Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Good times continued during 2020 NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went into the 2020 NFL Draft on an offseason high. They leave the draft weekend with nothing but smiles on their faces.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went into the 2020 NFL Draft riding a complete high with perhaps the most momentum the franchise has ever seen in an offseason. They are going into their second year under head coach and quarterback guru Bruce Arians, which is enough to get excited for with their offense.

But now they have added the GOAT, Tom Brady, and somehow watched Rob Gronkowski come out of retirement with the intent of only playing with them and Brady. For the Bucs, it felt like anything positive they could do in the draft would be gravy. They were able to continue the positive momentum through the draft to continue to cement themselves as strong NFC contenders.

One of the most glaring holes for the Buccaneers has been at the tackle position on their offensive line. More specifically, they did not have a solidified starter at right tackle. The team had talked about trying to remedy this situation through the draft. Mission accomplished.

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The Bucs traded up in the first round to draft Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs. Wirfs was one of only four tackles in the draft considered to have immediate plug and play capability. Most mock drafts required the Bucs to trade up to the top 10 picks in order to get someone of his talent. Fortunately for them, he slipped a little bit and they were able to have to only move up one pick while only sacrificing a fourth-round draft pick to ensure his availability.

While Wirfs is not a 100 percent finished product yet, he is a supreme talent who should be able to start immediately at right tackle and eventually be a cornerstone on the left side. Getting someone with his ability to help protect Brady and improve the running game will be a huge plus for their offense.

The Bucs were once again fortunate in the second round when they saw safety Antoine Winfield Jr. fall right into their laps. The team didn’t plan on taking a safety so high, but the talent was more than they could pass up.

Winfield is a safety who fits in well with the way coaches look to use players interchangeably on defense. He is versatile enough to make tackles in the box with the ability to play man coverage on tight ends and some running backs.

Although size is an issue, he plays bigger than he looks and could really solidify the back end of the Bucs defense. On paper, safety was the team’s biggest area of weakness but after already drafting players previously, most thought help would come with a veteran. If Winfield can get up to speed quickly, he could become an anchor for the back end in the mold of Bob Sanders.

Throughout the rest of the draft, the Bucs continued to address their offense and add more talent for Tom Brady to take advantage of. Ke’Shawn Vaughn should be able to help complement Ronald Jones II. He is more of a no-nonsense downhill runner which is something Arians appreciates. He also provides some pass-catching capabilities.

They also added running back Raymond Calais in the seventh round, who could add the big play speed element to the team. Calais has breakaway speed and may be used in special packages that take advantage of this skill set.

Tampa was also able to draft wide receiver Tyler Johnson as an absolute steal in Round 5. Johnson could be the team’s answer in the slot long term and provides good depth and abilities as a rookie.

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With the Bucs embarking on a journey to potentially be the first team to play in the Super Bowl at their home stadium. They used the NFL draft to continue to build pieces around Tom Brady and maximize the tight window he has afforded them. The positive vibes continue and the team seems poised to flex some muscle in the 2020 NFL season.

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