FAB 4. BUCS ARE CURRENTLY PICKING 8TH IN 2017 DRAFT
If the second half of the Buccaneers’ 2016 season is anything like the first Tampa Bay is destined for another top 10 draft pick and a 6-10 record that is identical to last year’s mark. At the midway point of this year’s campaign the Bucs are currently picking eighth.

Here are the teams with the current top 10 draft picks if the season ended today:

1. Cleveland 0-10 (.554)
2. San Francisco 1-7 (.508)
3. Jacksonville 2-6 (.515)
4. Chicago 2-6 (.545)
5. NY Jets 3-6 (.466)
6. Tennessee 4-5 (.468) from Los Angeles
7. Carolina 3-5 (.477)
8. Tampa Bay 3-5 (.522)
9. Arizona 3-4-1 (.447)
10. Cincinnati 3-4-1 (.530)

That has to upset general manager Jason Licht, who has made the most of top 10 picks with the selection of wide receiver Mike Evans, quarterback Jameis Winston and cornerback Vernon Hargeaves III in the last three years, but would prefer not to have such a high draft choice.

Safety, defensive end, wide receiver, defensive tackle and right tackle have to be the positions considered with Tampa Bay’s first-round pick. And if the Bucs are in position to select a rare talent like LSU’s Leonard Fournette, running back might also be in play, too, especially since 27-year old Doug Martin has missed so much time with his hamstring injury this year.

I touched on the safety position in last week’s SR’s Fab 5, and I addressed the wide receiver position in my column two weeks ago.

Bucs DE Noah Spence – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I’ll feature the defensive end position and some 2017 draft prospect edge rushers to watch as the college football regular season draws to a close. Even though the Bucs spent a second-round pick on Noah Spence this year, he’s only proven to be a situational pass rusher thus far.

And with both Jacquies Smith and Howard Jones coming off ACL injuries, Will Gholston slated for free agency in 2017, and Robert Ayers turning 32 next year, the defensive end position definitely needs to be addressed again next April.

It’s a shame that I am compelled to start looking ahead to the 2017 NFL Draft in my November SR’s Fab 5 columns instead of discussing possible playoff scenarios, but that’s where the Bucs are with a 3-5 record. A win on Sunday at home against Chicago (2-6) would certainly help, as Tampa Bay would be just one more victory away from .500.

A loss to the Bears would drop the Bucs to 3-6 on the year, and it would be close to impossible for this Tampa Bay team to finish with a record any better than 8-8 this year. That would mean finishing the season with a 5-2 record, and I don’t see that happening.

A win on Sunday gives Tampa Bay some fuel for the rest of the season and some hope at 4-5. A victory at Raymond James Stadium and then an upset the following Sunday in Kansas City to get to .500 at 5-5 and all of the draft talk in November can be put on hold for a change. We’ll see what happens.