Summary

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed vast improvement by going 9-7 in 2016 after going 6-10 in 2015. They started the season at 1-3, but their one win was against eventual NFC Champion Falcons. It may have started out rough, but Tampa Bay rebounded from that start to have a solid season.

Jameis Winston built on a successful rookie season and had more passing yards, touchdowns and a higher passer rating last year. The offense though, was average, scoring 22.1 points per game. The Bucs did have to deal with Doug Martin getting injured again and receiving a suspension for performance enhancing drugs. He finished the season with just 421 rushing yards.

To make their offense more dynamic, Tampa Bay signed Desean Jackson to pair with Mike Evans at wide receiver. The offensive line needs to be improved, as Donovan Smith hasn’t played well in his first two seasons and J.R. Sweezy has a back injury that has and will continue to hamper him.

Run defense was sub par for the Bucs, as they allowed 1,875 yards on he ground last season. Pass defense was just as bad, ranking 22nd in the league, just like the run defense.

J.J. Wilcox was signed to address one of their biggest needs, safety. Brent Grimes is a great corner, but is aging and the only good one they have. Defensive Tackle Gerald McCoy is also a fantastic player, along with linebacker Lavonte David, but the Buccaneers have a few needs to still address on this side of the ball to get to where they want to be, the playoffs.

Picks and Needs

The Bucs have seven picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. With some good selections, these players can help Tampa Bay compete for a division title.

First round: (1) No. 19

Second round: (1) No. 50

Third round: (1) No. 84

Fourth round: (1) No. 125

Fifth round: (1) No. 162

Sixth round: (1) No. 204

Seventh round: (1) No. 237

These needs are in no particular order.