Left Tackle Question as Important to Buccaneers as Quarterback Decision

A quarterback is only as good as the protection his offensive line provides. 

As the discussion continues whether Oregon's Marcus Mariota or Florida State's Jameis Winston will be the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the franchise has another pressing hole at left tackle that needs to be addressed to insure the success of either player. 

Quarterback is considered the game's most important position, but it forms a symbiotic relationship with those blocking up front. 

Even great quarterbacks can be overwhelmed by pressure placed on them by the opposing defenses due to poor blocking. Peyton Manning's performance in Super Bowl XLVIII was a prime example. 

Talent can be squandered—like the Cleveland Browns' Tim Couch—and careers can even be ruined—such as the Houston Texans' David Carr—due to an organization's inability to build a stable wall in front of its franchise quarterback. 

Last season, the Buccaneers finished 27th in pass-blocking efficiency, according to Pro Football Focus. Quarterback Josh McCown faced the second-most pressure of any quarterback in the NFL. 

Unless a team like the Seattle Seahawks with Russell Wilson, for example, utilizes an athletic QB behind center, it's highly unlikely its quarterback can overcome the amount of pressure the Buccaneers offensive line allowed last season. 

As such, it doesn't come as much of a surprise when Mariota is once again considered the favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in April. 

"There's a real sense that Tampa Bay has its sights set on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota," ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote. "So for now, Mariota shapes up as the most likely No. 1 pick."

While Mariota is far more mobile than Winston and can make the offensive line look better with his ability to avoid pressure, the Oregon product isn't a run-first quarterback. He's a developing passer that will need solid protection to progress from the pocket. 

Winston, meanwhile, is more of a traditional pocket passer that excelled during his career against defensive pressure. However, his decision-making in those situations during the 2014 campaign regressed after his sterling 2013 season. 

Either way, the Buccaneers will need to protect their eventual investment in the quarterback position for either to realize their full potential. 

The importance of the left tackle position can't be emphasized enough.

Of the final eight teams alive in the playoffs, each claimed a franchise quarterback while six of them had former first-round picks protecting the blind side of those signal-callers. 

Player	Team	Draft Selection
Ryan Clady	Broncos	12th
Anthony Castonzo	Colts	22nd
Tyron Smith	Cowboys	9th
David Bakhtiari	Packers	109th
Byron Bell	Panthers	Undrafted
Nate Solder	Patriots	17th
Eugene Monroe	Ravens	8th
Russell Okung	Seahawks	6th

The Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers may be outliers, but one of Carolina's top priorities during the offseason will be to address left tackle and Green Bay spent a pair of first-round picks on the position within the past five drafts. 

Whereas Tampa Bay simply whiffed with its signing of veteran left tackle Anthony Collins during last year's free-agency period. Pro Football Focus graded Collins negatively in seven of the 10 games he played. The veteran tackle was even a healthy scratch during the final four games. 

SI.com's Chris Burke named Collins to his 2014 All-Disappointment Team. 

Collins' days in Tampa Bay certainly seem numbered. 

By releasing the seven-year pro, the Buccaneers will receive an additional $3 million in cap space, according to Spotrac.com. 

The extra money can be spent in free agency to acquire another offensive lineman or the team could address other areas of the roster. The possibility of using the money elsewhere exists because Demar Dotson may take over the blind side on a permanent basis. 

Dotson started at left tackle over the final three games. As a career right tackle, the team didn't know exactly what to expect. Dotson, however, wasn't overwhelmed. 

The Southern Miss product received a slightly above-average grade from Pro Football Focus during that stretch of games. Is that good enough for the Buccaneers, though? 

Not everyone believes Dotson's future lies on the left side. 

Davin Joseph started next to Dotson during the 2013 campaign. The veteran free agent told The Tampa Tribune's Ira Kaufman that he believes his former teammate is best suited on the strong side: 

"

Dot’s developed into a leader who can do great things for the Bucs, on and off the field. I hear the Bucs want to move him from right tackle to left tackle. I don’t know about that. Today’s best pass rushers come at you from all angles, not just off the right side. The way I look at it, if Dot’s a standout at right tackle, why change?

"

If Dotson's best position is right tackle and the team's initial pick in the draft is already earmarked for a quarterback, the Buccaneers' options will be limited to properly address left tackle. 

The free-agent class isn't overflowing with talent capable of manning the blind side. The top targets are Green Bay's Bryan Bulaga, who has been a right tackle for the majority of his career, and Tennessee's Michael Roos, who will turn 33 years old during the season and is coming off a season-ending knee surgery. 

Those aren't exactly enticing options, but Buccaneers general Jason Licht won't be afraid to enter free agency after last year's disappointment. 

“We can’t let what happened deter us from taking some risks,’’ Licht told the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud. “If you’re afraid of taking risks, you’re going nowhere. Take the lessons that you learned and it helps you become wiser with your decisions.’’

The team's best option remains building through the draft.

The problem with the offensive tackle class, though, is that an immediate starter at left tackle likely won't be found at the top of the second round. 

Iowa's Brandon Scherff, LSU's La'el Collins, Pitt's T.J. Clemmings, Stanford's Andrus Peat and Miami's Ereck Flowers have first-round ability and could be drafted as such. 

The next wave of offensive tackles isn't quite as enticing.

Utah's Jeremiah Poutasi, Oregon's Jake Fisher and Penn State's Donovan Smith all have the potential to develop into starting left tackles. The Buccaneers could also invest a later pick in Texas A&M's Cedric Ogbuehi, who was considered the top tackle prospect during the season but suffered a knee injury prior to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. 

It all depends on how the Buccaneers attempt to build their team and this year's draft class. The possibility of ignoring the left tackle position instead of investing in it would be a recipe for disaster. 

A quarterback can only be successful if he remains upright. Tampa Bay's long-term success will rely on the organization's ability to develop whichever quarterback the team eventually selects with the No. 1 overall pick. Whether it's Mariota or Winston, their new best friend will be whatever player is eventually deemed capable of protecting their blind side. 

Only when both vital pieces are in place will Tampa Bay take the next step as a franchise. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.