- Jaylen Harrell, Michigan