Tampa Bay finished the year with the worst record in football and now are officially on the clock with the top overall pick in this years draft. With several areas of need, the Buccaneers can take the best player to fit their needs or trade down and acquire some extra picks to fill more holes.
The latest mock from Walterfootball has the Bucs taking Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota of Oregon. The Ducks’ signal caller is a dual-threat weapon with tremendous upside and his temperament on and off the field make him a good bet to go number one overall in April.
Another option is last years best player in college football Jameis Winston, but the Florida State product has had too many off-field incidents in his brief career, not something a team wants when spending millions with the top pick.
While Winston has lost some stock, the young man will still go in the first round. His arm, and ability to run an offense is terrific. A team like Tennessee could nab the youngster, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Winston drop down to the sixth through tenth spot because of his immaturity.
St Louis struggled again this year with the loss of QB Sam Bradford, but don’t look for the Rams to use a draft pick on a young quarterback. This team needs more depth on the offensive line, especially in the middle and that could lead to a player like Brandon Scherff of Iowa being their top choice. With Greg Robinson having to move to tackle because of injury, Scherff would provide the depth they need and allow last years top pick to move back to his more natural guard position.
This years NFL Draft is deep in talent, especially in the trenches and that’s where several franchises need the most help. For a team like the Rams, health and a strong off-season could make them a serious contender in 2015 and a strong showing in the draft will be the first step in getting the help they need for success.
