Mike Evans to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That's what happens in Mocking the Draft's latest 2014 NFL mock draft, which features a few oddities -- including the Atlanta Falcons trading up to number one for Jadeveon Clowney. With Sammy Watkins off the board, Evans is probably the best pick for the Bucs.
Watkins being gone would change things for the Buccaneers. He's been the consensus choice for Tampa Bay in many mock drafts. Tampa's biggest need is arguably guard, but the value just isn't there. After getting rid of receiver Mike Williams, Evans may be the next biggest. Then it comes down to how general manager Jason Licht and his staff grade the group. Evans is our highest-rated after Watkins, so he's the choice. But he does play a lot like Vincent Jackson. Would the Buccaneers have a higher grade on Odell Beckham Jr.? Maybe not, but it's something worth considering.
Mike Evans works perfectly. Not as perfectly as Sammy Watkins, mind you, but he both fills a need and is arguably the best player available at that pick. And the second-round pick of guard Gabe Jackson makes perfect sense as well, given the huge need the Bucs have at the position.
But it wouldn't be a Monday mock draft post without me complaining about *something*, right? So, let's complain about the Buccaneers passing on quarterbacks. Like Teddy Bridgewater, who seems to be universally loved by draftniks and universally hated by NFL teams, going by basically every offseason report. Confusing. Of course, we have no clue whether the Bucs like Bridgewater, but we do know one thing: they really want to draft a quarterback this offseason.
Of course, as this mock draft develops, they'll have plenty of choice in later rounds. Zach Mettenberger, A.J. McCarron, Brett Smith, Jimmy Garoppolo -- they all fall beyond the second round. Grabbing one of those guys to develop him later would make sense for the Bucs, if they decide that Teddy Bridgewater isn't the guy for them.