To say that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2016 draft class was a disaster would be an understatement.
It may have been nine years ago, but the mistakes made by the franchise at the time set the stage for a few dark years for the team. At the top of those mistakes?
Second round kicker Roberto Aguayo.
Taken by the team in a stunning draft selection, Aguayo was one of the most accurate kickers in college football for Florida State before making his way to the NFL. In his lone season with the Bucs, he made just 22-31 kicks and a measly 4-11 from kicks outside of 40 yards.
Even worse, Tampa Bay traded up for the young kicker.
It's why one analyst felt it was a no-brainer when naming the biggest draft mistakes over the last decade.
"In the 2016 draft, Tampa made the curious decision to trade up and draft kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round", Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox wrote. "That’s right, the Buccaneers traded up to draft a kicker in Round 2. The move to No. 59 cost Tampa the 74th and 106th overall selections."
There's good news for Tampa Bay, though.
As bad as the 2016 draft class was, they quickly turned things around over the next few years. Chris Godwin, Vita Vea, Carlton Davis, and Jamel Dean were just a few players that were taken by the team in the following drafts.
All were instrumental in helping the team win the Super Bowl in 2020.
And made the mistake of Aguayo all the more worth it.