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Looking back at the first round, it's surprising how well the Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to disguise their intentions. Safety was one of the biggest holes on the roster going into the offseason, and instead of addressing it in free agency the Bucs only widened the hole by cutting Tanard Jackson. And despite that, none of the mock drafts had Mark Barron as a Buccaneer. I saw Luke Kuechly, Stephon Gilmore, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne and Matt Kalil - but no sign of Barron. Yet Barron was the best safety in the draft (and the entire offseason, really), and the Bucs' biggest hole lay at safety. How did no one (including me) connect hose dots?
But that seems to be a common theme throughout this draft. Rumors were strong the Dallas Cowboys loved Mark Barron - and then they traded up for Morris Claiborne. Supposedly the Bucs wanted to trade up for Trent Richardson, yet it was the Browns who did so. The Vikings wanted Morris Claiborne? Nope, Matt Kalil is the pick. Bruce Irvin a third-round prospect? The Seahawks take him in the middle of the first round. Courtney Upshaw a top 15 prospect? Falls out of the first round. Lots of trading, not a lot of trading? 19 first-round trades. 19! No one predicted that much movement.
The lesson here: no one knows anything, ignore it all. But stay with us for some undoubtedly inaccurate prognosticating, and some thoughts on the Bucs' drafts so far.