3 Things Bucs Have to Accomplish in the 2020 NFL Draft

At the beginning of the free agency, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a mission statement by signing Tom Brady: Win now.

For the next two years while Brady is a Buccaneer, Tampa Bay has squeeze as much production out him and the rest of the team in order to make a championship run. The 2020 NFL Draft is a big piece of the win-now puzzle. The Bucs still have rosters holes to fill and not much cap space with which to work, leaving much of their work in the draft.

The Bucs' draft strategy will no doubt revolve around maximizing the talent around Brady. While that does mean adding weapons and protection on offense, it also means adding certain pieces to the defense, especially in the trenches.

Here are four things the Bucs need to accomplish in this week's draft:

Acquire a right tackle

If the Bucs have one big hole on the roster, it's at right tackle. Longtime Buccaneer RT Demar Dotson is no longer on the roster and there is no obvious candidate to replace him.

With the 14th pick of the draft, Tampa Bay is in prime position to take one of the draft's highly touted offensive tackle prospects in the first round, such as Georgia's Andrew Thomas or Louisville's Mekhi Becton.

Even if the Bucs aren't able to make a move on the very best tackles, they still have options. Houston's Josh Jones should be available even if the Bucs trade down in the first round. They could also target tackles in the second day of the draft like USC's Austin Jackson or TCU's Lucas Niang.

Protecting Tom Brady has to be the Bucs' top priority this week, so it may be necessary to sacrifice other needs in order to trade up and get the best available tackle. The "win now" mantra starts and ends with Tom Brady, so there is no higher priority than securing a new right tackle.

Improve their defensive line depth

On defense, the Bucs have a strong starting lineup, but their roster depth leaves much to be desired. They re-signed veterans Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh and placed the franchise tag on Shaq Barrett, but beyond that they did little to build a championship-caliber rotation on the defensive line.

Fortunately, the fact that they have starters gives the Bucs some flexibility on where to find depth pieces. Todd Bowles' defense uses large, powerful interior linemen to clear lanes for blitzers, so the Bucs aren't necessarily looking for penetrating defensive tackles that tend to be highly valued.

Instead, Tampa Bay should be looking at space eaters like LSU's Rashard Lawrence, Utah's Leki Fotu or Ole Miss' Benito Jones. These are players who will not be expected to generate pass rush on their own in most cases but rather to maximize the effectiveness of Bowles' attacking scheme.

At outside linebacker, there are some diamonds in the rough that could developed behind Barrett and Pierre-Paul while playing vital if limited snaps. Utah's Bradlee Anae, Charlotte's Alex Highsmith or Syracuse's Alton Robinson could bolster the Bucs' pass rush depth at mid-round value.

While adding offensive weapons may seem like the conventional way to maximize Tom Brady's success in Tampa Bay, he won't be able to get the Bucs very far if the defense collapses under a lack of depth.

Building strong, seamless defensive line and pass rush rotations will take significant pressure off Brady to put the team on his back on his way to the playoffs.

Find a complementary back for Ronald Jones

Last season, Ronald Jones made a strong case to become Tampa Bay's lead running back, but in today's NFL, two or even three heads are better than one. This year's draft is stocked with quality running back talent. The Bucs can't afford to pass it by.

Tampa Bay doesn't need a tailback capable of shouldering the entire run game, just a complement to Jones and ideally an asset in the pass game. The most likely candidate is LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who caught 55 passes for the Tigers last season and is a dynamic runner like Jones.

If the Bucs wait until later in the draft to add a running back, Memphis RB Antonio Gibson is a solid receiver with remarkable balance, making him tough to bring down.

Adding a receiving threat like Edwards-Helaire or Gibson would also give Tom Brady the underneath relief valve he typically had in New England with the likes of James White and Rex Burkhead. A two-pronged rush attack should improve not only the ground game but give Brady a familiar environment in the backfield.