Ncaa Tournament 2024

TAMPA, Fla. -- The 2024 NFL draft kicked off Thursday night from Detroit, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Graham Barton with the No. 26 pick. 

Here's a look at each of Tampa Bay's selections:

My take: The Bucs got their top pick of an interior offensive lineman in Barton, who can immediately step in to fill the void left by center Ryan Jensen's retirement. While all but four of Barton's offensive snaps over the last three seasons have come at left tackle -- where he allowed just one sack in 2023 and two in 2022 -- he played 446 snaps at center as a freshman, which is his most natural fit and what caught the Bucs' eye. He plays with a great base, a good anchor and a "nasty temperament" that the Bucs' front office covets.

What we're hearing about Barton: "[He] played center his freshman year, COVID year when there was an injury," general manager Jason Licht said. "They threw him in there [at center] really without any practice during training camp and all that stuff at center, and he really went in there and played lights out at center," adding that he loves his "tenacious" playing style. "He reminded me a little bit of -- and a lot of us of -- Ali [Marpet]. Got some Ryan Jensen in him, which is a very good thing too, and personality of Tristan Wirfs, so get some pretty good lab work there."

Key stat: The Bucs had a 59.6% run block win rate at center last season and a 90.7% pass block win rate that was 26th among centers.

What's next: While the top tier edge rushers are off the board in Laiatu Latu, Dallas Turner and Jared Verse, they have options tomorrow night with Adisa Isaac, Marshawn Kneeland and Chris Braswell. At cornerback, Cooper DeJean and Kool-Aid McKinstry are both still available. At guard, Christian Haynes and Cooper Beebe are also on the board.

My take: While the Bucs did sign Randy Gregory in free agency, he'll likely wind up being more of a rotational player opposite second-year edge YaYa Diaby. What they've needed is a replacement for Shaquil Barrett, who departed for the Miami Dolphins in free agency. Braswell's three forced fumbles in 2023 were tied for the most in the SEC, while his 42 pressures were the third most in the SEC. His eight sacks were tied for the fifth most in the SEC after having 2.5 sacks from 2020 to 2022. He also had 53 coverage snaps in 2023, which Todd Bowles does ask of his edge rushers. Braswell played 41 games with Crimson Tide but only made two starts, both of which came last season. 

What we're hearing: Braswell said he was clocked at 21.8 mph when he blocked a field goal and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown against Texas A&M (All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill's fastest speed as a ball carrier during the 2023 season was 22.01 mph per NFL Next Gen Stats). Braswell had a 13.8% pressure rate since 2022 -- third highest in the SEC over that span behind former Alabama teammates Will Anderson Jr. (14.7%) and Dallas Turner (14.2%), according to ESPN Stats & Info.

My take: The Bucs see Smith as a nickel, and he played 80% of snaps in the slot with Bowles keeping a close watch on the UGA program, where his son, Troy, plays. They started undrafted free agent rookie Christian Izien last year and signed Tavierre Thomas in free agency, but their secondary as a whole needs more takeaways, which is where Smith comes in. His four interceptions in 2023 were tied for the third most in the SEC. He was also one of three FBS players with four or more interceptions and two or more sacks in 2023 alongside Michigan's Mike Sainristil and UNLV's Cameron Oliver.

Key stat: Smith was targeted on 9% of his coverage snaps since 2022 but held opposing quarterbacks to 2.8 yards per attempt in that span -- the sixth-best mark in the FBS (min. 20 targets). As a freshman in 2019, he allowed five completions of 20 or more yards as the targeted defender but has allowed only one completion of 20 or more yards since 2020 in 747 coverage snaps.

My take: The Bucs declined No. 3 wide receiver Russell Gage's option this year, and he was released. Mike Evans will also be 31 and Chris Godwin enters the third and final year of his contract, worth $20 million per year. McMillan can line up inside or outside but 33 of his 45 receptions came out of the slot in 2023, and he caught six passes out of the backfield. He's also a master of the post route. His six touchdown catches on post routes since 2022 are tied for the most in the FBS, while his 253 receiving yards on post route concepts since 2022 are the 10th most in the FBS. 

What they're saying: "He's a natural receiver," Bucs assistant general manager John Spytek said. "He plays like the game makes sense to him. His route running is very, very fluid. We talked to several DBs throughout the process. When you asked them, 'Who's the hardest cover that you had all year?' Several of them mentioned him just because he's such a good athlete and [has] such a good feel for running routes. Like that combination makes him an extremely hard cover."

What's next: After three picks on Day 2, the Bucs enter Day 3 with just three picks remaining. They addressed the bulk of their needs but haven't touched the guard position, inside linebacker or outside cornerback.

My take: The Bucs have had the league's worst rushing attack over the last two seasons (82.9 yards per game) and wanted to bolster competition. Irving is 5-9 and 192 pounds and ran a 4.55 40-yard dash at the NFL combine -- 14th among 20 running backs. While his testing was not great, the tape shows production. He topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his two seasons at Oregon, including 1,180 with 11 touchdowns in 2023. He broke or evaded an FBS-high 144 tackles since 2022, and he had 896 rushing yards between the tackles in 2023, averaging 7.1 yards per rush. His 56 receptions last season led all FBS running backs.

My take: The Bucs didn't re-sign Matt Feiler or Aaron Stinnie, who both started at left guard last season. Along with Cody Mauch, they finished with a combined 70.2% run blocking win rate among guards -- 16th in the league last year. None of them finished in the top 50 in pass block win rate either. The Bucs did sign free agent Sua Opeta from the Philadelphia Eagles, and Klein will compete with those two. Klein allowed 1.3% pressures at UTEP and in 45 games, he allowed four sacks with a 1.6% blown run block rate. In 2023, he allowed one sack all season.

My take: The Bucs' 502 combined yards from tight ends last year was third worst, and they needed to bolster competition at the position. At 6-3 and 231 pounds, Culp ran a 4.47s 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, which was the fastest among tight ends this year. But he'll need to improve as an in-line blocker, which is where his size is a concern. He's also had some drops with six (8.8% drop rate) in 28 games.