The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been good at drafting in the first round over the past five years. However, they have not been great, and that is likely why they are in the tough spot they are. According to Mike Renner of CBS Sports, the Bucs have made two strong first-round picks, two average first-round picks, and one poor first-round pick in the past five years.
The combination has the roster looking strong, but with holes in a few key spots.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Have Two Strong First-Round Picks in Past Five Years
GettyTristan Wirfs
Tristan Wirfs and Emeka Egbuka were labeled the strong first-round picks. Wirfs is one of the best tackles in the NFL, and it is still a bit of a mystery why he fell so far in the draft. Egbuka was not as strong to finish the year as he was to start it. However, he was selected much higher in a re-draft of the class than he was in the actual draft.
The two debatable picks were Calijah Kancey and Graham Barton. Surprisingly, Renner ranked Kancey ahead of Barton. Both have been fine, but Kancey is coming off of an injury and has not quite lived up to expectations.
Meanwhile, most Bucs fans would argue that Barton is closer to being a great pick than a debatable one. He has been a reliable starting center for the past two years since being drafted.
He even kicked out to left tackle when Wirfs got injured last year. It did not delay his development at center too much, and he was still a solid asset.
Perhaps the positional value is hurting him, but the pick is solid.
Tampa Buccaneers Regret One Pick from Past Five Years
The only pick that was a mistake was Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. The team took him after their Super Bowl win in 2020. So, he went 32nd overall. There is a good list of players who went right after him as well.
Tyson Campbell, Elijah Moore, Javonte Williams, Jevon Holland, Landon Dickerson, and Christian Barmore were the six picks after Tryon-Shoyinka. The only player who has not been a notable starter in recent years is Moore.
Where the team went wrong was looking at an edge rusher. The next edge rusher did not get taken until pick 50, and that was Azeez Ojulari, who was not a hit, either.
Dayo Odeyingbo went 54th in that draft, and he has been a solid depth piece, but not a quality starter. Boogie Basham rounded out round 2, and he was just as big of a miss as Tryon-Shoyinka.
So, the Bucs likely reached on Tryon-Shoyinka because he was the best edge rusher available, but none of those edge rushers were strong options to begin with.
Still, the Bucs have three players from the past five first rounds who are not surefire strong picks, which is what is holding the roster back. The team is going to need Ruben Bain to be a clear hit to keep the group from looking weaker in comparison.
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