The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are entering the 2021 NFL Draft without a true need. They returned all 22 starters from their Super Bowl-winning roster. Without a hole at a starting position, whatever players get drafted by the Buccaneers will be fighting for backup spots.
General manager, Jason Licht, said in an interview that he and the scouting staff will be looking for players who will be good in two years. They will be looking for someone to develop and fill a hole that might present itself when players inevitably leave. With that as the plan, there will be some players the team will miss on. When drafting to develop, not all players actually develop the way teams want them to.
Buccaneers ready to run it back
To find out what positions the Bucs might be paying the most attention to in the draft, just turn to the age of their roster. Their offense is quite young, aside from Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, the rest of their lineup is below the age of 30. Defense, however, is a different story. On the defensive line, all but two of their starting defensive linemen will be on the wrong side of 30 by the start of the season. Ndamukong Suh is most likely on his last contract in the NFL; Will Gholston is turning 30 over the summer, and Jason Pierre-Paul is approaching the twilights of his career.
Looking at these positions can give us a good glimpse as to what positions the Bucs might try and develop. Obviously getting a quarterback to sit behind Tom Brady would be good, and getting an edge rusher or interior defensive lineman to sit behind the players the Bucs have would be good as well. However, there are always players who might not work out. This article will highlight some players who the Bucs might be better off avoiding.