Former Hawkeye Tristan Wirfs is preparing for a strong second season with Tampa Bay

The 2020 NFL Draft first round pick won a Super Bowl in its rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

February 7, 2020; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) and defensive end Pat O’Connor (79) celebrate after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Former Hawkeye offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs has had a Super Bowl winning season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Wirfs played a major role in the Buccaneers offensive protecting quarterback Tom Brady – giving up a single sack in 20 games and 1,073 snaps.

A native of Mount Vernon, Iowa, he played in Iowa for three seasons from 2017-2020. A true newcomer to 2017-18, Wirfs saw the first time in the third game of the season when the Hawkeyes beat North Texas University 31:14.

For the next three seasons, Wirfs became a mainstay in the Hawkeyes’ offensive line. During his final season as Hawkeye in 2019-20, Wifs was an All-Big Ten first-team selection and received All-America first-team awards from Football Writers, the Walter Camp Foundation, and Phil Steele.

After the Hawkeyes beat USC in the 2019 Holiday Bowl, Wirfs declared himself for the 2020 NFL Draft.

Wirfs took part in the 2020 NFL Draft Combine and achieved the best 40 yard dash time among the tackles with a time of 4.85 seconds. He also set the combine record for tackles in the long jump at 10 feet and an inch. In the Combine, Wirfs measured 6 feet-5 and weighed 320 pounds.

In the 2020 NFL Draft, Wirfs was voted 13th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – the fourth selected tackle. Tampa Bay originally held the 14th pick in the first round, the Buccaneers trading one place up with the San Francisco 49ers picking Wirfs.

According to Spotrac.com, Wirfs signed a four-year deal with the Buccaneers based on the draft for a total of over $ 16 million. His deal included a signing bonus of $ 9.362 million.

“I’ve competed against a lot of tough guys and they all have something different from them,” Wirfs told the UI Center for Advancement. “[Chicago Bears linebacker] Khalil Mack is pretty good, strong and fast at the same time. You don’t know what he’s going to blame you for. [New Orleans Saints] Cam Jordan is a big edge rusher. If he positions himself very far and really accelerates, he is powerful. [Carolina Panthers] Brian Burns, [Los Angeles Chargers] Joey Bosa and [the Green Bay Packers] Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith are also all difficult to prepare. I had a lot of fun playing against all these guys. “

CBS Sports’s Pete Prisco placed Wirfs 82nd on their list of Top 100 Players in 2021. In Prisco’s list, Wirfs is the sixth best tackle and the top rookie tackle.

Wirfs returned to Iowa City after his Super Bowl winning season to train at his alma mater before his sophomore year in the NFL.

“I’ll be training in Iowa again in the off-season, but I need to sit down and think about my goals.” Wirfs said. “I’m not sure yet. A return to the Super Bowl could certainly be at the top of the list.”

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