2020 NFL Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers land Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs

After moving up one spot, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to trade up one spot to ensure they got protection for new quarterback Tom Brady. They ended up giving up their fourth-round pick and received a seventh-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers to move up from 14th overall to 13th overall.

With the 34-year-old Demar Dotson still not resigned heading into the draft, it was obvious the Buccaneers were looking to find his replacement in a loaded tackle class. Tristan Wirfs is a perfect fit as someone who can start right away and also has a lot of room to improve and develop into a high-level protector.

Wirfs is a very intriguing prospect who has a ton of potential. He’s 6-foot-5, 322 pounds, and moves pretty well for a man for that big. The best part of his game, however, is his ridiculous strength. He simply manhandles defenders at times on film.

He’s always firing off the snap as a run blocker and he could become an absolute mauler in that area. He also has the athleticism to be a nightmare to beat in pass protection.

He put on an absolute show at the combine posting a 4.85 40 yard dash, a modern offensive linemen record 36.5-inch vertical leap, and a tied for modern offensive linemen record 10-foot-1-inch broad jump, according to NFL.com. This performance showed just how athletic he is and solidified him as a top 15 pick.

Ultimately, getting Tom Brady more protection was a priority and that’s what they’re getting with this selection. This is an offense that was already capable of being one of the NFL’s best and adding Wirfs to this line only makes them more unstoppable.