NFL power rankings: 32-team breakdown after the 2018 NFL Draft

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ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: Vita Vea of Washington high fives fans after being picked #12 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

20. team. 48. . Last Rank: 17. . Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Best Pick: RB Ronald Jones II, USC

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had three pressing needs in this NFL Draft, and they may have addressed two of them.

In order, this list would have read: the pass rush, a running game and the secondary. Grabbing USC running back Ronald Jones early in Round 2 was smart. He’s electric and should balance out the Bucs offense, taking pressure off quarterback Jameis Winston.

One has to also like the additions of defensive backs M.J. Stewart and Carlton Davis in Round 2. Both need a bit of polish, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see either contributing nicely in a year or two.

Yet the biggest issue for Tampa Bay was addressing the pass rush. Or lack thereof. A year after finishing dead last in sack production, the Buccaneers didn’t grab an edge defender. Instead, they selected Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea at No. 12 overall after moving down with the Bills.

Is Vea a bad player? No, but he’s primarily a run stuffer and needs a strong outside rush to bolster his own interior pass-rushing abilities.

The Buccaneers hope veteran additions of Jason Pierre-Paul and Vinny Curry solve this, but Vea wasn’t the right player to grab here.

Hence the drop in our NFL power rankings.