The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started the 2025 season at 6-2 right before their bye week. Things were looking up, rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka looked like a rookie of the year lock, quarterback Baker Mayfield was playing out of his mind, and first place in the NFC South looked like it was theirs.
Then, after the bye week, it all fell apart, and the team lost seven of its last nine games, finishing 8-9 and losing the tiebreaker to the Carolina Panthers for the NFC South title. The Buccaneers missed the playoffs, and fans weren’t happy with the team’s coaching for obvious reasons.
There were rumors that head coach Todd Bowles would be fired, but he ended up staying. The decisions led to repercussions: long-time Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans left the team in free agency, and it was made clear it wasn’t because of money; he wanted a change of scenery.
The team also lost cornerback Jamal Dean and long-time linebacker Lavonte David to retirement. Tampa Bay has a lot of holes to fill now before the 2026 season.
Let’s get to filling those holes. Here’s my 7-round mock for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Round 1, Pick 15: LB CJ Allen
I haven’t seen Allen mocked to Tampa Bay much, but I feel like he’s a very real option for this team. General manager Jason Licht usually attacks the trenches early in the draft, but here with Allen, he’s the perfect fit to replace David. Will he be David? Only time will tell, but Allen has good size at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds.
Allen is an A+ run defender who thrives on block destruction and has a good sense of where running backs are trying to attack. He has limitations as a zone defender in pass coverage, but he has the athletic traits to have upside there.
He was also the “green dot” of the Georgia Bulldogs defense, meaning he was the leader, the one calling the plays. That’s the type of leader the Buccaneers need in the middle of their defense after losing David. Allen had 71 tackles, 39 run stops and three pass breakups in 2025.
Even with signing free-agent linebacker Alex Anzalone, linebacker is still a real need for Tampa Bay – hence the Allen pick here.
Round 2, Pick 46: Malachi Lawrence
Edge rusher is a huge need for the Buccaneers, and they address it here in the second round with the high upside of Lawrence. He’s 6-foot-4 and 253 pounds and ran a 4.52 40 at the NFL Combine. He had 40 quarterback pressures, 30 hurries and seven sacks for UCF in 2025.
He’s a lengthy, but athletic pass rusher off the edge. He has an explosive first step to get upfield and can collapse pockets with the strength he generates from his hips. Can win in multiple ways, doesn’t just win with speed. Play strength can improve, especially in the run game. He felt like he didn’t have much leg drive or strong hands to set the edge. His explosiveness shows in the run game when he’s left unblocked.
Lawrence gives Bowles an intriguing piece off the edge, and he can mix up looks with the versatility Lawrence has in his build.
Round 3, Pick 77: Kyle Louis
Making this pick, I don’t anticipate Louis playing linebacker primarily. He can play linebacker in some defensive formations, but overall, I think Louis can give the secondary much-needed versatility on the back end.
Louis is the definition of an undersized linebacker, standing 6 feet and weighing 220 pounds, but his athleticism shows in his 4.53 40, 39.5 vertical and 6.97 3-cone. He played more in the overhang position for Pittsburgh in 2025 and gave tremendous effort in the run game regardless of the opponent’s size. His burst showcases in that regard, but obviously doesn’t have the real size to match up with offensive linemen.
He’s very smart and trusts his eyes, will jump passing lanes to get interceptions, will re-route No. 2 receivers, and just knows when he has to carry vertical routes down the field. Like Lawrence, Louis gives the Buccaneers defense so much-needed versatility and youth.
Round 4, Pick 116: Will Lee III
The loss of Dean hurts, no doubt, but Lee gives the Buccaneers a developmental outside corner to help fill the need. Jacob Parrish can stay in the nickel, and Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morriosn fill the outside corner positions.
Bowles runs more of a zone scheme, and Lee struggled with that in college, having a 56 zone coverage grade according to PFF, but man, does he thrive in man coverage. He offers a good size with his 6-foot-1 and 189-pound frame and thrives in matching up receivers off the line.
Very fluid hips to mirror routes, and he forced nine incompletions in the 2025 season.
Round 5, Pick 155: DeMonte Capehart
Interior defense line isn’t a major need for the Buccaneers, especially with having a guy like Vita Vea roaming in the middle of the defense, but I feel like some depth can be added there. Capehart is a great mid-round addition to answer that depth and has some strong upside as a run defender. He’s 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds with strong athleticism, running a 4.85 40 for his size with a 33.5 vertical jump.
The athleticism pops with a good first step and can really use his strong hands to control gaps, leading to easy run-stops. More of just a pocket collapser as a pass rusher, which is why he’s projected to go in the middle rounds, but can easily use the athleticism on stunts.
Round 6, Pick 195: Tanner Koziol
The first offensive pick for the Buccaneers, and it’s a fun one with Koziol. Tampa Bay needs some tight end depth, with only Cade Otten and Payne Durham as the top two guys on the roster.
Koziol adds to the room with his NFL-ready size at 6-foot-6 and 247 pounds. He ran well at the combine, having a 4.7 40, but speed isn’t necessarily his game. It’s his ability to go up and get a ball. Koziol had 20 contested catches for Houston this season, giving him a contested-catch rate of 74.1 percent.
The reason he’s going later is that he doesn’t have elite separation ability, isn’t a polished run blocker, and also struggles with some drops. But the size is there, and he’s obviously used to going out and running routes; he can develop the run-blocking aspect, and Koziol can be a solid tight end 2 for Tampa Bay.
Round 7, Pick 229: Vincent Anthony Jr.
When it comes to these later picks, teams like to bet on upside, and I believe Anthony has the size to be an NFL rusher. 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, he ran a 4.84 40 at the combine, but improved at his pro day, running a 4.82. Very lengthy frame with an 83-inch wingspan, which you can feel on his tape.
Longer strides help him with his get-off, and he flashes fast hands to create pressure. Loved his motor throughout his tape; he never felt like he gave up, just felt like he could improve on his agility, which limited him as a pass rusher. Even with the bigger frame, he really struggled to set the edge as a run defender. There are some reps, though, in his seven-and-a-half sack season, where it all comes together for Anthony and he looks dominant.
Bowles gets another pass rusher to hopefully give the Buccaneers help in that regard.
