Buccaneers draft lineman to help bolster Brady's protection

  Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs with 13th pick in NFL draft on Thursday night, trading up one spot in selection order to ensure y secured more protection for recently acquired quarterback Tom Brady.

Bolstering offensive line was team’s top priority after signing six-time Super Bowl champion in free ncy, trading for four-time All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski and spending generously to retain some key components of a defense that made strides latter part of last season.

With several tackles — Georgia's Andrew Thomas, Alabama's Jedrick Wills and Louisville's Mekhi Becton _off board, Bucs swung a deal with San Francisco 49ers to move up one spot from . 14 to take Wirfs.

former Iowa star was rated among top offensive lineman available in draft and will be given an opportunity to fill an opening at right tackle created by departure of long-time starter Demar Dotson, who was t re-signed after being a fixture in Tampa Bay’s lineup since 2012.

Jameis Winston led NFL in passing yards and threw for 33 touchdowns in 2019, however he also tossed 30 interceptions and was sacked 47 times as Bucs finished 7-9 and missed playoffs for 12th consecutive season.

Shortly after signing Brady to a two-year, $50 million contract, coach Bruce Arians said he didn’t believe a mostly veteran offensive line featuring left tackle Dovan Smith, center Ryan Jensen and guards Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa was in need of a significant upgrade.

Bucs team subsequently signed former Indianapolis tackle Joe Haeg. He started 35 games over four seasons with Colts — ne in 2019 — and is being counted on to provide experienced depth.

“When you look back at grades last year — I don’t put a lot of stock into what or people grade our guys — y were graded pretty high,” Arians, preparing for his second season with Bucs, said at time.

“I thought Dovan got a lot better. I think he’ll get even more intense with Tom back re at quarterback than he has been, but he did play extremely well last year,” Arians added. “Ali is solid. Ryan had a heck of a year. Cappa, I thought had a fantastic year for a young guy. ... I don’t see it as a glaring need, but you’re always looking to upgrade somewhere.”