NFL Mock Draft 2017: Two rounds of Buccaneers goodness

We’re continuing are slow but inevitable march toward the 2017 NFL Draft, with all of the mock drafts that come with it. Today, we have for you a brand spanking new two-round mock from Dan Kadar of SB Nation. Let’s see what he has for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, shall we?

In round one there’s....Miami tight end David Njoku! This pick makes a lot of sense, what with Njoku having come to Tampa for a visit, the Bucs seemingly focusing on tight ends, and Njoku’s being extremely athletic and filled with potential. He’s a little raw, but that hasn’t stopped the Bucs from picking players high before.

In the second round, the Bucs get Washington safety Budda Baker. They might prefer Obi Melifonwu, but he gets picked one spot earlier. Baker’s an interesting fit for the Bucs — he keeps getting compared to Ronde Barber, and is perhaps most similar to Tyrann Mathieu of all the safeties in the NFL right now: versatile, quick, undersized.

Baker would give the Bucs’ secondary yet another undersized playmaker, and he has the potential to be an outstanding deep centerfielder — which is exactly the kind of safety the Bucs are missing right now. While his size may be a bit of a concern, there’s some precedent for players of his size thriving at his position. Ronde Barber did well in that role in his final year in the NFL, and Earl Thomas has been the best centerfield safety in the NFL for years on end.

If the Bucs come out of this draft with these two players, they can be very happy. Another weapon for Jameis Winston, and a potentially outstanding starter in the secondary. It doesn’t get much better than that.