With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a transition year, the team will be looking heavily at defenders in the NFL draft, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
“Arguably their two biggest needs right now are edge rusher and inside linebacker, with edge rusher a position that continues to elude the Bucs,” Laine wrote in a story published April 20. “That’s especially true when you compare it to the high degree of success they have had at other positions, such as interior offensive linemen, offensive tackle and wide receiver.”
General manager Jason Licht acknowledged in his pre-draft press conference the team’s priorities. The NFL draft starts April 22 and runs through April 24.
“We do see that there is a need for help there on the defensive side, for sure,” Licht told reporters on April 15.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Jason Licht: ‘We’ve Put a Lot of Energy Into It’
While Licht admits that the Bucs have not had the success drafting defensive players as they have had signing or trading for he does not see the evaluation process changing,
“I don’t know how much has changed,” Licht said. “We’ve put a lot of energy into it, though. I feel like we’ve gone back and studied a lot of rushers that didn’t make it or didn’t work out to kind of see what we can do better, where we can focus our attention on a little bit more.”
The Buccaneers will be hopeful that they can find the future franchise cornerstones to replace the ones that just departed.
Jordan Reid’s Latest Mock Draft
Jordan Reid of ESPN published his latest mock draft on Monday, projecting all 257 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Reid believes that Tampa Bay will use its first three selections on defensive players, at pick no. 15 he projects Cornerback Jermod McCoy to the Bucs. Reid writes,
“Tampa Bay has major question marks in its cornerbacks room. Jamel Dean signed with the Steelers this offseason, Zyon McCollum didn’t play to his potential after signing a long-term extension, and Benjamin Morrison was highly inconsistent as a rookie. So, adding McCoy makes sense, especially with GM Jason Licht’s penchant for taking the best player available even if it doesn’t seem like the team’s biggest need on the surface.”
The Bucs then stay with defensive players out of the SEC selecting R Mason Thomas out of Oklahoma at pick no. 46. Reid believes the edge rusher would liven up an aging room and that Thomas is “an energetic edge player who doesn’t have an off switch.”
Reid believes that at pick no. 77 the Buccaneers would take Cincinnati linebacker, Jake Golday. Golday would be the “replacement” for future Hall of Famer Lavonte David.
In this mock draft, Tampa Bay goes on to select one more defensive player and three offensive players, the most interesting of which is Clemson quarterback, Cade Klubnik. Klubnik would be taken at pick no. 195 and could be the potential backup for Baker Mayfield but also possibly the future starting Quarterback.
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