The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 4-8 and looking forward to the offseason. That means the 2018 NFL draft, and that also means we get to talk about potential draft picks.
The Bucs, of course, have many needs. But one of them overrides all others: the need to find a pass rush. That’s why Dan Kadar has the Bucs picking LSU edge rusher Arden Key in his latest 2018 NFL mock draft.
The Buccaneers have the fewest sacks in the NFL, and desperately need to hit on an edge rusher this offseason. Key may start his career as a situational pass rusher, but if he’s used correctly he can make an impact.
If Arden Key or another potential high-impact pass-rusher falls to the Bucs, they should draft him. That’s not a difficult decision, nor is it any kind of real dilemma. They could certainly use help at other positions—offensive line, for instance, or perhaps cornerback—but this position is too important and the Bucs’ need too great to ignore.
There’s one reason why the Bucs could end up picking a quality pass-rusher even if they pick at the tail end of the top ten, as they do here: an early run on quarterbacks. Kadar has four quarterbacks being drafted before the Bucs even go on the clock.