Bucs Choose Defense, Select Joe Tryon With 32nd Pick

The Buccaneers had to wait nearly four hours to make their first selection in the 2021 NFL Draft but when it finally came time for the Super Bowl Champions to pick, they decided to look to defense in drafting Joe Tryon out of Washington.

After hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February, general manager Jason Licht and the Bucs front office went to work and brought back all 22 starters that helped win them a Super Bowl. In addition, they added Gio Bernard to the backfield to address the one true need… a pass-catching back.

Happy Birthday to the newest #GoBucs linebacker, @joe_tryon! @FullPressNFL #NFLDraft

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So, entering the draft, the Buccaneers were and continue to be in a position to truly draft for want and/or best player available and that is exactly what they did with Tryon. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound linebacker out of Washington had a nice two-year run in the Pacific Northwest before opting out of the 2020 season. He earned second-team All Pac 12 honors his sophomore season after notching 41.5 tackles (12.5 for a loss) and eight sacks in 13 games.

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He has the prerequisite traits of an NFL linebacker but needs time fine-tuning his craft before becoming a starter in this league. Fortunately for Tryon, he was drafted by a team with a well-established group of starters, solid depth, and a defensive coordinator that will know how to use him in Todd Bowles.

The Buccaneers hold pick 64 (2nd round) and 95 (3rd round) on Friday.