What Luke Goedeke does for the Buccaneers

After trading out of the first round to select Logan Hall at 33rd overall, the Buccaneers then went on the offensive later in the second round by trading up to select guard Luke Goedeke out of Central Michigan.

Giving up their freshly acquired sixth rounder to the Buffalo Bills, Jason Licht and Co. moved from 60 to 57 to secure Goedeke, who they fully intend to try out at left guard, according to The Draft Network’s Carmen Vitali. The team once again has its offensive line completely secured for Tom Brady, as it needed to replace Pro Bowler Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa.

Goedeke hasn’t played offensive line for very long, as he originally played tight end as a zero-star walk-on at Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point (!!!) before getting the opportunity to join Central Michigan as their right tackle, where he started for two seasons. Goedeke showed incredible aptitude and developed quickly, and by his senior year he was routinely dominating his competition.

It’s clear that Goedeke’s unique path to success left a positive impression on Licht, who absolutely loves going after guys like this on Day 2. Goedeke is a nasty, self-described “glass eater”, and that is absolutely reflected in his play style.

This dude is mean on the field.

He tries to finish off his opponents at any opportunity and break their spirit, which is a universal quality found in Bucs offensive linemen. He possesses some bear paws, latching on with incredible hand strength and pairing that with impressive leg drive to assert his will throughout the rep when run blocking. He’s balanced as well, as you don’t see him on the ground too often – an often overlooked aspect of line play.

In pass pro, he operates with surprisingly refined technique for someone new to the position. It’s clear he’s a quick study who put in the time to optimize his chances of success. He’s got a firm base with good posture and a vicious punch to pair with some smooth footwork.

His shorter arms (32 ¼”) and generally compact frame aren’t optimal for tackle, but that will be minimized with the move inside. That said, the versatility to play tackle in a pinch only adds to his projection. He’ll need to keep honing those instincts, as you’ll see him get confused on games or get overaggressive when climbing to the second level.

Given this staff’s proven ability to develop talent in the trenches, Bucs fans should not be overly concerned about Goedeke’s shortcomings persisting or becoming worse at the next level. Brady being such a quick operator will help early, and being surrounded by four plus starters is a luxury.

Overall, Goedeke’s ceiling isn’t exactly clear because of his relative inexperience, and you should definitely expect growing pains if he wins the left guard job, but his floor seems high given the massive strides he’s made in such a short amount of time. It’s worth noting that offensive line analyst Brandon Thorn favorably compared him to retired Pro Bowl lineman T.J. Lang, who played in the league for 10 years.