The worst-kept Bucs secret at the NFL Scouting Combine is that the team is closely examining all of the top offensive tackles in the 2020 draft class, likely with the hope of drafting one with the 14th overall pick on April 23.

But what may be flying under the radar is that the Bucs seem to be investing a lot of time and energy into scouting the offensive line class as a whole, especially focusing on the interior O-line options that could be available to the team on the second and third day of the draft.

When asked what position group he’s spent the most time studying this offseason, head coach Bruce Arians didn’t hesitate.

“I’ve probably watched more offensive linemen than I have in years because there’s a lot of good quality guys up and down the line between centers, guards, and tackles,” Arians said on Tuesday. “I usually like watching skill players more, but I spent a lot of time this year on offensive linemen.”

Yesterday I glossed over Arians’ distinction that he wasn’t just watching tackles, but today I realized that might be the biggest Bucs-related takeaway from the Combine. Based on not only Arians’ comments, but also where Tampa Bay has centered its interviews in Indy, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if one of their Day 2 picks came along the interior offensive line. PewterReport.com had the Bucs taking Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones in the second round and Louisiana-Lafayette guard/tackle Robert Hunt in the third round of its first 2020 Bucs’ 7-Round Mock Draft back in January.

We already know the Bucs have had or will have formal interviews with LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry and LSU guard Damien Lewis, Louisiana-Lafayette guard/tackle Robert Hunt, St. Johns guard/tackle Ben Bartch and Washington center Nick Harris. Informally, the team has also spoken to Mississippi State guards Tyre Phillips and Darryl Williams, as well as Clemson guard John Simpson.

That’s easily the most players in any position group, and those are just the ones we know about. Tampa Bay seems determined to upgrade its offensive line at every position, and a more thorough examination of its roster tells us we probably should have seen this coming.

While Ali Marpet is locked in at left guard for the foreseeable future, Ryan Jensen and Alex Cappa are far less certain beyond this season. Cappa, a former third-round pick, took a big step in the right direction last season, but he is still an average-at-best guard right now, and bringing in competition for him in 2020 and beyond can only be a good thing.

As for Jensen, while he also enjoyed a bounce-back campaign in 2019 in his second season with the Bucs, the reality is that he will cost the team $10 million in each of the next two seasons. Three of Tampa Bay’s five highest-paid players are offensive linemen, and that may be a fact that needs to change going into the last year of Jensen’s deal in 2021. Tampa Bay can easily get out of his contact with zero dead money after this season.

It doesn’t help that the Bucs currently don’t have a single depth player to speak of along the entire offensive line. Josh Wells, Jerald Hawkins and Earl Watford are their top three reserves, but none are preferable options, and all three are slated to hit free agency.

As of right now, the Bucs’ only certain starters on the offensive line for 2020 are Donovan Smith, Marpet and Jensen, while Cappa remains likely to start – largely because he’s the only other player sure to return among their whole O-line group. Right tackle Demar Dotson is an unrestricted free agent and may or may not return at age 34.

The way we saw the Bucs flood the cornerback position over the past two drafts could be exactly what the team is preparing to do over the next two – only this time on the offensive line. If center is the position they’d like to start at on Day 2 or 3, Harris could be a target. The Huskies’ center is a good athlete, tough as nails and has one of the sharpest football minds in the entire draft.

so @UW_Football Center Nick Harris (#56) pops on tape. works his hands on the release for the screen like a DL, then throttles down to time up the hit on the defender after he gets out. this guy works angles in space at an elite level. 2nd level gawd. pic.twitter.com/TJLVdughRl — Mike Golic Jr (@MGolicJR57) January 23, 2020



“I think one thing (that is underrated) is my ability to finish blocks,” Harris said during his podium session in Indy. “A lot of people go straight to my athleticism or my football IQ, but I take pride in finishing my blocks and being physical. So that’s something I definitely want to make known to teams when I get a chance to go over it on film.”

Harris told me he already had a formal interview with the Bucs, which went well.

“It went really well, I had a great time,” said Harris. “Coach Arians was in there. He was pretty quiet, didn’t ask me anything crazy. But he did point out my tattoo on my leg and he asked, ‘You like Jimi Hendrix? What do you like about him?’ So I just started going on about Hendrix (laughs).”

But there are issues. Harris struggled mightily at the Senior Bowl, which was some of his best opportunities to show what he could do in pass protection against strong competition (there wasn’t a ton in the Pac-12). The senior can also fail to sustain blocks due to his short arms (32 1/8) and lack of elite strength. The 6-foot-1, 302-pound Harris has a bad body too, which is definitely going to be an issue for NFL teams. If he falls outside the top 100, which I think is a possibility, don’t be surprised if the Bucs pull the trigger on Day 3.

All four of the other guards/centers Tampa Bay has looked at are of the people-smashing genre, starting with Lewis. I think Lewis is a top 100 lock, showing elite power and nastiness in the run game, and more than enough technique and movement skills to do his job in pass protection. He’s way quicker and more explosive than many evaluators give him credit for, allowing him to hit tougher blocks in space with regularity.

Cushenberry is Lewis’ running mate on the Tigers’ offensive line, and while he doesn’t possess the power and size of his teammate, Cushenberry is very mentally sharp and technically sound in pass protection. He bends and anchors well against power, but there are some match-ups where his lack of elite tools are exposed in pass protection.

Cushenberry held his own against Derrick Brown this season too. Didn’t win every rep, but more than his fair share pic.twitter.com/TSXJUvlFWV — Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) January 22, 2020

Williams and Simpson are players I need to take a longer look at, but I’ve always thought both were starting material with limited ceilings at the next level. Williams is a phone booth guard with good power but poor agility, while Simpson struggled at the Senior Bowl, but has strong tape and good tools to work with.

Bartch and Hunt both played tackle in college, but could be candidates to move to guard or center at the next level like Marpet did in 2015. I have yet to study either on tape, but Bartch was solid in Mobile against the best competition he’s faced in his life. Both fit the non-FBS, small-school profile that matches three of Licht’s seven offensive line selections during his six years as general manager.

All of this is an extremely logical progression of growth for the Bucs, who fully committed last offseason to rebuilding their entire defense. Now it’s the offense’s turn, and even though they’ve improved over the past year, the offensive line is still one of the bigger concerns heading into next season.

The Bucs want to protect Jameis Winston – or whoever will be under center – better, run the football more and establish a much nastier demeanor in their group up front. Cappa and Jensen were moves that indicated a clear mentality transition, but Cappa’s limitations and Jensen’s cost suggest that fortifying the offensive line with more depth at both spots should be a high priority.

The next step in the Bucs’ culture change is coming, and it’s going to come up front in an offensive line-heavy draft. It might not be as sexy as some of the team’s more recent drafts, but if Licht and Co. nail their evaluations at a position group that has given them some issues over the years, the Bucs will be a much better team because of the resources spent on a unit critical to their success.