The Tampa Bay Buccaneers only have three picks on the final day of the NFL Draft, but a handful of positions that could use some attention.
Offensive line was addressed on Thursday, with Duke's Graham Barton coming off theb oard at No. 26 overall. The Bucs leaned on the defense next, taking Chris Braswell in the second round and Tykee Smith with the No. 89 pick.
It wasn't until the 92nd pick -- the one that Tampa Bay acquired from the Lions as part of the Carlton Davis III trade -- that the team went back to adding offensive players. That trend continued on Saturday with the Bucs adding Oregon's Bucky Irving with its fourth round pick.
Buccaneers add perfect compliment to Rachaad White with Bucky Irving
Grade: B-
Earlier this offseason Todd Bowles mentioned that he would like the Bucs to add another running back, and it seems Jason Licht listened. Not only that but he liked what he saw out of Irving, who brings a ton to the table in Tampa Bay.
Irving wasn't the top running back in the class but he was firmly in the upper echelon of talent. He's smaller than White, so he might be more of one-to-one for Chase Edmonds, but he offers just as much in both the run and pass game.
Liam Coen is going to have a ton of fun game planning both White and Irving on Sundays.
New Bucs RB Bucky Irving has got Alvin Kamara like contact balance pic.twitter.com/s1S9RcGalQ
— Steven Cheah (@StevenCheah) April 27, 2024
There was some weird national media speculation about the Bucs targeting a running back because White hasn't shown enough, which is absolutely ridiculous. It's evident in this selection that the Bucs don't feel the same way, as Irving is going to be a perfect RB2/3 for White who could even play in the same backfield to really throw defenses off.
He allows Coen and the Bucs' offense to diversify in ways they really couldn't before, and might even give them the long-term duo they've been looking for alongside White.
If there's anything goofy we should take away from this, it's not that Irving is some sort of replacement for White -- because he's not. Tampa Bay had a chance to draft T.J. Tampa, which is so perfect it needs to happen. Instead the Bucs landed a Bucky, which is an awesom consolation prize.