The Buccaneers face a critical weekend as the 2026 NFL Draft approaches. How will they inject their roster with fresh talent? The Bucs Nation writers discuss.
The Buccaneers seem to be in a disadvantageous spot at 15th overall. How should they approach it?
Evan Wanish (EW): Yeah, being at 15th overall isn’t the best scenario just based on this draft class and who may be off the board. By the time Tampa selects, all of the top pass rushers and linebacker will be gone. I’d look to trade down first but that could also be difficult because it takes two to tango.
Gil Arcia (GA): Sitting at 15 isn’t
ideal, but it’s actually a sweet spot if Tampa stays disciplined. The Buccaneers should let the board come to them rather than reaching for need, especially with several teams ahead likely to push talent down. If a true blue-chip defender slips, sprint the card in. Otherwise, this is a prime trade-down spot to pick up extra Day 2 capital and still land a starter.
Mike Kiwak (MK): The Bucs are facing a real scenario where the best players available may be in the secondary, offensive line or even tight end / receiver. While any of those aren’t necessarily unneeded, that does not align with what Tampa needs most (pass rush, linebacker). Trading down needs to Jason Licht’s No. 1 priority.
Will Walsh (WW): Call the Raiders. Don’t reach, don’t draft a player that the team doesn’t really have a use for, call a team that tried to trade a player Tampa Bay fans craved just a few months ago. No. 15 this year is the ice cream, find what the cherry on top is and get Maxx Crosby.
Who are some of your favorite prospects at Tampa’s biggest “need” positions? How do you envision them fitting into the current roster?
EW: I do like Dani Dennis-Sutton out of Penn State. I’ve written a profile on him so I won’t expand a ton but I think he’s a guy who is being overlooked a bit because of a disappointing, but not terrible final season at PSU. I think he slots right in as their number three pass rusher and eventually gets the starting gig.
GA: This is a weak draft class for edge rushers in that at No. 15 the top-tier guys are likely gone. Then you’d have to wait until late in the first for it to be of some value, right? Keldrick Faulk and T.J. Parker are two prospects that they can realistically land. The former is good against the run, the latter is better against the pass and can play all along the line. Not crazy about either, but they are favorites in the sense that it’s probably what they have to settle for.
MK: At edge rusher, I feel really good about Gabe Jacas from Illinois. His game isn’t built on supreme speed or bendiness, but he’s strong-handed, well-balanced, and relentless with the developing tools to suggest he’s got more room for growth. He’s a really strong target for the end of Round 1 or beginning of Round 2.
Who is someone you do not want to see the Buccaneers select? Why?
EW: Keldric Faulk out of Auburn. He’s not a bad football player by any means, but this team needs a guy who can rush the passer on the edge and Faulk isn’t likely to be that guy. He’s got good size, but that size probably makes him an interior player in Tampa Bay’s defense. While the IDL is a need, I’d prefer if they went in a different direction with a top-15 pick.
GA: I’m not going to go with one single name here. Instead, I’m going to go with the position I don’t want to see the Buccaneers draft, and that is offensive line. Yes, the team can always use depth there. We’ve seen countless times what has happened when Tampa Bay has lost a guy or two or three along the line and Baker Mayfield scrambled for his life. However, this team can’t go after the quarterback. So for the love of God, leave the offensive line for like Day 3. Beef up that defense!
MK: To be truthful, I really don’t want to see the Bucs take Cashius Howell, the Texas A&M pass rusher. His production in college is great and he has eye-popping juice, but he is a historic outlier (0 percentile arm length, 1 percentile wingspan) who is not good in run defense. No edge player since 2011 with sub-31″ arms has even recorded a sack in their first three seasons. This team is just not in the position to be betting on that kind of risk.
WW: If I could make someone something, it would be a trade out of the first round. A small step backwards to a pick in the high-teens or low-twenties isn’t discouraging, but a trade to round two for compensation next year would be. With 2025 ending the way it did, the perception is that the Buccaneers are so far away. That notion completely wipes away Tampa’s elite start to the season. You can choose to not believe in the coach, you can certainly be upset at some of the subtractions/additions featured this offseason, but the Buccaneers are still just a few key players away from legitimate contention— Go for it.
Name one underrated Round 1 fit for the Buccaneers. Why?
EW: I mean, I guess I’ll say Jacob Rodriguez. He’s obviously been a popular name amongst Bucs fans but a lot of that talk is the second round. There hasn’t been much buzz around Tampa Bay getting Rodriguez in the first and maybe there should be. I think it’d be a surprise at 15th overall but if the Bucs move down and acquire more picks, Rodriguez being their first-round selection would not be a shocker. He feels like their type of football player.
GA: If the Bucs trade down in the first, they can totally take a shot at Anthony Hill, Jr., the young linebacker from Texas. He can force turnovers and get after the quarterback. He plays smart and is good in the passing game. I’m not saying he is like someone that just retired, but boy that guy could do it all. So can Hill
MK: I still think Jermod McCoy, who I pegged in my previous 7-round mock, would be a fine selection for the Bucs. If they green-light his health, he put some rare tape out in 2024 that signals the type of ceiling that currently does not exist in the Buccaneers’ cornerback room. Given they have bodies at the position who can start, McCoy would get the runway to work himself back into football shape and acclimate to the pro game.
Can the Bucs get away with a Round 1 offensive surprise like last year and still get to where they need to be on defense?
EW: This is tricky because many would be inclined to say probably not, and for good reason. This team has multiple needs on the defensive side of the ball and needs invest legit resources into it. At the same time, assuming those offensive players are either Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq or Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane, they can be real difference makers right away. Is Tampa Bay a better football team with them on the roster? Probably, but how much longer can they continue to hope and pray they strike gold in the later rounds on defense?
GA: They can, but it’s a risky bet given the current roster construction. Tampa Bay’s defense still lacks consistent pass rush and depth in the secondary. Hitting on Day 2 defenders would become absolutely critical if they go offense again early. Realistically, they’re better off using Round 1 to anchor the defense with a high-impact starter.
MK: I am skeptical of that. In the first four rounds, you’d really like to see the Bucs address some mix of edge rusher, linebacker, cornerback, and defensive tackle. You don’t need to necessarily hit on all of those, but do you need to consider tight end and interior offensive line on the same priority level, too? Ultimately, I understand the BPA argument, but it’s really hard to justify offensive guard or tight end in Round 1 when all the need for premium defensive talent is so prominent.
WW: No. New England is in Jason Licht’s lore— Bowles is not Belichick. He isn’t making lemonade out of lemons, he needs a juicer. When Bowles has had the proper roster, he has shown what he can produce. In years he hasn’t had that roster, the results haven’t been good. Just acknowledge the need and help your coach.
Who are some prospects who intrigue you on Day 2 or 3 (assuming they’re available)?
EW: R Mason Thomas out of Oklahoma is a guy I’m intrigued by. He showcases some pass rush juice and I think he could be a good fit for what the Bucs are looking for. If they aren’t able to land a pass rusher in the first round, a guy like Mason Thomas could make a ton of sense on day two.
GA: I think some decent linebackers can be had here. I know how Mike feels about Cashius Howell so I will stay quiet there. Other names though like Anthony Hill, Jr., Jacob Rodriguez, and CJ Allen may be there for the Buccaneers. Some mocks had Tampa Bay taking edge rusher Zion Young from Missouri in Round 2, and I wouldn’t be upset with that.
MK: I really like Jimmy Rolder from Michigan, who has limited starting experience but looked really impressive for the Wolverines with his overall athleticism and instincts. He’d be a third- or fourth-rounder. At tight end, I like Joe Royer from Cincinnati. He’s a very tough receiver and competitive blocker, but there’s edges to sand down (needs to expand his route tree and improve his blocking technique). He’d be a good bet in Rounds 4 or 5.
WW: Any and every edge rusher! I fear I’ll be passed away on this hill before Jason Licht course corrects and rights this wrong. Tampa has been operating with an inadequate edge-rush room for nearly half of a decade. Draft as many edge defenders as you can until you hit on one. All of the other ‘needs’ on the team’s defense won’t be as exposed if quarterbacks have to play the entire game on their back.
Call your shot. What do the Buccaneers do in Round 1?
EW: I wouldn’t love this pick, but the Bucs feel like the team that really likes Akheem Mesidor out of Miami. They need a guy who’s polished as a pass rusher and he could certainly bring that. I am always a bit skeptical of picking older prospects this early in the draft and Mesidor will be 25 years old when the season begins but Tampa Bay needs pass rush help and Mesidor could provide that. If they were able to move down and still get him, it would make me feel much better about it.
GA: I think the Bucs will wait until rounds 2 and 3 to address the defense. I don’t believe they will have a true shot at a “need” with the 15th pick and we could see them stay put after not being able to trade down. With that said, I’ll stick to who I had them picking in the SB Nation community mock draft, and that is tight end Kenyon Sadiq out of Oregon. It’ll be the best pick at No. 15 and the one that would make the best sense there to have an offensive weapon Baker Mayfield can throw to after losing Mike Evans.
MK: I am very confident Tampa is going to trade out of 15. The Steelers feel like an ideal fit given Pittsburgh’s glut of third-rounders (3) while still being just outside the top 20. I am also confident it will be defense, but you’ll have to see exactly who I think it will be in Thursday’s final mock draft.
WW: I believe Tampa is trading down. The Bucs don’t have a lot of picks this year and they’ll likely be looking to stockpile more selections. Where the trade lands will shine a bright light on the way Buccaneers view themselves as an organization in 2026. A passive trade back is a play for the future — Reload for 2027 because that might be our year, while a trade up is a belief in Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield. Option C – A trade-back that involves a veteran player from another team shows strategic aggression. Long passed are the of big swings of the Brady era, but when will Jason Licht identify the next J.P.P.?
