It’s mock draft season, and the Bucs have some time to think about the direction they’ll go at the end of the month. Now that the team has returned starters, signed an impact edge rusher and added depth, attention now turns to the draft and how the team will supplement its roster with young talent.
The Bucs are already underway, bringing in prospects for official top-30 visits and doing their due diligence on each prospect before April’s NFL Draft. Looking at the remaining holes on this team, it’s easy to see where the Bucs will be spending the majority of their draft capital this year — the defensive side of the ball struggled to close games, didn’t get enough production from their front four and was lacking in creating turnovers. Injuries decimated the roster, so adding depth and potential future starters at areas that were hit the hardest will be at the forefront.
The Bucs would be wise to come out of the draft with selections at inside linebacker, edge rusher, cornerback and safety to help bolster a defense that finished towards the bottom of the league in multiple categories. Adding to the depth at defensive tackle, wide receiver and the interior offensive line should also be among considerations for draft picks. Tampa Bay has just six selections in the draft, so not every position will be able to land a selection unless the team moves back to accumulate more picks.
With the NFL Draft just two weeks away, the picture is starting to become clearer on which way the Bucs might go come draft night. Make sure to check out my previous mocks to get a feel for which prospects the Bucs could target. As always, these mocks are more of an exercise to get you familiar with potential Bucs targets in the draft and not as much predictive.
Mock Draft 1.0
Mock Draft 2.0
Mock Draft 3.0
1.19: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas (5’11” / 194 / SR)
Todd Bowles mentioned his concerns about the depth at cornerback at the NFL Owners Meetings, even after signing Kindle Vildor and re-signing Bryce Hall. With those concerns, the Bucs will potentially be looking for help on the outside and inside in the draft and could look to the first round to start adding to the room. Competition is needed for the nickel spot, and the team needs depth if Jamel Dean’s injury issues continue to linger.
Barron does meet the typical size profile the Bucs tend to go for, but he’s a baller. Extremely versatile, he can play both corner spots and safety as well. He brings aggressiveness closing downhill in the run game and is a strong tackler. Barron excels in zone coverage and has tremendous feel and anticipation for where the ball is going to go before it leaves he quarterback’s hands. With great closing speed, he reeled in five interceptions in 2024 to go along with 11 pass breakups. He doesn’t display great long speed and can get handsy when beat, but he’s one of the best corners in the draft. He finished his collegiate career with 226 tackles, 21 for loss, two sacks, eight interceptions, 24 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, a recovery and two defensive touchdowns.
2.53: EDGE Bradyn Swinson, LSU (6’4″/ 255/ SR)
The Bucs brought in veteran edge rusher Haason Reddick and re-signed Anthony Nelson, but could still look to add more competition to the room. Reddick is 30 years old and signed to a one-year deal, and the jury is still out on last year’s second-round pick Chris Braswell. While the Bucs are saying the right things about his development behind the scenes and the addition of Reddick, you can never have too many pass rushers.
Swinson is one of the best pure pass rushers in the draft. With an array of pass rush moves, he beats blockers with long arms, sound technique and active hands. He displays the ability to put together execute a pass rush plan and has good bend to turn the corner. Swinson has good movement both lateral and linear and has shown to be able to handle the duties of dropping in coverage. However, he struggles to set the edge in the run game, can get caught leaning throwing his balance off and can be slow to get off blocks against bigger blockers. After playing in a part time role, he started his final season at LSU and racked up 58 tackles, 12 for loss, 8.5 sacks, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles while having one the highest win percentages (22.1%) in the nation.
3.83: S Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State (6’1″ / 213 / JR)
The Bucs plan on moving Tykee Smith to safety in a way to get him on the field more than just nickel corner reps after a strong rookie season. However, he is still expected to slide down into the slot when the team lines up in three receiver sets. When he does, someone will need to step into the safety spot, and while the Bucs like Kaevon Merriweather and Christian Izien adding competition to the room with a high-quality prospect should be something the front office seriously considers during the draft.
Winston Jr. may not last this long, but if he does, it will be due to medical concerns after he tore his ACL just two games into his senior season. He’s a throwback to the hard-hitting safeties of yore and is an elite run defender and tackler. He can run with tight ends and big slots in man coverage and has the versatility to play both safety spots and fill in as a big nickel. However, he still needs work in diagnosing plays and has just one year as a starter. There are question marks surrounding his injury, and while he displays good closing burst to make plays on the ball, he has just one interception and six pass breakups in his three years with the Nittany Lions. During Winston Jr.’s time at Penn State, he was never called for a penalty and finished with 90 tackles, three for loss, and a forced fumble.
4.121: LB Barrett Carter, Clemson (6’0″ / 232 / SR)
The Bucs have a desperate need for more talent at the linebacker position. Lavonte David is returning for another season, but we don’t know how long he’s going to stay and he lost a step in coverage last season. Beyond that, the team is very high on SirVocea Dennis. The third-year linebacker looked excellent before going down with an injury that cost him his sophomore campaign. With his shoulder cleaned up, the Bucs expect him to challenge for the starting spot next to David. In an insurance policy, the team elevated the floor of the room with free agent signing Anthony Walker, who is a much better option, especially in coverage, than the Bucs had on the team last season. Still, the Bucs are likely to invest resources at the position in the draft.
Carter was touted as a potential second-round pick last season before deciding to return for a final year at Clemson. Carter has true sideline-to-sideline ability, closing quickly on the ball to make the tackle. He is strong in coverage, even seeing snaps in the slot and at corner, and gets his hands on the ball with 21 career pass breakups and three interceptions. He displays the quick ability to diagnose the blocking scheme to move to the appropriate gap to make a stop in the run game and has an excellent change of direction when pursuing in space. However, Carter can sometimes be over-aggressive and run himself out of plays. He’ll need to improve his functional strength, as he can have trouble getting off blocks and can get caught flat-footed in coverage, allowing separation. He’s a bit undersized at six feet, but he made a living in the backfield with 33 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. He finished his four years at Clemson, starting 52 games, racking up 236 tackles, two forced fumbles, and three recoveries, one for a touchdown.
5.157: WR Tory Horton, Colorado State (6’2″/ 196/ SR)
The Bucs have spent a lot of time looking at the receiver class this year and have hosted three prospects likely to be selected on day one or two in the draft on official 30 visits. While the top three are set with Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan and a returning Chris Godwin, the depth behind those three leaves more to be desired. The team re-signed Sterling Shepard and have Trey Palmer and Rakim Jarrett on the roster, but neither has taken the next step the Bucs hoped they would. I would not be surprised if they addressed this position earlier in the season, especially with the injury history for the top four wideouts on the team.
Horton could go a round earlier, but he missed eight games in 2024 due to groin and knee injuries. If he were to make it here, it would be a nice get for the Bucs. Horton is your classic possession receiver. He has strong hands and a big catch radius and will do all the little things right. Not a burner, but he displays deceptive long speed and the ability to stack and shed and create separation with double moves. Horton has excellent ball-tracking skills down the field and is a competitor, not afraid to get his nose dirty blocking even with his lack of ideal mass. However, he has a slender build and needs to get stronger, as he can get knocked off his route by physical corners, which can disrupt his timing. Although he is capable of sharp and concise cuts, he’ll cheat and rounds out too frequently. While he can climb the ladder, he struggles boxing out defenders at times, allowing them to disrupt the catch point. Horton was wildly productive from 2022-23, where he had 33 receptions for over 20 yards and topped 1,100 yards and eight scores in both years. For his five-year career, he totalled 265 receptions, 3,615 yards, and 27 touchdowns.
7.235: OT Mason Miller, North Dakota State (6’6″ / 306 / SR)
The Bucs added Charlie Heck to the tackle room after losing Justin Skule the Viking in free agency, but beyond him, there are questions about the depth at the position. Heck is also on a one-year deal, so drafting someone late to develop after most of the needs are addressed in the draft makes sense.
Miller was teammates with current Bucs right guard Cody Mauch at NDSU. Miller is a versatile offensive linemen, having started games at both right tackle and left guard. In his four seasons as a starter, he helped anchor an offensive line that finished top four in rushing in the FBS for four straight years. A lunch pail player, he plays with a nasty demeanor and grown man strength. Miller plays to the whistle, finishing off blocks in the run game, and has a strong anchor and exceptional footwork that helps him in pass protection. Miller can struggle with finesse rushers and had a few lower-body injuries that have made him a bit stiff. He’ll struggle with more athletic linebackers when climbing to the next level as well. Miller won an FBS National Championship with the Bison his final season and was named First-Team All-Conference as well as First-Team All-American.
READ MORE: Buccaneers keeping close eye on ‘consensus first-round pick’
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