The Tampa Bay Buccaneers once hoisted the Lombardi Trophy on the heels of a dominant pass rush that flummoxed the great Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV. Yet, their defensive unit has ranked among the worst in passing yards per game over the last two seasons.
One ESPN Analyst has the Bucs addressing the pass rush in a big way with their 19th overall selection in a recent 2025 NFL Mock Draft.
Bucs Select Tennessee Edge Defender James Pearce Jr. in Latest ESPN Mock Draft
On the surface, the Bucs’ defense finishing with 24.3% pressure rate, an 8.6% hurry rate, and generating 46 sacks doesn’t exactly scream they have a huge issue getting after the quarterback.
Yet, when you peel back the layers a bit more… it is completely reasonable why ESPN’s Field Yates has the Bucs selecting Tennessee Edge defender James Pearce Jr. at No. 19 overall in his latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft.
Yates said during a broadcast of NFL Mock Draft 3.0, “If we did this exercise six months ago, you’d say there’s no way he gets to No. 19. Right now, you might say, Field, that’s too high. You might say, it’s about right,” when trying to discuss the polarizing prospect profile of Pearce when making this projection for the Bucs.
Yates added, “I’ll just say this Mel [Kiper], at his very best, at his very most dominant best, I think it’s probably him (Pearce) and Abdul Carter for the most impressive physical traits amongst all pash rushers in this entire draft class. Just in terms of get-off, the ability to win with your first step, bend the edge. He’s such a phenomenal athlete that those two guys look like the kind of players, at their best, can become 12 sacks per season guys.”
The Bucs Used a Blitz-Heavy Scheme in 2024
One reason the Bucs were able to generate some of those gaudy pass-rushing totals was a blitz-heavy scheme that saw Tampa Bay blitz on 34.2% of their defensive snaps, which was the third-highest mark in the league last season.
YaYa Diaby had a successful second year in the league, but didn’t have the sack production you would ideally expect from your leading edge defender. Diaby produced just 4.5 sacks in 2024, which was three fewer than we saw from Diaby over his rookie campaign.
Free Agency Decisions Could Tip the Bucs’ Approach to the Edge Position in this Draft
The Bucs have to make financial decisions on both Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson this upcoming offseason, who combined for six sacks in 2024. Tryon-Shoyinka is a former first-round pick who hasn’t been able to generate the pass-rushing production Jason Licht hoped for when he spent the final pick of the first round on the Washington Husky product in the 2021 NFL Draft, which makes this still feel like a position of need this offseason.
The Bucs’ salary cap situation is expected to improve a bit as they continue to distance themselves from the all-in approach they took when Tom Brady was under center, which means the team could elect to address the defensive end position via free agency later this offseason.
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