2020 Mock Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I’m going to use the Mock Draft Machine provided by thedraftnetwork.com to do mock drafts for all NFL teams.

A few disclaimers:

1. I will use a new draft for each team and have Mock Draft Machine’s predictive board draft for the other teams so the same players will go to different teams in different drafts. This isn’t one mock draft where I draft for each team, this will be 32 separate mock drafts.
2. I’m not an expert, I will use a mix of team needs (according to The Draft Network), “professional” mock drafts, and my own gut instinct to select players. I’m going to try and draft the players I think each team should draft, not necessarily what I think they’re going to draft.
3. There will be no trades, so these mock drafts will certainly not mimic the real thing, this is just for fun.

Here’s a link to my last post, 2020 Mock Draft: Arizona Cardinals

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Team Needs: OT, RB, WR, IOL, QB, S, EDGE, IDL, CB, TE, LB

The Draft

Round One (14): Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama

The signing of QB Tom Brady has completely changed the expectations and draft needs for Tampa Bay. The team is in win-now mode given that their new $50 million starting QB will be 43 when the season starts. The first five “team needs” for the Bucs are all on the offensive side of the ball, and we’ll start by grabbing the team’s new starting RT, Jedrick Wills, who is still available at 14. Brady should be well protected between veteran LT Donovan Smith and Jedrick Wills.

Round Two (45): D’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia

Three RB’s are available right at the top of the draft board, D’Andre Swift, J.K. Dobbins, and Jonathan Taylor. We might be nitpicking here, but Taylor has fumbling issues and has been used a lot in college, and Dobbins isn’t great in pass protection. We’ll take Swift here, who is really the most complete back available and should be a reliable check down target for Tom Brady, whose arm strength isn’t what it used to be.

Round Three (76): Robert Hunt, IOL, Louisiana

Without a value option at WR here (and there’s plenty of WR’s in this draft), we’ll go with IOL Robert Hunt out of Louisiana. The 6'5", 336-pound Hunt projects as a guard, but has the size to fill in at OT if needed. The redshirt senior has overcome a lot in his life, including being displaced by Hurricane Rita and suffering a groin injury last season. In a draft that is isn’t deep in the IOL category, Hunt is worth the early third round pick here.

Round Four (117): K.J. Hill, WR, Ohio State

With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin set at the outside WR positions, the Buccaneers could use a slot receiver. We all know how much Brady has loved his slot guys over the years (Welker, Amendola, Edelman), so we’ll give him the speedy K.J. Hill out of Ohio State to throw to. Hill runs tight routes and caught more balls at Ohio State than anyone else in history. Hill might just become Brady’s best friend sooner rather than later. Don’t be surprised if he sees more targets than Evans or Godwin.

Round Four (139): Anthony Gordon, QB, Washington State

Some see him as more of a 5th or 6th round guy, but the Bucs take a chance on QB Anthony Gordon here. They only have Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin backing up Brady, and it’s difficult to imagine that Brady will play beyond his two-year contract, since he’ll be 45 by the start of the 2022 season. Gordon is a one-year starter in Mike Leach’s famous Air Raid system, so his 5579 passing yards and 48 touchdowns must be taken with a large grain of salt. Still, no one throws for that many yards and touchdowns on accident. He doesn’t have a cannon arm, but neither does Brady, and Gordon could learn a lot by backing up the greatest QB in NFL history for a couple of years. Gordon might be available at 161, but let’s not take the chance.

Round Five (161): J.R. Reed, S, Georgia

Justin Evans missed the 2019 season with an Achilles injury, and Jordan Whitehead hasn’t impressed so far. We’ll grab some depth for the safety position by drafting J.R. Reed out of Georgia. He’s a good tackler who will contribute on special teams and fight for reps at strong safety. We’ll take D’Andre Swift’s teammate at 161.

Round Six (194): Jonathan Garvin, Edge, Miami

With our final pick Tampa Bay will take Jonathan Garvin, who is a developmental EDGE prospect with a high ceiling. He’s not going to start anytime soon, but at 6'4", 250 pounds he can play OLB in Tampa’s 3–4 system. He can spend a few years getting stronger and hopefully contribute in the future.

Summary

• (14) Jedrick Wills, OT
• (45) D’Andre Swift, RB
• (76) Robert Hunt, IOL
• (117) K.J. Hill, WR
• (139) Anthony Gordon, QB
• (161) J.R. Reed, S
• (194) Jonathan Garvin, EDGE

Recap

Biggest Steal: Getting the projected best RB in the draft in the second round certainly seems like a steal, even though the position doesn’t have the same esteem it once did. Still, Swift should start immediately and battle for OROY with Brady at QB. Brady has a history of targeting his RB’s a lot, and Swift has the tools needed to excel given receiving opportunities.

Biggest Reach: Admittedly, Anthony Gordon is a reach, but if he learns from Brady for a couple of years and emerges as the Bucs starting QB in 2023 no one will regret spending a fourth-round pick on him. Worst-case scenario it becomes clear that he’s merely a mediocre QB who took advantage of Mike Leach’s Air Raid scheme to rack up meaningless stats in college and doesn’t have the skills to make it in the NFL. A reach, but a calculated one.

Biggest Miss: We addressed our seven most prominent “team needs,” so I’m feeling pretty good about this draft. Wills, Swift, and Hill should all be starting on opening day, and Hunt should be an important contributor. Gordon is a calculated gamble, Garvin is a high-ceiling prospect, and Reed adds depth.