ROUND 2: LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
5-8, 209 – Junior

PREVIOUS PICK: Arizona State WR Brandon Aiyuk
Edwards-Helaire makes a return appearance in the final PewterReport.com Bucs mock draft, after first appearing in the second edition as the team’s second-rounder following the Senior Bowl. After drafting Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones in the first round, the Buccaneers upgrade their running game with Edwards-Helaire in the second round.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht and head coach Bruce Arians need to find a pass-catching running back to pair with Ronald Jones II, but also one that can carry the load in case Jones gets injured or regresses in his third NFL season.

Edwards-Helaire was the SEC’s leading rusher last year and is coming off an undefeated national championship season at LSU. He is a clear upgrade over Peyton Barber, whom the team did not re-sign. Despite being short in stature, Edwards-Helaire has tremendous contact balance due to his low center of gravity and lower body strength to run through tackles. He’s a slightly larger version of Darren Sproles, who is 5-foot-6, 190 pounds, and is an inch shorter than Doug Martin, a former two-time 1,400-yard rusher in Tampa Bay.

Edwards-Helaire’s LSU Career Rushing Stats
2017: 9 carries for 31 yards (3.4 avg.)
2018: 146 carries for 658 yards (4.5 avg.), 7 TDs
2019: 215 carries for 1,414 yards (6.6 avg.), 16 TDs

Edwards-Helaire’s LSU Career Receiving Stats
2017: 3 catches for 46 yards (15.3 avg.)
2018: 11 catches for 96 yards (8.7 avg.)
2019: 55 catches for 453 yards (8.2 avg.), 1 TD

Edwards-Helaire was a seldom-used reserve as a freshman in 2017 while Derrius Guice was LSU’s lead back, and split time with Nick Brossette in 2018 before being the primary ballcarrier as a junior, rushing for 1,414 yards and 16 TDs while averaging 6.6 yards per carry. In the Tigers’ biggest games of the year, Edwards-Helaire shined for LSU. He rushed for 110 yards on 16 carries (6.9 avg.) and caught five passes for 54 yards (10.8 avg.) in the national championship win over Clemson.

Against Georgia in the SEC Championship game, Edwards-Helaire rushed for 57 yards on 15 carries and caught seven passes for 61 yards. His best game came in LSU’s 56-20 rout of Arkansas in which he rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns on just six carries, averaging 31.3 yards per carry, including an 89-yard TD scamper. Edwards-Helaire also caught seven passes for 65 yards against the Razorbacks, pushing his total to 253 yards from scrimmage.

Against No. 7 Florida, Edwards-Helaire rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries (10.3 avg.). Later in the season against No. 9 Auburn, Edwards-Helaire ran for 136 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries (5.2 avg.) with seven catches for 51 yards. But it was against No. 3 Alabama where Edwards-Helaire shined, rushing for 103 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries (5.2 avg.) and catching a career-high nine passes for 77 yards and one TD.

Edwards-Helaire had seven 100-yard games as a junior, and nine total at LSU. But it’s the fact that he totaled 69 catches, including 55 receptions as a junior that has the Bucs interested. It’s important that running backs are involved in the passing game for Tom Brady in Arians’ offense, and Jones, Barber and Dare Ogunbowale caught a total of 82 passes last year. Edwards-Helaire is a more natural pass-catcher than Jones, and his running style is a different and complementary to that of RoJo’s.

The Bucs love the fact that Edwards-Helaire protects the ball. In 439 touches on offense, Edwards-Helaire only fumbled twice resulting in just one turnover. Edwards-Helaire also threw an 11-yard touchdown pass in 2018 and averaged 20.9 yards per kick return on 42 returns in his LSU career.

Edwards-Helaire had a modest 4.6 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, but plays faster. That could actually help Tampa Bay as Edwards-Helaire’s lack of advertised speed could cause him to slip to the 45th overall pick which is where the Bucs select. Given the fact that Edwards-Helaire is the smallest back and has just one 1,000-yard season, it’s likely that he will not be the first or second running back taken – much to Tampa Bay’s delight.

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