Can Bucs Nail the 82nd Pick Again?

As it currently stands, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will head into draft weekend, just a little over two weeks from now, with nine picks in hand. Two of those are among the top 50 selections, and in our mock draft this week, which focused on the second round, we slotted North Dakota State tackle Cody Mauch to the Buccaneers at exactly pick number 50.

Tampa Bay has executed the 50th pick three times in the past, most recently on safety Justin Evans in the 2017 draft. After a promising start, Evans’ time in Tampa was derailed by injuries; he made a comeback last season in New Orleans and most recently signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Buccaneers also selected quarterback Shaun King at number 50 in 1999, and he made an impressive run at the end of his rookie year, helping the Bucs get to the NFC Championship Game. In 1987, the Bucs grabbed linebacker Winston Moss 50th overall. Moss had a very productive 11-year NFL career, the first four in Tampa, followed by nearly two decades of coaching in the league.

But what about the third round? At the moment, the Buccaneers are slated to pick 82nd overall to wrap up their efforts on the second night of the draft. Tampa Bay has only executed the 82nd pick one time in franchise history, but it’s hard to imagine they could have done any better with that opportunity. In fact, the Bucs can boast one of the best 82nd-overall selections in NFL history, even if that particular spot in the draft has produced an impressive success rate.

In 1993, the Buccaneers selected Stanford safety John Lynch with pick number 82, after the Miami Marlins farmhand convinced Tampa Bay Head Coach Sam Wyche that he would choose football over baseball. Of all the players ever selected 82nd overall in the NFL Draft, Lynch is the all-time leader in games played (224) and Pro Bowl selections (nine). He’s also one of three players chosen 82nd overall who are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

So why are we not calling Lynch the greatest number 82 in NFL Draft history, hands down, like the homers we are? Well, you see, the San Francisco 49ers used that very pick on a guy named Joe Montana in 1979. Montana is on the short list in the greatest-quarterback-ever debate, and his accomplishments include eight Pro Bowls, two league MVP trophies, a 4-0 record in Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVP awards and, of course, his own bust in Canton. We are happy to argue for Lynch’s supremacy here, but we expect most voters would go for the MVP and four-time…