2020 NFL Draft: 5 players Buccaneers could take in Round 1

What are the Buccaneers options if they wait until 14 to get an offensive tackle? Well, it has a lot to do with reaching. Josh Jones is a good prospect, but he’s someone who makes a lot of sense in the 20s. There just really isn’t a tackle we see making it to 14 outside of Jones. We even see Georgia’s Andrew Thomas getting taken to make it a first four in the top 12.

So, if the Bucs are committed to fixing their weakest offensive position on day one, they will go after Jones. They might even decide to trade back to someone who’s looking for maybe Javon Kinlaw.

Jones spent four full seasons as Houston’s left tackle. He came in under Tom Herman and stuck around for that final tumultuous year under Dana Holgerson. However, his size and strength will likely overcome any struggles he had in college. Nobody on that mess of a Houston Cougars teams excelled this past season, so it’s easy to give him a pass.

We wouldn’t be thrilled with this pick, but Jones does have an insane amount of upside. The problem is upside turns into a necessity when a pick in the mid-to-late 20s goes in the middle of the first round. The expectations would be that the Buccaneers would need him to be a starting left tackle and multiple-time Pro Bowler to be a good pick.

The good news is he’s definitely ready in pass protection. When the protection scheme is cut and dry (block the guy in front of you), he excels. However, the NFL is never going to be that simple. Can his athleticism translate to the next level at the level it needs to? If the Bucs are committed to OT without committing to trading up, they might have to rely on it.