Buccaneers 'Would Have Loved To' Get an Offensive Tackle in NFL Draft
There was a big question facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into the NFL Draft and unfortunately for them, it's still one that needs answering.
What are the Bucs going to do with their offensive tackle positions?
The expectation was that Tampa Bay would target a new left or right tackle in the first round, or at worst the second.
But because of the way the draft unfolded, the Buccaneers instead added to their defensive line with Calijah Kancey in the first round followed by guard Cody Mauch in the second.
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"It just sometimes doesn't go the way you want," said Bucs vice president of player personnel John Spytek following Day 3 of the NFL Draft when asked about concerns after not adding an offensive tackle during the weekend. "We all would've loved to add tackles, but I don't want to lose enough games every year to be up there where those tackles typically go. We've got guys we feel good with...who we know can compete."
The first tackle taken in the draft was Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr. who was selected sixth overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
Two more were taken in the top 12, and by the time Tampa Bay got on the clock at No. 19 this year's top four tackles were off the board already.
With Mauch considered a guard projection in the NFL, only one offensive tackle - Syracuse's Matthew Bergeron - was selected in the second round, and he was gone a full 12 picks before the Buccaneers picked on Day 2.
Both situations put the Bucs' war room in a situation where they had to choose between staying true to their board or reaching for a position of need.
"We're not going to force players around here," Spytek said. "That is, I think, the worst thing to do. You end up taking a guy in (Round) 2 that you have fourth-round grades on and then he walks through your door, and you go, 'Yeah, he's a fourth-round pick and we missed on all of these other guys.'"
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Really, it's the smart way to approach things, and adding Mauch may not answer the tackle question alone, but his potential as a starting interior offensive lineman allows the team to dedicate more options to their tackle search moving forward.
"(Matt) Feiler has been out there before. Luke (Goedeke) did a good job out there last year. Tristan (Wirfs) is obviously one of the best there is. Brandon Walton has played out there and played in a pinch in Week 2 against the Saints last year," Spytek said while listing candidates to bookend Tampa Bay's offensive line.
Of course, all of this points to Wirfs moving from right to left tackle this season and is something there has been much speculation about.
And that move would leave Feiler, Goedeke, Walton, and anyone else the Buccaneers choose to give a tryout to figure out who will man the right side.
Whoever it is will be a crucial part of the team's success or failure this coming season, and will be looking to ensure the Bucs don't have a high enough pick next year to replace him.
Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82
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