It is NFL Draft season and the mock drafts from the NFL experts and pundits are being published nearly every day and making their picks for the Bucs. Each week until the 2020 NFL Draft in April, PewterReport.com will scour the Internet to find the list of players that are projected to Tampa Bay and put out the list with the links.

NEW MOCKS THIS WEEK

PewterReport.com – Scott Reynolds

Bucs’ First Round Pick: Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor

Bucs’ First Round Pick (Pick 23, From Patriots): Houston OT Josh Jones

Bucs’ Third Round Pick: Virginia CB Bryce Hall

Bucs’ Fourth Round Pick: LSU G Damien Lewis

Bucs’ Fourth Round Pick (Expected Compensatory ): Memphis WR/RB Antonio Gibson

Bucs’ Fifth Round Pick: Iowa QB Nate Stanley

Bucs’ Sixth Round Pick: Miami ILB Shaquille Quarterman

“What?! The Bucs draft a running back in the first round – with the 14th overall pick?

“Yes, Taylor, who averaged 2,000 yards per season for three years at Wisconsin, is worth drafting in the middle of the first round because he’s an elite player. Several 1,000-yard rushers, including Saquon Barkley (second overall, 2018), Christian McCaffrey (eighth overall, 2017) and Ezekiel Elliott (fourth overall, 2016), were all elite backs coming out of college and were drafted inside the Top 10.

“There is nothing wrong with drafting a running back in the first round – if it’s the right one. And drafting the right one means finding an elite rusher with solid hands that can contribute in the passing game. That defines the kind of running back that Taylor is. The 5-foot-10, 226-pounder with the 4.39 breakaway speed was 13 yards away from 2,000 yards as a freshman. That would have made Taylor the first running back in college history to record three consecutive 2,000-yard seasons at the FBS level.

“The Bucs could address a top need and opt for drafting the fifth-best offensive tackle at No. 14, or they could select the best running back in the draft and add Taylor to an already potent arsenal of weapons. Tampa Bay only had five runs of 20 yards or more all season in 2019 and just one 100-yard rushing game – all by Jones. Thanks to his blazing speed, Taylor had five runs of over 40 yards last year en route to 10 games with at least 100 yards rushing, including four games of over 200 yards rushing. That’s the kind of production Arians is looking for from the Bucs’ rushing attack.” – Scott Reynolds

PewterReport.com – Jon Ledyard

Bucs’ First Round Pick: Louisville OT Mekhi Becton

Bucs’ Second Round Pick: Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor

Bucs’ Third Round Pick: Washington C Nick Harris

“Becton has played both tackle spots during his time at Louisville, so that flexibility should be really attractive to the Bucs. He would plug in at right tackle as a rookie, then could potentially take over for Donovan Smith at left tackle whenever the sixth-year pro moves on.

“I’ve talked about the risk involved with Becton; it’s very real and he needs to be carefully vetted by the Bucs front office and coaching staff during the next couple months. Can he learn to vary his pass sets? Is he coachable? Will he continue to keep unnecessary weight off his frame?

“Without knowing the answers to some of those questions, I think Becton looks a lot like the type of player the Bucs would love to have on their squad in 2020 and beyond. He’s massive, plays with an edge, fills a huge need and fits the on-field demeanor of the trench players Licht has tried to add to this roster through the draft and free agency Vita Vea, Alex Cappa, Ali Marpet, Ryan Jensen and Ndamukong Suh – all nasty, physical players who bring it snap-to-snap.

“If I’m a betting man, Becton is the offensive tackle from this class most likely to leave Round 1 as a Buccaneer – if he’s still on the board at No. 14. I wouldn’t rule out trading up for him either, especially with so many tackle-needy teams ahead of the Bucs.” – Jon Ledyard

Bleacher Report – Matt Miller

Bucs’ First Round Pick: LSU Edge K’Lavon Chaisson

Bucs’ Second Round Pick: Washington QB Jacob Eason

Bucs’ Third Round Pick: Oklahoma DT Neville Gallimore

“Star pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett is set to become a free agent alongside starting quarterback Jameis Winston, with the Buccaneers only able to use the franchise tag on one of them. Statements made by head coach Bruce Arians throughout the offseason hint at a possible Winston departure. But whether Barrett, Winston or both are back next season, Tampa needs to head into the draft thinking about adding to each position.

“LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson is a truly special athlete and player at the outside linebacker position. The Tigers asked Chaisson to rush the quarterback but he was also tasked often with dropping into coverage or stacking up against the run. In that way, he’s more like 2019 draft pick Josh Allen from Kentucky than he is a pure pass-rusher.

“A quarterback could definitely be the selection here, but in my rankings, there isn’t a passer worthy of the No. 14 overall selection, which is something Arians and general manager Jason Licht must consider when deciding how to fill the quarterback depth chart this offseason.” – Matt Miller

Walter Football – Charlie Campbell

Bucs’ First Round Pick: LSU Edge K’Lavon Chaisson

Bucs’ Second Round Pick: Washington QB Jacob Eason

Bucs’ Third Round Pick: Texas Tech OT Terrance Steele

“Tampa Bay is going to be hard pressed to sign the defensive free agents it wants to retain while also paying a quarterback. Jason Pierre-Paul could be an odd man out, which would open up a need for an edge rusher. Chaisson’s athletic versatility would be a nice fit in Todd Bowles’ defense.

“Chaisson (6-4, 254) has a lot of upside to fill out his frame and develop into a dangerous edge rusher. He is fast, long, and athletic on the edge. In 2019, he had 60 tackles with 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two passes broken up while dealing with an ankle injury. Chaisson missed almost all of his 2018 season with a knee injury. In 2017, he had 27 tackles with two sacks and two passes batted.” – Charlie Campbell

NFL.com – Daniel Jeremiah

Bucs’ First Round Pick: LSU Edge K’Lavon Chaisson

“The Bucs need to work out the contract situation with Shaq Barrett, who is headed for free agency after posting 19.5 sacks in 2019, but adding more punch on the defensive line would make sense no matter what happens.” – Daniel Jeremiah

CBS Sports – Ryan Wilson

Bucs’ First Round Pick: Georgia OT Andrew Thomas

“Thomas is the fourth offensive linemen off the board, and he’s the fourth offensive linemen to help himself with a strong combine performance. In Tampa Bay, he solidifies an offensive line that ranked in the bottom third in both pass protection and run blocking, according to Football Outsiders.” – Ryan Wilson

Sports Illustrated – Kevin Hanson

Bucs’ First Round Pick (Pick 11, From Jets): Utah QB Jordan Love

“The Bucs send the 14th and 76th overall picks to the Jets for the 11th overall pick. Following his 30-interception season, there’s no guarantee that Jameis Winston will be back in Tampa, although that hasn’t been ruled out either. As for Love, he regressed in his junior season as he threw nearly as many interceptions (17) as touchdowns (20), but part of that can be attributed to a coaching change and lack of offensive talent and experience around him. If Love’s 2018 and ’19 seasons were reversed, however, he would be more widely-viewed as a potential top-10 pick although that buzz seems to be building. While he’s just outside the top 10 in this mock, his intriguing skill set could entice Bruce Arians and the Bucs to trade in front of the Raiders and Colts for the strong-armed signal-caller.” – Kevin Hanson

Sporting News – Vinnie Iyer

Bucs’ First Round Pick: Iowa Edge A.J. Epenesa

“The Bucs will do their best to keep pending free agent Shaquil Barrett, but they still need more pop in Todd Bowles’ 3-4 pass rush. Epenesa (6-5, 275 pounds) is a powerful, explosive, big-bodied player. He can push blockers out of the way to get to the QB and also stands up strong against the run. He confirmed his top-10 status with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble against USC in the Holiday Bowl.” – Vinnie Iyer

USA Today – Nate Davis

Bucs’ First Round Pick: South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw

“With QB Jameis Winston and 2019 sack champion Shaquil Barrett poised to hit free agency, the Bucs are currently one of the hardest teams to figure. But Kinlaw would be quite an addition to DC Todd Bowles’ three-man front, which stands to lose Suh to the open market.” – Nate Davis

The Draft Network – Trevor Sikkema

Bucs’ First Round Pick: Georgia OT Andrew Thomas

“With their quarterback position still up in the air, it seems like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are honing in on capitalizing on this talented offensive tackle class with their first pick.

“During his podium session, head coach Bruce Arians spoke highly of the offensive tackle class saying, “That’s one of the positions I’ve looked at a lot coming here. It looks like a really deep class.’’

“If one of the “Big Four” is still around at No. 14, I think that’s the choice.” – Trevor Sikkema

Pro Football Focus – Michael Renner

Bucs’ First Round Pick: South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw

“Kinlaw didn’t test at the Combine, but he did check in at a massive 6-foot-5, 324 pounds with 34 ⅞-inch arms and 10 ½-inch hands. Those are big boy numbers for PFF’s second-ranked defensive tackle. Pairing Kinlaw with Vita Vea would give the Bucs easily the most physically imposing defensive interior in the NFL.” – Michael Renner