Why the Buccaneers Need Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet as Much as Jameis Winston

Quarterback Jameis Winston was the Buccaneers' most promulgated pick of the 2015 draft, but their selections of offensive tackle Donovan Smith and guard Ali Marpet are equally significant. Without Smith and Marpet, Winston won't last long enough to become the Bucs' franchise quarterback.

Last year, the Bucs offense was star-crossed. Offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford's health kept him from ever calling a play. Josh McCown reminded everyone why he had been a backup for most of his career. The offensive line reboot failed completely.

The Bucs had no choice but to start over. Hiring Dirk Koetter was a huge step in the right direction, but acquiring a long-term quarterback was a necessity.

There should have been no question the Bucs were going to take Jameis Winston with the first overall pick. He was easily the most pro-ready quarterback in the draft, having demonstrated pocket awareness and anticipation in his throws seldom seen in college quarterbacks.

Winston isn't perfect, though. He threw 28 interceptions over just two seasons, and it probably could have been more.

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

A major contributor to Winston's frequent turnovers was the poor quality of Florida State's offensive line. The unrelenting pressure upfront forced Winston to make throws he really had no business attempting, like this early attempt against Florida:

Playing under constant pass-rush pressure is simply a reality in the NFL, and pass-rushers only get better at the next level. He cannot expect to continue making risky plays when the heat is on.

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

If Winston had to play behind last year's Tampa Bay offensive line, he would not only be good for double-digit interceptions, he would probably be a smear across the turf of every NFC South stadium.

The biggest mistake the Bucs made with their offensive line last year was replacing Donald Penn with former Bengal T Anthony Collins. While Penn had a good season with the Raiders, Collins was nothing short of a disaster for the Bucs.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Bucs' former left tackle allowed 14 pressures, 14 quarterback hits and a sack in just 10 games. The Bucs cut Collins just a year after signing him to a five-year, $30 million contract.

The Bucs also never addressed the right guard position last year, which became a turnstile for Oniel Cousins, Patrick Omameh and Garrett Gilkey.

Drafting Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet are clear acknowledgement of the Bucs' front-office failures last year. What makes them so important is the level of risk the Bucs assumed by drafting them and the risk they pose not only to the success of Jameis Winston but to the Bucs' entire offense.

Smith and Marpet represent the only other substantive changes to the Bucs' abysmal 2014 offense, so the offense's success is intrinsically tied to their development.

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

Smith is a boulder of a man at 6'6" and 338 pounds. For such a large man, Smith moves with surprising fluidity and quickness. He is certainly capable of shutting down opposing pass-rushers:

A bit of a surprise pick at the top of the second round, Smith probably was not as dominant as he could have been at Penn State. Too often he finished plays on the ground, unable to maintain balance particularly when blocking in space.

Following Smith's selection, NFL Network's Mike Mayock asked, "Does he love football?" Questions about his work ethic will shadow Smith throughout training camp and into the regular season.

Marpet is just as big a question mark. Coming out of D-III at Hobart, the 6'4", 304-pound guard has little experience playing against talent of a similar caliber.

According to MMQB.com's Peter King, Marpet was one of Bucs' favorite players at the Senior Bowl and combine this year. Marpet certainly made an impression with his combine performance, recording impressive 4.98 second 40-yard dash, 7.33 second 3-cone, and 4.47 second 20-yard shuttle times

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Smith and Marpet join starters Demar Dotson, Logan Mankins and Evan Dietrich-Smith. Marpet will likely fill the right guard slot, but it's surprising that Bucs general manager Jason Licht intends on starting Smith at left tackle per Buccaneers.com's Scott Smith.

Demar Dotson finished the 2014 season at left tackle and is arguably a more polished and reliable pass protector than Smith, at least at this point. Smith has prototypical size for left tackle, but the Bucs are asking him to neutralize the best pass-rushers in the NFL. Jameis Winston needs Smith to acclimate quickly if he has any hope of surviving his rookie season.

If Smith and Marpet end up as busts, the Bucs offense won't be that much better off even with Winston at the helm. For as good as Winston is under pressure, even he can't make much happen when his protection constantly collapses.

The run game is equally reliant on Smith and Marpet. In 2014, the Bucs averaged a pathetic 3.9 yards per carry. Though their running backs aren't the most talented group, the Bucs' ground-game woes stemmed from the sheer havoc at the line.

The less success the running backs have, the more pressure there is on Winston to put the team on his shoulders, likely leading to more mistakes.

Winston, Smith and Marpet are all inheriting positions marred by uncertainty and inconsistency. Winston's value to the franchise is obvious, but the value of Smith and Marpet to Winston's success cannot be overstated.