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ESPN Ranks Most Likely Positions Buccaneers Will Target in First Round of NFL Draft
Which positions do the Bucs most need to address when the draft comes around?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with the rest of the NFL, are gearing up for the 2024 NFL Draft that is set to take place in exactly two weeks in Detroit.
The Buccaneers have done their due diligence thus far into the offseason after having a surprisingly successful 2023 season. They have retained key free agents, brought in other players that can be starters, but more so for depth, and have also completed a trade that netted them an extra third-round pick here in late April.
Despite all of the positive moves that the franchise has made thus far, there is still work to be done to try and improve the roster in the hopes of making a deeper playoff run in 2024.
The next step in that process is welcoming in a new crop of rookies through the draft. Bucs GM Jason Licht and the rest of the front office have done a tremendous job when it comes to their evaluation of potential draft picks throughout their tenure, and they will once again look to do so this year. The Bucs will have some early picks to take advantage of, and ESPN’s Jenna Laine ranked the positions that Tampa Bay will look to target as their biggest needs.
“1. Offensive line. 2. Edge rusher. 3. Wide receiver. 4. Cornerback. You could consider interior offensive line and outside linebacker 1A and 1B, depending on who's available at No. 26. Because they have needs at both guard and center, I'm putting offensive line first, followed by edge rusher. After that, the Buccaneers need depth at wide receiver to complement Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Trey Palmer, and then they need to create competition at cornerback.
The Bucs feel good about the growth of 2022 fifth-round pick Zyon McCollum and signed nickelback Tavierre Thomas and outside corner Bryce Hall in free agency — but this draft has a talented cornerback class that shouldn't be ignored.”
Needless to say, the Bucs could use some help along the offensive line, specifically at the G and C positions, so nabbing an elite player of that caliber early on would help solidify the Bucs’ offense up front. Edge rusher seemingly could be a 1B need for the Bucs even with the recent signing of Randy Gregory. WR and CB are a bit deeper and more filled out than the aforementioned positions, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt for the Bucs to at least examine who might be available early on to bring in some top-level talent that could eventually raise the ceiling of those position rooms.
Currently, the Bucs’ roster is pretty well built out, as mentioned by Licht earlier in the offseason, but there is always room for improvement. If the Bucs want to make noise in 2024 they will need to improve and this is the time to do so.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.
