Round 1, Pick No. 7: Penn State RB Saquon Barkley

Wow, Trev, Saquon Barkley at No. 7 in the mock without trades? Aren’t you suppose to be the guy who doesn’t like taking running backs in round one?

Yes, but, in this scenario, I have the luxury of setting up an entire class and molding it to what might be the perfect haul in the end, not just right at the beginning.

The tricky part about picking running backs high in the draft is that you cannot predict the future. You can say all you want that running backs can be found later in the draft, and that is true. However, there are times, like last year with Tampa Bay for example, where you could like a guy in Round 1, but the fit just wasn’t there and then in Round 2 the guy you wanted was just out of reach (Dalvin Cook in both cases). Then as the draft falls you find yourself selecting guys you really like at the right spots and all of a sudden it’s the middle of Day 3 and you don’t have a running back. Tampa Bay can’t really allow that to happen again this year, and that’s why I think Barkley to the Bucs has a legitimate chance. LSU’s Derrius Guice could be a first-round option here, if you ask me, but I don’t think that happens at No. 7, so I’m not going to get your hopes up.

I have voiced my concerns about Barkley’s inability to take contact in 2017, but even with those out in the open, the kid is special. He has the body type, the athletic ability and the character to be everything you’d want in a first-round running back. Barkley can catch the ball beautifully, he has the frame to pass block well, he just has to be an after-contact guy even more than he is a home run guy in space. You have to create your own space in the NFL, and if Barkley does that, he’s worth a Top 10 pick, talent-wise, and he’s a big need for this team.

Round 2, Pick No. 38: UCF CB Mike Hughes

As is the benefit of planning out this mock draft as something I can craft and not being at the mercy of not knowing who might be there, I really think that cornerback is the sweet spot for this team in the early second round, not running back. There are too many potential cornerback option that could be there for them at the top of the second round and they have to know that. Hughes, Louisville’s Jaire Alexander, Iowa’s Josh Jackson, Colorado’s Isaiah Oliver – all of those guys have somewhat of a potential to be left on the board and any one of those names could be potential starters on the outside for this Bucs defense.

UCF CB Mike Hughes – Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

The team isn’t going to pick a cornerback at No. 7, I don’t think, and if they don’t snatch one up in the early parts of the second round, then they’re flirting with picking up a project player (which would be no better than Ryan Smith, theoretically) or a guy who might not be an outside cornerback and might just be a slot player (which, is fine, but that might be all Vernon Hargreaves is, and if that’s the case they’re not filling a need at all).

So, if cornerback isn’t the pick at the top of the second round, without trades of course, then things get tricky. That’s why I have them selecting Hughes here.

Hughes is somewhat short for an outside cornerback at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, but he’s strong and knows how to be physical and play press. He hasn’t had a ton of experience coming from community college before one year at UCF, but he’s shown flashes of great work in coverage. The Bucs have brought him in for a private visit, so if he’s there at the top of the second round, I think he’ll be there guy – I expect Alexander and Jackson to both be gone, so I’m keeping it realistic.

Round 4, Pick No. 98 (via NYG): Humboldt State OT Alex Cappa

With the recent news that Bucs offensive tackle Demar Dotson will miss the entire offseason program due to surgery that he had last week to repair/clean up his meniscus, that could prioritize drafting an offensive lineman a bit more for the Bucs, but I think this spot is sort of their target anyways.

The team is high on budding offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch. Benenoch came in as a relief offensive lineman as both a guard and a tackle in 2017. He was scheduled to have that same sort of No. 1 reserve role until Dotson went down, and now Benenoch will likely assume the starting right tackle duties until Dotson returns.

We know the Bucs aren’t afraid to dip into the small school well when it comes to the draft, as was evident by them drafting Ali Marpet in 2015. Cappa won the Great Northwest Athletic Conferences’ Offensive Lineman of the Year (as well as being unanimous first-team All-Conference) in all four of his seasons at Humboldt State. He’s big, long, athletic and nasty, but will obviously have some projection to his game making the jump to such a high skill level.

Round 5, Pick No. 144: Sam Houston State DT P.J. Hall

Speaking of small school guys, Hall is not only on the Bucs’ radar, but might even be a priority player – we’ll see.

As a four-year starter, Hall recorded 284 tackles, 86.5 tackles for loss for minus-406 yards, 42 sacks for minus-235 yards, an astonishing 29 pass breakups, nine forced fumbles, four interceptions, one fumble recovery and one safety. He also blocked 15 kicks at Sam Houston State.

Sam Houston State DT P.J. Hall – Photo courtesy of SHSU

That’s nuts.

And here’s the thing about the defensive line depth. When it comes to these positions, where you’re picking a guy you might think is a home run-type pick, or at least has the potential to be, you’re planning for the future, too. There is a chance that Gerald McCoy might not be on the Buccaneers much longer. Unless Mike Greenberg works a ton of magic in the cap space, McCoy might need to be moved just so the team can sign quarterback Jameis Winston next year. Perhaps Hall is a player they’re thinking they can take a risk on to develop while McCoy is still here.

Plus, even if McCoy doesn’t go anywhere for a while, there is no pass rush from the interior spot without him, not even in the rotation. Beau Allen and Mitch Unrein are big bodies, but them being accomplished pass rushers with the Bucs would be a first for both. The same can be said for Stevie Tu’ikolovatu, last year’s seventh-rounder. Hall would at least give them a rotational pass rusher. I think this team is going to target that in the early part of Day 3 whether it’s Hall or not – he just might have the most upside.

Round 6, Pick No. 202 (via PIT): Tennessee RB John Kelly

RB John Kelly – Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Just because the Buccaneers might draft a running back before this pick doesn’t mean they won’t draft another one afterwards.

Let’s face it, this is likely Jacquizz Rodgers’ last year in Tampa Bay. I think he’s been fine during his time here, and even did serviceably well as a starter in 2016, but he’ll be 29 when it comes time to renew his contract next season and his skills can be paired to that of John Kelly in this year’s draft class. If Tampa can have the younger, cheaper option, I think they would.

The Bucs learned the hard way in 2017 that running backs go down quick, and you really need to have four serviceable guys. I like Kelly, but he lacks the top speed to be a full time running back in the NFL. Instead, he can be a guy who runs hard for you on occasion and is a special teams tough guy.

Round 7, Pick No. 255: Ohio State S Damon Webb

To this point, the only position of real need the Bucs haven’t addressed yet was the somewhat open strong safety spot. I really hope the Bucs give Keith Tandy a fair shot to take the other safety spot, because even if it’s more of a strong safety role with Justin Evans taking the deep part of the field, Tandy’s instincts really showed out at the end of the 2016 season with four interceptions in three games, and he deserves the chance to show them again.

Webb isn’t the most athletic safety, but his instincts got better every year he played the position. He had three interceptions in a five-game stretch in 2017 and was the defensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl against USC’s Sam Darnold. Webb also showed out during the East-West Shrine practices this year. He would be good depth and a potential fill-in player. I know some Bucs fans really want to emphasize the hole at safety, but honestly, if it’s not Derwin James at No. 7, you can get away with picking one much later and still having them be serviceable.

On the next page we’ll take a look at what I think is the perfect mock draft scenario for the Bucs when trades are allowed…