The draft is over. All the picks are made and all the results are in. Now all that’s left to do is talk about who got better and who missed the mark. Currently, less than a week after the draft, there have been mixed opinions about the Bucs’ draft.
To gain clarity, I reached out to some of the brightest football minds on the web. Various analysts from different sites to give an outside perspective on what their thoughts were on the Bucs draft. Here’s what they had to say.
Cory Kinnan – WithTheFirstPick.com
“The Bucs had a rather underwhelming draft outside of first rounder Joe Tryon and fourth rounder Jaelon Darden. While 32 may seem too early for Tryon, he has the explosiveness, bend, and tools to develop into a great pass rusher at the next level as he looks to soak up the knowledge of Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett. While the others were a bit underwhelming, nothing was more disappointing than taking Kyle Trask with their second round pick. With the body of Ben Roethlisberger and the arm of Case Keenum, I am not sure there is a path for Trask to see success at the next level, let alone enough to justify using a second round pick on him. After bringing back every piece of their Super Bowl winning roster, however, the Bucs have the luxury, I guess.”
Dalton Miller – ProFootballNetwork.com
“The Buccaneers didn’t have any truly pressing needs, so the high-upside selection of Joe Tryon made a lot of sense. The Trask pick was a bit of a reach, but they paid the quarterback tax, and his inability to feel fear for a tight throwing window is exactly what Bruce Arians seems to like in a quarterback. Hainsey is a versatile blocker who could play four of the five spots up front. The addition of Darden was awesome. He has the type of skill set akin to that of a Cole Beasley type. They then grabbed depth at linebacker and corner back, with Wilcox being a swing at athletic upside.”
Ben Glassmire – BlueChipScouting.com / CowboysWire.usatoday.com
“The Bucs class is definitely an interesting one. Tryon was one of my sleepers to go round one and he landed in a perfect situation with the team. He should be able to sit and learn in order to become more refined. Trask was a bit of a head scratcher. He doesn’t have a lot of room to grow and may not be more than a backup.
Darden and Britt were two really good picks. Darden can add another speedy weapon for Brady and Britt had some really good tape in 2019.”
Joe Rowles – MileHighReport.com
“One pick I really like is Robert Hainsey in the third round. He played tackle at Notre Dame, but offers the versatility to backup any spot on the offensive line and could eventually become a starter. He combines quick feet with the kind of savvy you’d expect from a Domer who started 34 games. I think he’ll need to improve his hand placement, but he should hang around the league for a long time. I’m not particularly high on Kyle Trask as a starter, but landing with the Bucs makes a ton of sense for him. Barring injury, he’ll have zero pressure to play early and that should give him a chance to absorb the playbook and get a feel for life in the NFL. If he does see the field, his short accuracy is pretty good and with the supporting cast and protection around him, he could keep the ship afloat for short stretches.”
Final Thoughts
These are just some opinions of the many talented football minds that you’ll find out there. All are highly respected and have studied football for many years. In general, they have come to a few similar conclusions.
Joe Tryon was a popular pick for the Bucs. He’s upside and athleticism is perceived as a great fit with the Bucs and his upside is obvious to those who know the game. On the other hand, Kyle Trask is a pick that seems to be a questionable for most. His limited upside and physical gifts have left many wondering if this was a good value for the Bucs.
In the end, nobody’s opinion matters except Bruce Arians. The time to evaluate their college tape is over and these guys are all Buccaneers now. It’s what they do moving forward that will define their career.
