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Bucs Build on Free Agent Success With Strong Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft is in the books with most draft experts giving the local professional football team high marks. By most accounts, the needs of the team were mostly addressed to give Tom Brady some more ammo and protection heading into the season.

First up was the right tackle spot on the O line. Tampa decided not to bring back long time RT Demar Dotson, as age and injuries have clearly taken their toll. Bringing in a younger, talented replacement was imperative and Tampa did just that. Tristan Wirfs out of Iowa, the 13th overall pick is expected to start right away and looks to be a significant upgrade over DD. The athleticism of Wirfs, even At 6-feet-5, 322 pounds, is incredible. A man that large that can run as fast as he can, is certainly not the norm for OT spot. At the NFL combine, his 40-yard dash time (4.85 seconds) led all lineman.

Tampa’s second pick, round 2 and 45th overall, went to Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr. who was chosen to bolster the back end of the defense. With wide receiver type hands, and ball hawking instincts, Winfield should help a defense that saw steady improvement, especially in the secondary, towards the second half of last season. Winfield comes from NFL stock as his father Antoine Sr. played 14 seasons with Minnesota and Buffalo as a CB. Winfield Jr. is also a ferocious tackler, so run or pass, he should be an asset right away.

The 76th overall pick in the third round was used on Vanderbilt RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn. Incidentally the first Bucs pick to draw criticism form some of the “experts”. In fact, Chris Trapasso of cbssports.com rated the pick a D+, a bit harsh if you ask me. During Tom Brad’s stellar career in New England, the Patriots have always had pass catching RB’s on the roster for Brady to use as an outlet. The catch is, the RB position with the Patriots requires that he still be an every down back, not a third down specialist. That’s where Vaughn comes in. In three of the four years he was in college, 2 with Illinois University before transferring to Vanderbilt, he had no less than 157 attempts, with almost 200 last year. At 28 receptions his senior year to go along with 1,028 yards on the ground, Vaughn showed the versatility Tampa was looking for to arm Brady with what he needs.

The next thing needed was a possession receiver to line up in the slot. With Evans and Godwin, the Bucs have the outside covered at WR, so this area of need was next on the list. With the 161st pick overall in the fifth round, pickings at the position were a bit slim, but Tyler Johnson, also from Minnesota, could fit the bill. Johnson does not have elite speed, but has good quickness and mechanics to go along with a strong instinct to fight for the ball. Many are hailing this pick as the potential steal of the draft. If Johnson can win over Tom Brady’s trust early, that might just turn out to be true. He leaves the Golden Gophers as the all time leader in receiving yards at 3,305, touchdown catches at 33 and most 100 yard receiving games with 16.

For the sixth round, the Bucs went back to the other side of the ball with defensive lineman Khalil Davis from Nebraska. Not much was mentioned about Davis until he ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.75 seconds at the combine. In 11 games for the Huskers he had 45 tackles and 8 sacks showing good all around ability against the run or pass. In a deep draft for DT, Davis slipping all the way to the sixth round could turn out to be another good value pick.

Rounding out day three in the seventh round, the Bucs had picks 241 and 245 overall. That late in the draft, we’re almost getting into “Mr. Irrelevant” territory. That being said, Chapelle Russell from Temple could turn out to be a solid depth pickup at LB. At 6-foot-2, and 236 pounds, Russell can play in coverage with most tight ends. Back to back ACL tears in 2016 and 2017 undoubtedly hurt his draft stock causing him to slip way down to the seventh round. Last pick but hopefully not least for Tampa went to RB Raymond Calais from Louisiana University. A real speedster with a 4.42 time for the 40-yard dash at the combine, Calais had 886 yards and six touchdowns. With that kind of speed, he could also make the team on special teams as a returner. Calais averaged 28.5 yards on 19 attempts as a Ragin Cagun.

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