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It’s Monday, it’s draft season, it’s 2017, it’s 2017 NFL mock draft time.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been slowly moving toward a consensus in the mock drafts I’ve seen recently: Miami tight end David Njoku. O.J. Howard is now a top 15 pick (and often top 10), the three top receivers are often gone, the nineteenth pick is a little high for most available safeties, and the Bucs don’t need a defensive end or offensive lineman.
That leaves Njoku, as in Dan Kadar’s mock draft today.
The Buccaneers never shy away from taking athletes, and there are few better athletes in the draft this year than Njoku. The Hurricanes tight end averaged 16.6 yards per catch in college and is a threat working the seam out of the slot.
This pick just makes too much sense, if the draft works out the way we think it will. Of course, it never actually does — so predicting this pick as a certainty or even a likelihood is a bit much. It’s certainly a strong possibility, but the draft has some very mysterious ways—especially when it comes to trades.
Speaking of trades: don’t be surprised if the Bucs decide to trade down instead of picking where they’re at. There’s a few players who could catch their eye, and they don’t have any really pressing needs. Njoku would be great, but a few extra picks can’t hurt, either.