What NFL Draft experts are saying about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selecting Tristan Wirfs at No. 13 overall

Although his night didn't include a top-10 NFL Draft selection, as many mock drafts had projected, it was only a matter of time before Tristan Wirfs came off the board

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected the former Iowa standout with the No. 13 overall pick Thursday, sliding up one spot from 14th in a minor trade with the San Francisco 49ers. Wirfs was the fourth offensive lineman taken.     

A look at how several NFL Draft experts viewed the pick.

ESPN Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

"Of course a right tackle at Iowa, but he did play left tackle when Alaric Jackson was hurt. Obviously, still needs a little work for the freakish talent that he is. There are times when he needs to pay a little bit more attention to detail, but the upside for Wirfs I think is through the roof. Obviously, the left tackle spot, he more than held his own when Jackson was hurt." 

"... Kirk Ferentz got him to this level. Now he needs to take another notch to be Pro Bowl-caliber player protecting Tom Brady." 

ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick

"He is one of those interchangeable guys as far as being able to go from the right side to the left side. He did it in the course of games. And there's no question that, down here at this pick, this is the best player available for (Tampa Bay) at a position that they need. It's a slam-dunk for them."

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Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.