Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Late-round draft targets after Brady and Gronk additions

James Morgan, QB, Florida International

I know. I go on and on about how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to add players that can make an impact right away to take advantage of Tom Brady’s presence and then the first player is someone that wouldn’t see the field until he retires, presumably.

But you can’t ignore the future, and quarterback is the first position that comes to mind when talking about offensive playmakers. And what better way to develop a young quarterback than to have him sit behind and watch the greatest to ever do it?

James Morgan is a fantastic fit for Bruce Arians’ vertical offense. He has a cannon for an arm with a very quick release. Much like Joe Burrow, Morgan is a bit of an older quarterback prospect. But for Morgan, being a developmental quarterback, he will have to learn fast to optimize the length and impact of his playing career.

There are a lot of areas where Morgan needs to improve, but he has great traits for a team to build upon. With some time to refine his game behind Brady and under Arians, James Morgan could become the future franchise quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a mid-to-late round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

JaMycal Hasty, RB, Baylor/Tony Jones Jr, RB, Notre Dame

One thing that was always certain during Tom Brady’s time in New England, the Patriots had a plethora of running backs with a variety of skill sets. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers do already have a couple promising young backs in the stable already, but I fully expect them to address the position in the draft.

I would anticipate the Bucs drafting a running back relatively early in the 2020 NFL Draft, given their importance to a well-rounded offense for Brady. I’m not quite sure how the team views current starter Ronald Jones II, and that will be a big factor in what they decide to do at the position in the draft.

If they think Jones can be the lead in their inevitable running back by committee, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may wait until later in the draft to select a running back. If they aren’t as confident in him, I’d expect them to draft one of the top prospects at the position.

Even if the Bucs snag one of the top running backs in the 2020 NFL Draft, I still could see them taking a guy later that could contribute in a different way. If they go with more of a power back, or view Jones as an early-down back, they could get a third-down back late. If they take more of a receiving back early in the draft and like Jones in that role, they could find a more powerful, early-down runner in the last couple rounds.

JaMycal Hasty from Baylor would be a perfect fit as a third-down back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He doesn’t offer a whole lot between the tackles, but he is feisty as a pass blocker and a very talented route runner. Hasty would pair well with a player like Jonathan Taylor, if he were to be selected earlier in the draft.

On the other side of things, Tony Jones Jr. would be a solid early-down back who can pound between the tackles. Jones has great contact balance and runs very hard, yet he never fumbled the ball once at Notre Dame. If the Bucs go with a guy like Clyde Edwards-Helaire earlier in the draft, Jones could be a late-round target.

Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Miss

Adding a speedy wide receiver like Quez Watkins would bring yet another dynamic to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense. They now have a big tight end to make plays over the middle of the field and in the red zone with Rob Gronkowski, a tall and effective down-the-field receiver in Mike Evans and a dynamic route runner at all three levels of the field with Chris Godwin.

Quez Watkins would bring the top-notch speed to really take the top off of the defense. His 4.35 40-yard dash time backs up his play speed on tape. Not only is Watkins a deep threat, but he can catch a screen at the line of scrimmage and take it the distance as well.

With great hands and solid route running, Quez Watkins could be a very sneaky solid addition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense in the later rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.