After months of speculation, up and down movement of prospects who haven’t played a meaningful snaps of football since January for most and rumor mill negotiating, we’re here. The first-round of the 2020 NFL Draft is upon us, and by night’s end we’ll all find out who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be welcoming to what has become one of the most talked about franchise’s in the NFL.

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are amazing additions, but the guy added today could become a key part of the franchise for a decade or more, well beyond the time the former New England Patriots will spend with the Bucs.

As our final attempt to forecast any of the possibilities which could develop for this team, James Yarcho and I undertook a three-round mock draft. Not just Bucs picks, all the picks.

We’re fairly confident all 100+ picks will go exactly as we predict here, especially since we decided not to go in with trades, because draft trades never happen.

Anyway. Here’s how the three rounds turned out!

1ST ROUND

1. Cincinnati Bengals - QB, Joe Burrow (LSU)
2. Washington Redskins - EDGE, Chase Young (Ohio State)
3. Detroit Lions - CB, Jeffrey Okudah (Ohio State)
4. New York Giants - OT, Jedrick Wills (Alabama)
5. Miami Dolphins - QB, Justin Herbert (Oregon)
6. Los Angeles Chargers - QB, Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama)
7. Carolina Panthers - EDGE, Isaiah Simmons (Clemson)
8. Arizona Cardinals - OT, Tristan Wirfs (Iowa)
9. Jacksonville Jaguars - IDL, Derrick Brown (Auburn)
10. Cleveland Browns - OT, Andrew Thomas (Georgia)
11. New York Jets - WR, Jerry Jeudy (Alabama)
12. Las Vegas Raiders - WR, CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma)
13. San Francisco 49ers - IDL, Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - OT, Mekhi Becton (Louisville)
15. Denver Broncos - WR, Henry Ruggs III (Alabama)
16. Atlanta Falcons - CB, C.J. Henderson (Florida)
17. Dallas Cowboys - EDGE, K’Lavon Chaisson (LSU)
18. Miami Dolphins - OT, Josh Jones (Houston)
19. Las Vegas Raiders - CB, Kristian Fulton (LSU)
20. Jacksonville Jaguars - CB, Trevon Diggs (Alabama)
21. Philadelphia Eagles - WR, Justin Jefferson (LSU)
22. Minnesota Vikings - S, Xavier McKinney (Alabama)
23. New England Patriots - QB, Jordan Love (Utah State)
24. New Orleans Saints - LB, Patrick Queen (LSU)
25. Minnesota Vikings - WR, Denzel Mims (Baylor)
26. Miami Dolphins - S, Grant Delpit (LSU)
27. Seattle Seahawks - OT, Austin Jackson (USC)
28. Baltimore Ravens - LB, Kenneth Murray (Oklahoma)
29. Tennessee Titans - CB, Jeff Gladney (TCU)
30. Green Bay Packers - WR, Tee Higgins (Clemson)
31. San Francisco 49ers - WR, Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State)
32. Kansas City Chiefs - CB, Jaylon Johnson (Utah)

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: OT, MEKHI BECTON (LOUISVILLE)

JAMES YARCHO: It was an easy decision for us here as one of the top four offensive tackles falls to the Buccaneers at pick 14. When things shake out tonight, however, the Bucs may not be so lucky and we may see Jason Licht trade up in the first round for the first time in his career as a General Manager.

Concerns over Becton’s drug test is the main reason he happened to fall in this particular mock. While we still don’t have details regarding that test, we know that Bruce Arians doesn’t discount a player he likes for a bad decision. His philosophy is that you help the man with whatever his problem may be rather than condemn the man for a mistake.

Bringing in Becton to help solidify the offensive line and keep Brady upright checks off the Buccaneers’ biggest need heading into this weekend.

On the Locked On Bucs Podcast, the guys break down how the first 32 picks developed, and how the team ended up with Mekhi Becton as their first-round draft pick!

2ND ROUND

33. CIN - LB, Zach Baun (Wisconsin)

34. IND - CB, A.J. Terrell (Alabama)

35. DET - RB, Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin)

36. NYG - EDGE, A.J. Epenesa (Iowa)

37. LAC - EDGE, Yetur Gross-Matos (Penn State)

38. CAR - OL, Cesar Ruiz (Michigan)

39. MIA - RB, D’Andre Swift (Georgia)

40. HOU - DL, Ross Blacklock (TCU)

41. CLE - S, Jeremy Chinn (Southern Illinois)

42. JAX - OT, Ezra Cleveland (Boise State)

43. CHI - CB, Damon Arnette (Ohio State)

44. IND - WR, Jalen Reagor (TCU)

45. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - RB, J.K. Dobbins (Ohio State)

46. DEN - S, Kyle Dugger (Lenoir-Rhyne)

47. ATL - EDGE, Terrell Lewis (Alabama)

48. NYJ - EDGE, Julian Okwara (Notre Dame)

49. PIT - RB, Clyde Edwards-Helaire (LSU)

50. CHI - WR, Laviska Shenault (Colorado)

51. DAL - S, Antoine Winfield Jr. (Minnesota)

52. LAR - WR, Michael Pittman Jr. (USC)

53. PHI - S, Ashtyn Davis (Cal)

54. BUF - CB, Noah Igbinoghene (Auburn)

55. BAL - IOL, Lloyd Cushenberry III (LSU)

56. MIA - EDGE, Josh Uche (Michigan)

57. LAR - RB, Cam Akers (Florida State)

58. MIN - CB, Bryce Hall (Virginia)

59. SEA - IDL, Neville Gallimore (Oklahoma)

60. BAL - IDL, Justin Madubuike (Texas A&M)

61. TEN - EDGE, Jonathan Greenard (Florida)

62. GB - TE, Cole Kmet (Notre Dame)

63. KC - OT, Isaiah Wilson (Georgia)

64. SEA - EDGE, Curtis Weaver (Boise State)

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: RB, J.K. DOBBINS (OHIO STATE)

DAVID HARRISON: When the Bucs came back up to draft we were very pleased to see both Dobbins and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (LSU) still available. We both consider running back to be a day two need, and if one of these top-tier guys is there, we absolutely believe the team should pull the trigger on one of them. This being said, James and I couldn’t come to terms on the actual pick and had to reach out for help to settle the argument.

When all was said and done, we added Dobbins to Ronald Jones in the Tampa backfield, and truly believe he and Rojo along with Tom Brady, Gronk, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are going to scare the daylights out of every defensive coach tasked with stopping this unit.

Take a listen as the Locked On Bucs Podcast negotiates whether to draft J.K. Dobbins or Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and for explanations and reactions to all of the round two selections!

3RD ROUND

65. CIN - WR, K.J. Hamler (Penn State)

66. WAS - OT, Lucas Niang (TCU)

67. DET - IDL, Marlon Davidson (Auburn)

68. NYJ - OT, Matt Peart (Connecticut)

69. CAR - CB, Cameron Dantzler (Mississippi State)

70. MIA - IDL, Jordan Elliott (Missouri)

71. LAC - LB, Malik Harrison (Ohio State)

72. ARI - TE, Adam Trautman (Dayton)

73. JAX - EDGE, Bradley Anae (Utah)

74. CLE - LB, Willie Gay Jr. (Mississippi State)

75. IND - QB, Jacob Eason (Washington)

76. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - WR, Chase Claypool (Notre Dame)

77. DEN - IOL, Robert Hunt (Louisiana)

78. ATL - OT, Prince Tega Wanogho (Auburn)

79. NYJ - CB, Troy Pride Jr. (Notre Dame)

80. LV - LB, Akeem Davis-Gaither (Appalachain State)

81. LV - QB, Jake Fromm (Georgia)

82. DAL - WR, Van Jefferson (Florida)

83. DEN - LB, Jordyn Brooks (Texas Tech)

84. LAR - EDGE, Jabari Zuniga (Florida)

85. DET - QB, Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma)

86. BUF - OL, Matt Hennessy (Temple)

87. NE - WR, K.J. Hill (Ohio State)

88. NO - CB, Amik Robertson (Louisiana Tech)

89. MIN - EDGE, Darrell Taylor (Tennessee)

90. HOU - IOL, Tyler Biadasz (Wisconsin)

91. LV - IDL, Raekwon Davis (Alabama)

92. BAL - WR, Donovan Peoples-Jones (Michigan)

93. TEN - RB, Zack Moss (Utah)

94. GB - LB, Troy Dye (Oregon)

95. DEN - CB, Darnay Holmes (UCLA)

96. KC - IDL, Davon Hamilton (Ohio State)

97. CLE - WR, Bryan Edwards (South Carolina)

98. NE - LB, Logan Wilson (Wyoming)

99. NYG - S, Terrell Burgess (Utah)

100. NE - IDL, James Lynch (Baylor)

101. SEA - IOL, Jonah Jackson (Ohio State)

102. PIT - IOL, Damien Lewis (LSU)

103. PHI - IOL, Netane Muti (Fresno State)

104. LAR - CB, Michael Ojemudia (Iowa)

105. MIN - RB/WR, Antonio Gibson (Memphis)

106. BAL - EDGE, Khalid Kareem (Notre Dame)

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: WR, CHASE CLAYPOOL (NOTRE DAME)

JAMES YARCHO: No question this was the direction to go with this pick. In any other draft class, there is little to no chance Claypool is sitting around midway through the third round. For the Bucs, it was a gift from the draft gods as they can replace Breshad Perriman with one of the more impressive receivers in the draft.

His size and speed make him a dangerous weapon that the Bucs can use on the outside with Chris Godwin in the slot or in the slot with Godwin and Mike Evans lined up outside. He’s versatile, he’s a good run blocker, and he’s an all-around playmaker. Adding him to an offense with Evans, Godwin, Gronk, Rojo, and J.K. Dobbins makes the Bucs look like a Madden roster where you turned off the salary cap and could force teams into unfair trades.

Catch the wrap-up of round three in the 2020 Locked On Bucs Podcast NFL Mock Draft! Stick around for thoughts and analysis following the trade for tight end Rob Gronkowski!

That wraps up our final mock draft ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft! Now comes the fun part. You now get to take hours of our work and marginalize it down to a single letter grade! So have at it, and let us know your thoughts on how everything transpired as we all get set to observe and discuss what is sure to be the most unique draft proceeding of this *decade.

*Yes, we’re aware this is the only NFL Draft this decade...

Listen in as Carmen Vitali of Buccaneers.com shares her thoughts about this mock draft, and more!