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Buccaneers try to blow No. 1 pick in draft but earn it with loss

Eric Edholm

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did everything they could to lose the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL draft, by threatening to win Sunday.

They couldn't even do that.

Despite leading 20-7 at halftime, the Buccaneers allowed the New Orleans Saints to score three times in the second half in what would be a 23-20 Saints victory. With the loss, the Bucs clinched the top pick in April's NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans also lost Sunday, dropping both teams' records to 2-14 apiece, but the Buccaneers earned the top selection because their opponents had the lower combined winning percentage.

But it's fitting that only two teams needing quarterbacks will select Nos. 1 and 2 overall. The top two picks — despite reservations with both — could be Oregon QB Marcus Mariota and Florida State QB Jameis Winston.

Winston has been a star up the road from Tampa for the Seminoles and might be the more NFL-ready of the two quarterbacks, but his major character concerns could scare the Bucs — and several other teams — off completely. Mariota has been fantastic during his Heisman award-winning season but comes from a spread-based attack from which other college greats have been born but have struggled to adapt in the league.

Winston and Mariota square off in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. Buccaneers general Jason Licht and his staff will be at the game, and they might even lure head coach Lovie Smith to attend, too.

 

The Jacksonville Jaguars will select third overall, and the Oakland Raiders (if they lose Sunday to the Denver Broncos) will pick fourth. The Washington Redskins, New York Jets and Chicago Bears will pick fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

The rest of the draft order is subject to change.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!