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Kiper and McShay’s latest mock draft gives the Buccaneers a new name

The ESPN analysts can’t stop mocking.

NFL: Combine Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are putting out mock drafts like there’s no tomorrow. Today they put out a three-round mock in which they alternated picks, taking who they think every team should take.

That resulted in some pretty interesting picks for the Bucs, including a name we have not seen mocked to the Bucs in round one before, ever. Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram.

Kiper's pick: Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss

The speedy pass-catcher is rising up draft boards. I have him rated above Njoku.

Well, at least it’s an original pick. That seems high for Engram, though he certainly has the athletic traits to be picked high—that 4.42-second 40-yard dash is highly impressive. And Engram is the most productive receiving tight end in the draft, too.

Still, Engram is more of a pure receiving/move tight end who might not be as explosive a threat as David Njoku, and definitely isn’t as well-rounded a tight end as O.J. Howard. Njoku also has the potential to turn into a very good blocker, while Engram is more likely to be a receiver only. That’s fine, but that would leave the Bucs with two receiving tight ends who don’t do much as blockers with Cameron Brate already on the roster.

In the second round, Todd McShay has the Bucs picking Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara. That makes a lot of sense, given the Bucs’ interest in adding another back, and Kamara’s versatility and potential.

In the third round, McShay hands the Bucs a defensive upgrade: Charlotte defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. Which....does not make a lot of sense, to be honest.

After adding good offensive weapons in the first two rounds, Ogunjobi makes sense here. He's a disruptive run defender who helped his stock with his performance at the Senior Bowl.

What do the Bucs need a “disruptive run defender” at defensive tackle for? They just signed Chris Baker to do that job and have a bunch of big guys at defensive end who can slide inside, too.

Meanwhile, what they don’t have is still a safety. And they could use another edge rusher, or a strongside linebacker, or a cornerback. But a run-defending defensive tackle has to be pretty far down the list of priorities.