Tampa Bay wins again by improbably landing Tristan Wirfs with the 13th pick
The new-look Tampa Bay Buccaneers have yet to play a game, but they just keep winning.
No way the Bucs woke up this morning thinking they’d have any shot at Tristan Wirfs. When he fell to 13, boom, they pulled off a one-rung trade to make sure they stole him. Starting to feel meant-to-be for this team.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 24, 2020
Entering Thursday, Tampa Bay held the 14th pick, a great slot by NFL standards.
But when consensus top 10 pick Tristan Wirfs dropped, the Bucs made a small move in order to land a big man.
Some protection for Brady ?
The @Buccaneers trade up to take @HawkeyeFootball OL Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick. pic.twitter.com/P4m6VnnMG1
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) April 24, 2020
For Tampa Bay, the pick wasn’t shocking.
The shocking part was that Wirfs – Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2019 – was still available.
According to ESPN’s NFL Draft Predictor, entering the first round tonight there was only a 2% chance that Tristan Wirfs would be available at the 13th pick.
The Buccaneers new OT will protect Tom Brady who completed 32% of his passes when pressured last season, 30th in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/JH3TrR7Djm
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 24, 2020
And with the selection, a rich offense suddenly got richer.
Tristan Wirfs falls to Tom Brady. Of course he did. One thing Tampa Bay needed — they get. #SevenRings
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) April 24, 2020
Before the draft, Wirfs was projected to be a top 10 selection in nearly every mock draft on the market. Jason McIntyre and Mel Kiper Jr. had Wirfs going 4th to the New York Giants. Joel Klatt and Todd McShay had him going 8th to Arizona.
Somewhat shockingly, three offensive lineman – Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Alabama’s Jedrick Willis and Louisville’s Mekhi Becton – were taken before Wirfs.
It was at that point that the Buccaneers realized they had a shot.
I’ve heard some wonder about Bucs decision to trade up one spot to get Wirfs — when 49ers weren’t going to take him. Bucs correctly believed multiple teams tried to move up to get Wirfs, who fell further than expected. Giving up a 4th to secure Brady’s line was an easy decision.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) April 24, 2020
Tampa Bay swapped the 14th and 117th picks with San Francisco for the 13th and 245th picks.
So, what are the Bucs getting in Wirfs?
Apparently, a young man of high-character.
Potential top-five pick Tristan Wirfs rolled out the red carpet for his mom before the NFL draft.
Their lives change when the Iowa OL gets drafted tonight ? @brgridiron
(via @RichCimini)pic.twitter.com/asfKGnbhPm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 23, 2020
But also, a supreme athlete.
New Bucs OT Tristan Wirfs is 6’5, 322 lbs” and still did this ?
(tristan_wirfs74/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/GxEsXx6Ln9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 24, 2020
Big guys aren’t supposed to be able to do that.
Tom Brady says THANK YOU, JASON LICHT, who just traded up one spot to nab the tackle some had going top 5 … Tristan Wirfs. Freakishly explosive huge man. Here come the Bucs.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 24, 2020
The pick was universally lauded on Friday morning, and Colin Cowherd discussed what he believes to be another joyous day in the world of Tom Brady, the long-time New England Patriots quarterback turned Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback.
“I feel like Tom right now feels supported … I bet you Jason Licht, the general manager, talked to Tom … You think [Bill] Belichick is telling Tom what his first pick is going to be? No!”
“Tampa is giving Tom Brady everything. He’s got a loose coach. He’s got weapons. He’s got warm weather… All the boxes are being checked that weren’t in New England.” — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/CEtqD3vuA6
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 24, 2020
ESPN’s Marcus Spears also applauded the Buccaneers move to get Wirfs, but pointed out that it does come with some pressure for the incoming rookie.
“He has the most important job possibly in NFL history for a rookie offensive tackle: protect Tom Brady and make sure Tampa Bay reaches the heights that they want to … Tampa Bay hit a home run with Wirfs. He will be their stalwart tackle for the next 10-15 years.”
Joel Klatt and Jay Glazer sang the praises of Wirfs, calling him arguably the most athletic player in the draft.
“I love this pick,” Klatt said. “Tampa gets some protection for Tom Brady that they never dreamed would be available.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find a soul that thinks Tampa Bay didn’t hit the jackpot with Wirfs.
Now, all he has to do is protect his elders.
Bucs rookie Tristan Wirfs, born in 1999, on blocking this fall for Tom Brady, who was a rookie in 2000: “He’s been in the league almost as long as I’ve been alive.”
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 24, 2020
