PR Roundtable: If Bucs HAD To Draft Offense In Round 1, Who’s The Pick?

A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This week’s prompt: If the Bucs had to draft an offensive player in the first round, who would it be?

Scott Reynolds: Luther Burden III Is A Dynamic Playmaker

If the Bucs had to pick an offensive player in the first round this year because their top targets on defense were off the board, I would favor Tampa Bay selecting Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III. I think Texas’ Matthew Golden might be off the board because of his 4.29 speed in the 40-yard dash, but he would also be a wide receiver worth considering.

While receiver is not a pressing need in Tampa Bay due to the re-signing of Chris Godwin this offseason, Godwin just turned 29 and is coming off a significant ankle injury that cost him the final 10 games of the regular season. And Mike Evans is entering a contract year and turns 32 in August.

The Bucs can’t have enough quality wide receivers and even played without all three top targets when Evans, Godwin and Jalen McMillan during the team’s loss at Kansas City on Monday Night Football in overtime. Tampa Bay had to rely on Sterling Shepard and Ryan Miller in that game, and Trey Palmer wound up being a big disappointment last year.

Adding another starting-caliber receiver like Burden, whose game resembles Godwin’s at 6-foot, 206 pounds, makes a lot of sense from a depth standpoint. And with Burden’s skill set, he and McMillan could very well be Tampa Bay’s future at wide receiver when Evans and Godwin ultimately retire.

Burden burst on to the scene in 2023 with 86 catches for 1,212 yards (14.1 avg.) and nine touchdowns. He killed my Kansas State Wildcats that season with seven catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-27 Missouri win. Burden’s stock fell a little bit this year with just 61 catches for 676 yards (11.1 avg.) and six touchdowns, but that was mostly due to poor quarterback play.

He ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, which helps keep him in contention for the first round, and his yards after catch ability makes him a great fit in Tampa Bay’s offense. Burden has the potential to be a No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL and wouldn’t be a bad pick at all by the Bucs.

Matt Matera: WR Matthew Golden Gives Different Look For Bucs Offense

For several years the Bucs have been looking for that wide receiver who can consistently take the top off of a defense. While there have been some brief instances where they have had such a receiver like Scotty Miller during the 2020 season, there have been way more misses than hits when trying to find a speed receiver.

Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden can be that consistent threat down the field that the team wanted with players like Jaelon Darden and Trey Palmer. And Golden is a true first-round talent – not a Day 3 guy.

With a 4.29 time in the 40-yard dash Golden was the fastest player at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, but he’s more than just deep threat receiver. He has made some spectacular catches in his college career and would be big for Tampa Bay on third downs specifically. Golden has this incredible ability to soar through the air and catch the ball at the point of attack if he’s going against another defender. It’s almost as if he’s floating through the air.

Although he is just 5-foot-11, he plays much bigger than that. He brings a different element to the Bucs offense than Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or even Jalen McMillan, but that’s a good thing. Having played two years at Houston and one year at Texas, he’s fine acclimating to new systems, and it should be no problem playing behind the other top receivers at the start of his career. Golden led the Longhorns this latest season with 987 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, showing that he can be the top target for a team. Who knows when the Bucs may need him for that role, but it’s good to know they’d have him ready.

Bailey Adams: Grey Zabel Was Made To Be A Bucs Lineman

From the little bit I got to talk to him at the Senior Bowl and the more I heard from him at the NFL Scouting Combine the next month, it struck me that Grey Zabel was put on this earth to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. He quite simply is a Jason Licht offensive lineman, and if the Bucs did opt to draft an offensive player in the first round, I’d love to see that pick spent on the 6-foot-6, 312-pounder out of North Dakota State.

In an ideal world, a trade down in the first round for the pick would be the move. That way, you grab Zabel and accumulate some more picks.

The re-signing of left guard Ben Bredeson to a three-year deal might complicate this wish for Zabel to come to Tampa Bay, but for the purposes of this roundtable, I’m really just operating under the philosophy of “draft good players and figure out the rest later.” Zabel is tough, powerful and versatile. He has experience at four of the five spots on the offensive line, and in time, he could step in and start as the longer-term answer at left guard.

That’s where I get excited about the prospect of Zabel in red and pewter—I imagine an offensive line consisting of an All-Pro at left tackle in Tristan Wirfs, a continuously ascending right tackle in Luke Goedeke, a potential Pro Bowl center in Graham Barton and two former North Dakota Staters in Cody Mauch at right guard and Zabel at left guard. That’s a young and talented offensive line that could lead the way for the Bucs offense for years to come.

There are worse outcomes than Bredeson eventually becoming depth as Zabel steps into a starting role. For now, having Bredeson in place means you don’t have to hurry the rookie into a big role right away. Instead, he can develop and grow into a new position while also making the leap from North Dakota State to the NFL. In time, he’ll be a star. Again, this is a case where you just draft a good player and figure out the rest later.

Josh Queipo: Colston Loveland Provides Immediate Upgrade To Bucs TE Room

Look across the Bucs offense and ask, “Which room could stand to be upgraded the most?” Running back is deep, with many in the fan base looking at RB3 Sean Tucker as a starting-caliber player in the NFL. Wide receiver is set at the top with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin providing a top 5-7 pair in the league. Add in Jalen McMillan’s strong close to the season and the corps is looking up.

The offensive line is pretty well set now that the team just invested $12.5 million guaranteed in left guard Ben Bredeson. And well, quarterback features a guy who could probably fetch over $50 million on the open market.

But the tight end room is quite top-heavy. Cade Otton has developed into a very good tight end. Analyst Ollie Connoly describes him as one of the best split-flow blocking tight ends in football and for a four-week stretch last year he proved the Bucs could actually run their passing game through him.

I am on record saying Otton deserves an extension this offseason at $13 million per year.  But behind him things get a bit dicier. Payne Durham played well in spot duty and Devin Culp had some nice moments towards the end of 2024, but neither is to be considered a future starter.

If new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard takes any elements of his time with Mike McDaniels and implements them in Tampa Bay it will likely mean the need for more 12 personnel (two tight ends). Michigan’s Colston Loveland brings athleticism, the ability to separate, good hands and the ability to create after the catch.

He’s also a plus blocker, meaning he and Otton could theoretically interchange roles as in-line and move positions, creating more dynamism and multiplicity in how Grizzard attacks defenses. It would also mean that if the Bucs faced injury challenges at the receiver position this year, they would have an ability to pivot the offense if need be.

Adam Slivon: Tetairoa McMillan Is The Perfect WR For Mike Evans To Mentor

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has been in the news this week for how fast he runs, as after a report came he clocked a 4.48 40-yard time at his pro day, it was revealed to be more in the 4.52-4.56 range. Those hundredths of a second don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, as McMillan has shown that he can put up elite production regardless. The 6-foot-5 wide receiver is coming off consecutive seasons at Arizona of 1,300+ receiving yards while averaging over 15 and a half yards per reception.

Still plenty fast for someone at his height, McMillan would have the perfect mentor in Mike Evans. No one cares how fast Evans is, and he “only” ran a 4.53 40-yard time back in the day. If speed concerns cause McMillan to fall to No. 19, the Bucs should definitely look at drafting him — even with the current talent they have. Evans will be 32 years old in August and admitted at the Pro Bowl he likely be retired by 2028.

Godwin just turned 29 and is back in Tampa Bay, but his three-year deal is only guaranteed through the first two years. Outside of them though, Jalen McMillan (no relation) is the only young wideout who has shown potential to be a long-term piece.

Drafting McMillan would give Tampa Bay an enviable four-deep wide receiver room better than any other in the NFL. TMac, who totaled 213 catches for 3,423 yards (16.1 avg.) and 26 touchdowns in three seasons with the Wildcats, would not be pressured to start producing right away. And learning from Evans and Godwin gives him the opportunity to be ready to carry the load offensively into the next decade. It’s a luxury pick, but so is any if the Bucs choose to draft an offensive player in the first round after the season they had last year.