2019 NFL Re-Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Select Stud Edge Rusher

What would things have looked like for the Buccaneers had they drafted differently in 2019?

Dec 10, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive lineman Montez Sweat (98) walks off the field after a game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports / Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected No. 5 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, a pick that ended up being linebacker Devin White out of LSU. The one-time Pro Bowl linebacker won a Super Bowl with the franchise, though he now currently plays with the Philadelphia Eagles as he signed a one-year deal there this offseason.

What else could the Buccaneers have done to ensure a longer-term impact in Tampa Bay? Bleacher Report released a 2019 NFL re-draft recently, which gives a good idea as to what the Buccaneers could have done differently in the draft.

In the re-draft, the Buccaneers select Mississippi State defensive lineman Montez Sweat, who spent most of his career, up until last season, with the Washington Commanders. He was recently traded to the Chicago Bears, though.

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"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the fifth overall pick in 2019 on former LSU linebacker Devin White. It was far from a bad decision, as White had several good seasons in Tampa and helped the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl in his sophomore campaign," Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox wrote.

Evidently, it's hard to call White's Tampa Bay tenure a failure as he does have a Super Bowl ring. The end of his career with the Buccaneers was sour, though, and the team might have wanted a player who would spend more time with the franchise with that selection.

"Instead of taking another swing at White in our redraft, the Buccaneers target positional value and land pass-rusher Montez Sweat. Originally selected 26th overall by the Washington Commanders, Sweat has since become a tremendously impactful edge-rusher," Knox wrote of the re-draft selection.

Despite being traded midseason a year ago, he posted a career-high 12.5 sacks en route to his first Pro Bowl selection. Evidently, he emerged as an even better player post-trade and took no step back despite being relocated.

"Sweat didn't get his second contract from Washington and was traded to the Chicago Bears before the 2023 deadline. However, he finally emerged as a Pro Bowl talent in Chicago after four solid campaigns with Washington," Knox continued.

So far through his career, Sweat has tallied 41.5 sacks, 51 tackles for loss and 99 quarterback hits. He could've been a huge addition long-term given his ability to both disrupt things in the backfield and defend the edge.

"Along with 2018 first-round pick Vita Vea and 2019 free-agent addition Shaquil Barrett, Sweat would help give Tampa a formidable defensive front for its Super Bowl push and for long after," Knox wrote.

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