Round 6, Pick 204: Frank Gore Jr., RB/Southern Miss
Offensive line isn't the only area on that side of the ball the Bucs should think about addressing in the draft. Skill position players are always fun to think about and this could be a spot where Jason Licht flexes his draft muscles and pulls out a few sleepers on Day 3.
Rachaad White is the clear-cut RB1 for Tampa Bay moving forward, and all of the free agent rumors so far deal with players who essentially do the same thing he does. The Bucs don't need another dual-threat running back cut from the same cloth as Christian McCaffrey, they should be looking for complimentary help.
Enter Frank Gore Jr., who offers both name recognition and skills that supplement White in the backfield.
Frank Gore Jr set an NCAA bowl record with 329 yards rushing in the 2022 Lending Tree Bowl, with only 21 carries. He also threw a #Touchdown pass! #SMTTT @stn_2lit @frankgore @grantcohn pic.twitter.com/QmKBnYpY1l
— USMVoice (@USMVoice) February 8, 2024
Last year an intriguing mid-to-late-round option for the Bucs was Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn; Gore provides many of the same skills that should pique some interest. At 5'8", 201 pounds, he offers a younger version of what the Bucs had in Chase Edmonds last year which seems to indicate he could be a fit based on how the team is looking at its running back room.
Drafting Gore doesn't mean that Edmonds can't come back, but he's also a cheaper option which could help the team reallocate funds to helping other areas of the roster. Tampa Bay's run game was once again Not Great, but when it did show flash Edmonds was part of that. Swapping him out for Gore feels like it has more upside than using this pick somewhere else.