After a two-year stretch of Greg Schiano produced 11 wins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit the reset button this offseason, hiring Lovie Smith as the new head coach, bringing in Jason Licht as the new general manager, signing a likely new starting quarterback in veteran Josh McCown, and even unveiling fancy new uniforms.
Sammy Watkins
What of their No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, though? Sander Philipse of Bucs Nation has some ideas on that subject.
| Team | Player | Pos. | Ht | Wt | Class |
| 7. Buccaneers | Sammy Watkins, Clemson | WR | 6'1 | 200 | JR |
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"The Buccaneers filled most of their needs in free agency, but they still want to add an explosive element to their offense. Seeing Watkins fall to the seventh overall pick would be a perfect scenario for Tampa Bay. Watkins is probably the best player on the board, and fills a need. Mike Williams is on thin ice with some (minor) off-field issues, while Vincent Jackson is starting to age a little, and they have no capable pass-catchers beyond those two starters. The Bucs do want to draft a quarterback at some point, but with the three top passers off the board, they're more than happy to 'settle' for the best receiver in the draft to give their offense a boost."
Dan Kadar, our revered NFL Draft analyst, has some thoughts and opinions to share on the Buccaneers' mock draft pick of Watkins:
Although Watkins may not be A.J. Green or Julio Jones, he's certainly the best wide receiver in the draft since them. There's nothing wrong with getting one of the elite players in the draft with the seventh pick. That's right, elite. That overused draft term that can seemingly apply to anyone (other than Joe Flacco). Watkins gets that label, and a corresponding high ranking, because he's a player with few weaknesses. He can beat defenders over the top, sharply cut off his routes to get open underneath and even line up as a gadget player. His hands are pretty good too. Yeah, elite.
That's a wrap for this week, football fans. Our mock draft will pick up again next Monday, with the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions set to round out the top 10. Have a great weekend!
Top 5 players remaining
| # | Player | Pos. | College | Ht. | Wt. |
| 3 | Jake Matthews | OT | Texas A&M | 6'5 | 305 |
| 7 | Mike Evans | WR | Texas A&M | 6'5 | 225 |
| 8 | Eric Ebron |
TE | North Carolina |
6'4 |
250 |
| 9 | C.J. Mosley |
LB | Alabama | 6'2 | 234 |
| 10 | Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix | S | Alabama | 6'1 |
208 |
2014 SB Nation NFL writers' mock draft results
Buccaneers picks
| Rd | # | Team | Player | Pos. | College |
| 1 | 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Sammy Watkins | WR | Clemson |
| 2 | 38 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |