We have the full list of who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Here is who General Manager Jason Licht selected:
- Round 1 (11) Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
- Round 2 (39) Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky
- Round 2 (59) Robert Aguayo, K, Florida State
- Round 4 (108) Ryan Smith, CB, North Carolina Central
- Round 5 (148) Caleb Benenoch, OT, UCLA
- Round 6 (183) Devante Bond, OLB, Oklahoma
- Round 6 (197) Dan Vitale, FB, Northwestern
After drafting a franchise quarterback last year, the Buccaneers decided early on that the smart move would be to load up on defensive talent around him. Going defense in the first two rounds, and grabbing Noah Spence round two, who could be a steal if off-field issues do not hurt him had them on pace for an A+ type of draft. They added two defensive players along with Spence and Hargreaves later on, but the most questionable move by far is that they traded back up into the second round for a kicker.
Robert Aguayo is respected as a very talented kicker, and has made pressure kicks for the Florida State National Championship team that featured the Bucs star Winston. Still, they gave up third-round pick (No. 74), and a fourth (No. 106) to acquire him. Who is to say he would not have been there at pick 74? Aguayo will be under the spotlight for years now, in a similar way to Sebastian Janikowski, who was taken in the first round. Janikowski had a long and successful career, but anything short of what he did will make the Bucs look silly here.
All in all the Bucs should feel good though. They hit their two biggest needs with power, they can at least guarantee they acquired three players who can start on day one, and Ryan Smith is a name to watch as a late round sleeper who may start by seasons end. We may look back and realize that even in taking a kicker so early, the Bucs did what they needed to do and this draft class set them on the right path.