The reigning Super Bowl LV champions in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to defend their title next season as they successfully brought back all 22 of their starters from their 2020 championship roster. However, the Bucs did have some questionable decisions in the 2021 NFL Draft which might have an implication on the balance of their lineup along with the depth in certain positions heading to next season.
Here are the two mistakes that the Buccaneers made in the recently-concluded draft proceedings:
1. Tampa Bay picked another wide receiver in Jaelon Darden
Rookie pass-catcher Jaelon Darden previously suited up for the North Texas Mean Green from 2017 to 2020. Although he did suit up for a small school, the Texas native still made noise in his senior year as he racked up a total of 1,190 receiving yards on 74 receptions to go with 19 touchdowns through nine games played in 2020. His stellar performance eventually led him to be named as a Consensus All-American last season.
Darden's production eventually caught the eye of the Buccaneers who went on to select him with the 129th pick in the fourth round. Despite getting drafted, it remains to be seen if Darden will see any action on the field in 2021, considering that the Bucs already have a stacked receiving unit led by Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, and Rob Gronkowski.
His abilities are not primarily being put in question here but Tampa Bay could've nabbed a player from another position group that needs more depth heading to next season instead of picking another wide receiver that will most likely ride the bench for the majority of their 2021 campaign.
2. The team took too long to snag a much-needed cornerback
The Buccaneers successfully maximized the capabilities of their dominant defensive unit to power their way to a Super Bowl LV victory last season. However, it was evident that they still needed to add more depth to their cornerback group that is currently being bannered by both Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting.
As mentioned earlier, instead of using their 129th pick to draft a cornerback, the Buccaneers waited until the seventh round to select Chris Wilcox from BYU with the 251st pick.
In his five-year collegiate stint with the Cougars, he posted 87 tackles and eight pass breakups as one of the key players on the team's defensive unit. His draft stock also improved as he posted solid numbers in BYU's Pro Day where he ran a 4.31 in the 40-yard dash along with a 37.5-inch vertical jump.
Unlike his fellow rookie in Darden, Wilcox might have a chance to see the field next season as he is set to provide depth in a rather shallow cornerback rotation and play behind a couple of veterans in Davis and Murphy-Bunting.
Despite being a late-round draftee, the rookie can still carve out a role for the Buccaneers if he manages to perform well in training camp. Wilcox will aim to follow in the footsteps of another BYU product in cornerback Michael Davis who went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft but eventually emerged as a solid starter for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Chris Wilcox's potential contribution to the Bucs' secondary defense will help the team not regret their decision to wait until the seventh round of the draft just to address one of the biggest needs of their current roster.
Follow Us
Subscribe