2022 NFL Mock Draft: Buccaneers replace Tom Brady with sleeper QB
By Randy Gurzi
With quarterbacks potentially moving teams this offseason, the position is able to last longer than normal in this 2022 NFL Mock Draft but teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — who could be losing Tom Brady — still look for a diamond in the rough
It was another exciting weekend of football, which started with the Cincinnati Bengals shocking the world as they knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.
After that, Matthew Stafford did just enough to take his team to the Super Bowl as well, leading the Los Angeles Rams to a three-point win over the 49ers.
While we saw some great quarterback play this postseason, the 2022 NFL Draft isn’t full of elite playmakers at the position. That’s why it takes a while to see any called as quarterbacks fall out of the top-10 in our latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft. Even without elite talent at the spot, some teams look for a player they can mold into a starter down the road — and one of those teams is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who could be looking to replace Tom Brady.
Jaguars get things rolling in this 2022 NFL Mock Draft
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
There will still be calls for the Jacksonville Jaguars to go with Aidan Hutchinson, who is a worthy pick at No. 1. There will also be reason for the Jags to go with Evan Neal, the left tackle from Alabama — as they need to make sure to protect their first overall pick from 2021, Trevor Lawrence.
As true as it is Jacksonville needs to beef up their offensive line, the same can be said about pretty much every position on the roster. Teams don’t possess the No. 1 overall pick in back-to-back seasons while boasting a roster that just needs one more player to be competitive. That’s the case here as this team needs help wherever they can get it.
That’s why they snatch up Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux here. It might feel like a stretch for them to go with an EDGE player since they took Josh Allen in 2019 and K’Lavon Chaisson in 2020 but their defense is still a mess and adding a game-changer such as Thibodeaux could be a huge help in fixing that problem.