Taking a pause from all the Mike Williams drama (because, y'know, getting stabbed = causing drama), let's take a quick look at Matthew Fairburn's latest mock draft. In a draft filled with trades (but one where the Bucs can't find a trade down), he has Tampa Bay picking an offensive tackle.
Jake Matthews seems to have trouble getting noticed. He played on an offensive line with last year's No. 2 overall pick, Luke Joeckel. He's also been stuck in the shadow of Johnny Manziel for most of his career. Now, Matthews likely will be passed over by Greg Robinson as the first offensive tackle off the board in May. Still, Matthews is the type of versatile offensive tackle who should be a top-10 pick. He's an outstanding technician and has a good combination of quickness and length. Free agency opened up a need at offensive tackle for Tampa Bay.
This....does not make sense. The Bucs just invested a bunch of money in Anthony Collins as their starting left tackle, and he can't move to guard. They also have Demar Dotson, who was seen as one of the top right tackles in the NFL last year and really, the only bright spot on the offensive line in 2013. Matthews is a good player and arguably the best player available at that point -- and yet, drafting him here makes little sense.
The counter to that is that there really isn't a better option for the Bucs at that point. Sammy Watkins, Greg Robinson (who can be a dominant guard), Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Jadeveon Clowney are all gone in this scenario. Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr might be an option, but the former doesn't seem to fit the Bucs' offensive system, while the latter is not widely seen as a top 10 quarterback. That leaves players like C.J. Mosley, Mike Evans and Eric Ebron: very good players who would fill needs, but who don't represent great value at the seventh overall pick.
So perhaps Jake Matthews is just the least bad pick at this point? It still doesn't make me very happy, though.