TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, of Iowa, with the 13th round NFL draft pick Thursday night.
The Bucs traded up one spot to ensure they made Wirfs a Buccaneer.
Wirfs will be added to the line of defense protecting newly-signed Buccaneer Tom Brady. During a media Zoom call, Bucs General Manager Jason Licht said that Wirfs is versatile and played both left and right tackle during his time at the University of Iowa, but that they will look to put him at right tackle.
As for why the team traded up to get Wirfs, Licht had five words: “no risk it, no biscuit," sharing that he was worth the capital lost to get him.
Licht is also excited to have grabbed a draft pick who played with Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, saying Wirfs comes from a program that knows how to work and is known for developing tackles. Something he says will fit in seamlessly with Bruce Arian's offense and style.
Wirfs' addition to the Bucs comes after the team added two of the NFL's biggest names to their roster: Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.
The six-time Super Bowl champ and widely considered the greatest quarterback of all-time, Tom Brady signed a multi-year contract with the Bucs last month ending the Jameis Winston era, according to the team.
Brady said he's ready to give the Bucs his all.
"I'm prepared to give them every bit of commitment I've had for my entire career to be the best I can be to help this team be the best it can be," he said.
And, to do that, he now has help from former teammate, three-time Super Bowl champ and friend Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement this week to join the Bucs. While Gronk may have had a year off, he says he is still ready to hit the ground running.
"It's probably going to be a bigger challenge taking a year off. I've been staying active, staying busy, not gonna lie, not necessarily with football stuff. I've been keeping up my cardio," he said.
Overall, Licht feels as though the Bucs hit a home run with the upcoming season.
"How can you not be excited about Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski playing with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin? The list goes on and on," he said.
Wirfs is 6-foot-5 and 322 pounds. 10Sports reporter Grace Remington shared that Wirfs has the best combined 20-time for an offensive lineman at 4.85 seconds.
During his time with Iowa, Wrifs was one of 10 true freshmen to see field time in 2017, and the first true freshman to start at either offensive tackle position in the Kirk Ferentz era. But, his accolades don't stop there.
In 2019 he was named second-team All-American by The Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association and The Athletic, in addition to Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Big Ten Conference.
Welcome to Tampa Bay, Tristan Wirfs!
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