Bucs’ Best Bets: Tight End

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 1-3: Texas A&M TE Jace Sternberger

With O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate and Antony Auclair, it’s highly doubtful the Bucs would burn a third-round draft pick on a position that is so fully stocked on the roster. New Bucs head coach Bruce Arians likes to run a lot of three wide receiver sets with one tight end, so drafting another tight end this high doesn’t make much sense. But if the Bucs were going to, Sternberger is a playmaker and would get consideration in the third round.

At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Sternberger’s game resembles that of Brate’s. After transferring from Kansas to a JUCO and then to Texas A&M, Sternberger made the most of his lone season with the Aggies, catching 48 passes for 832 yards (17.3 avg.) and 10 touchdowns. Sternberger ran a 4.75 in the 40-yard dash, which isn’t elite, but he has the savvy to get open and very good hands, although he’s not a very good in-line blocker due to his undersized frame.

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 4-7: LSU TE Foster Moreau

If the Bucs are going to draft a tight end to compete with Auclair and possibly replace Brate down the line, it could be Moreau, who shined at the Senior Bowl and is known for his in-line blocking ability. Moreau did a nice job of springing several LSU running backs for big gains on the perimeter over the years, including Leonard Fournette, Derrius Guice and Nick Brossette.

While Moreau was seldom used as a receiver, catching 52 passes for 629 yards (12.1 avg.) and six touchdowns for the Tigers, he does have solid hands and is surprisingly fast for a 6-foot-5, 255-pounder, running a 4.66 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Moreau might be a nice pick-up for Tampa Bay in the fifth or sixth round if he’s still on the board – and if the team has already addressed other, more pressing needs.