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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers began the draft process thinking they needed to find a quarterback when Tom Brady announced his retirement. Tom Brady's retirement, however, didn't last very long. In fact, the MLB lockout lasted longer than the GOAT's farewell to the game. With their QB back, the Buccaneers remain in win-now mode. With star players on both sides of the ball, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers don't have any immediate team needs. Instead, they will look to use their six picks on players that have the potential to produce right away.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were minutes away from advancing to their second straight Super Bowl last season, but fell short to the LA Rams. While Tampa Bay is still extremely talented, they still have some areas that could use improvement. To return to the Super Bowl, they must find ways to fill them in the draft and free agency before the start of the 2022 NFL season. With Bruce Arians stepping down as coach, Todd Bowles is at the helm in Tampa Bay and now has the most pressure of any first-year coach.
Below, you will find a full seven-round mock draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Round 1, Pick 27: Kenyon Green, OL, Texas A&M
"Jimbo Fisher describes likely first-round pick Kenyon Green as an 'old-school' player"- @GigEm247
Kenyon Green brings versatility to the table. While playing in the toughest conference in college football, Green moved around the offensive line a lot. In his time with the Aggies, Kenyon Green played both guard and tackle. A lineman with that ability to play multiple positions is something that is coveted in the NFL. With linemen constantly having injury concerns, being able to plug a player like Green into any of the guard or tackle positions is a commodity.
Tom Brady will be 45 years old when the Buccaneers begin their 2022 season. This alone makes this pick even more logical than it already is. The Bucs can't pass up on this solid offensive lineman if he falls into their lap.
Round 2, Pick 60: Perrion Winfrey DL, Oklahoma
Perhaps one of the most overlooked prospects in this year's class, Winfrey is a menace in the trenches. At the Senior Bowl, Winfrey looked unstoppable and took away the game’s MVP award. This prospect could fill a huge hole in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.
Taking into consideration that the Bucs have yet to re-sign defensive tackle Ndamokung Suh, this pick makes perfect sense. Expect the Bucs to address this need sooner rather than later in the draft.
Round 3, Pick 91: Carson Strong QB, Nevada
"Carson Strong also was fairly commonly in the first-round for 2022 mocks last offseason"- @KevinColePFF
With an incredibly unpredictable quarterback class, the Bucs land a potential replacement for Tom Brady in the third round. Strong has the ability to be one of the better quarterbacks in the draft when you look at his size and arm strength. Strong held a QB rating above 120.0 in each of his final two seasons at Nevada. Give him a year or two to learn some things from Tom Brady and we could potentially be looking at the future of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Round 4, Pick 133: JoJo Domann LB, Nebraska
While JoJo Domann is listed as a linebacker, he is a converted safety and plays very good coverage. This is a type of player the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could use in nickel coverage with the departure of safety Jordan Whitehead. The Bucs will, most likely, focus on drafting the best player available to them in every round, and that's what they will do here in the middle rounds. They could snag a potential nickel linebacker and special teams producer in the fourth round.
Round 7, Pick 248: Connor Heyward TE, Michigan State
"CONNOR HEYWARD GOT UP FOR THE TD!"- @ESPNCFB
There is no doubting Connor Heyward's athleticism as he is a converted running back who switched to tight end. Connor Heyward's big brother can be seen wrecking opposing backfields in Pittsburgh. Heyward filled in well at tight end over the last two seasons, catching 96 passes for six touchdowns. His time as a running back seems to have paid off because he is so strong after the catch. Heyward's willingness and ability to produce as a blocker in the run game could make him a 3-down tight end in the NFL.
With the uncertainty behind Rob Gronkowski's plans to play next season, this pick at this spot would make a lot of sense. It wouldn't be surprising to see them go after guys like Isaiah Likely or Jalen Wydermyer earlier.
Round 7, Pick 261: Michael Maietti C, Missouri
This guy was Second-Team All SEC last season and showed his ability to remain available. Maietti never missed a start in his two seasons at Missouri and started 33 consecutive games for his former school, Rutgers, before deciding to enter the transfer portal. Picking up some depth on the offensive line late in the draft seems like a possible scenario for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Considering seventh round draft picks are basically undrafted free agents, the Bucs should take a stab at a possible backup center.
