By: Carter Brantley Bucs Report – Special to Sports Talk Florida
The Buccaneers are in a precarious situation when it comes to their wide receiver room.
Their star veterans are, well, getting old, and Father Time waits for no one.
But, both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were incredible last season, and don’t seem to be showing many production-based signs of slowing down.
Unfortunately, they both experienced injuries that kept them sidelined for significant portions of the season, with Godwin even missing the entire season after an ankle injury against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7.
Godwin is now a free agent, as the Bucs declined to franchise tag the wideout and have now shifted their focus to trying to re-sign the former Penn State man to a long-term deal.
But let’s say the negotiations don’t go well, and Godwin leaves for elsewhere.
Jalen McMillan is a very talented young wideout, but the Bucs will still need to fill in the gaps behind him, preferably with some younger talent to also backlog for whenever Mike Evans retires or decides to move on himself.
So here are three wideouts, at varying levels of draftability, the Bucs could target in this upcoming draft class, should Godwin go elsewhere this offseason.
Emeka Egbuka – OSU
Frankly, if Egbuka is there at 19, the Bucs would be foolish not to take him, especially without Godwin still in the fold.
He’s that good; his route running is elite, athleticism a bit below-average, but the impact he brings out of the slot is super high.
Which might lead you to ask if the Bucs should still target him if they still have Godwin.
A valid question, and one that might be met with a solid “no,” but without Godwin, it’s a very emphatic “yes.”
Elic Ayomanor – Stanford
Ayomanor is a very fun sleeper pick for a lot of people, one that may end up sneaking up into the upper levels of the 2nd round, but most draft platforms have him slotted towards the end of the 2nd.
The Bucs could easily have him start in the slot or on the outside.
He’s a very versatile piece in that way, and he also possesses a very athletic build at 6’2 210, speaking to someone who can get things done in a multitude of ways.
Unfortunately, the former Cardinal does struggle a bit with drops, but his upside is high enough to make him a very comfortable 2nd-round selection for the Bucs that could very well replace Godwin in his rookie season.
Nick Nash – San Jose State
Is Nick Nash a bit too old to pick early in the draft?
Absolutely; he’s 25 and spent a really long time in college.
But, the former dual-threat QB is still young in terms of being a wide receiver, as he continues to learn the ins and outs of the position after not being able to cut it as a D-1 QB.
He uses a lot of that knowledge as a former signal-caller to his advantage, being able to find soft spots in zones and get open at a solid clip.
He possesses high upside for someone who will likely be a day three pick despite his age, with decent speed and a 6’3 frame, and the Buccaneers could do well by selecting Nash and signing a veteran to give Nash time to figure out the position a bit more.
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