With free agency mostly settled, final preparations for the 2026 NFL Draft are well underway for all 32 franchises.
The Bucs are facing a critical draft weekend when April 23-25 arrives, as Jason Licht, Todd Bowles, and Co. must make splashes at multiple key positions while building out depth for a make-or-break season. Sitting near middle in the pecking order at 15th overall, the Bucs will have to determine how they want to navigate a draft class that’s often described as thin at the top when it comes to elite players but fairly deep overall in useful prospects at key positions.
With 3 weeks to go, let’s do another mock draft exercise to explore more potential draft targets.
Round 1, Pick 15 — CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
There’s a few aspects of the Bucs’ talent evaluation process that have become fairly easy to key in on over the years:
- They do not stray far from their Best Player Available ethos. If they don’t think one of their perceived positions of need features a prospect that meets their expectations, they’ll focus on objective talent first or even trade.
- Edge was a need in 2023, but the Bucs decided to improve their pass rush via DT Calijah Kancey instead at 19th overall. The next edge rushers weren’t taken until 28th (Myles Murphy) and 31st (Felix Anudike-Uzomah), both of whom have been busts.
- The Bucs picked WR Emeka Egbuka 19th overall last year, surprising many. The next defensive players who went after him either did not fit what they needed (like run-stuffing defensive tackle Tyleik Williams) or must have been off their board for off-field/injury concerns (like DT Derrick Harmon or EDGE James Pearce).
- They really prefer younger, high-quality athletes. The Bucs have not drafted someone older than 23 in the first round ever under Jason Licht, and every pick except for Jameis Winston and Mike Evans have logged Relative Athletic Scores (RAS) of 9 or better.
It seems like that context is really important to reinforce in this particular draft because many fans and analysts (and even myself) are falling into the dreaded trap of reaching for need.
The Bucs are not in an ideal spot at 15th overall, that’s just the truth. There’s a high chance the best players at their biggest positions of need — linebacker and edge rusher — are going to be gone. So we’re frequently falling into the assumption they need to draft someone like EDGE Akheem Mesidor, who is very good but extremely old with an injury history, or LB C.J. Allen, who is commonly hailed for his smarts but has serious questions about his open-field athleticism and ability to make impact plays.
I went with Mesidor in my first mock draft, and while I don’t think anyone should necessarily bemoan that selection if it comes to fruition, it does not feel optimal when you put more thought into it. Ditto for Allen, but either of those guys would become a lot more palatable with a trade-down into the 20s and the acquisition of more capital.
But let’s just entertain the possibility that Licht stays put, like he has done the last three years, and remains stalwart in his BPA approach. That would really open up the conversation to someone like Jermod McCoy if he’s available.
Beyond just McCoy’s sheer talent, the Bucs did lose No. 1 Jamel Dean to free agency, and their outside corner outlook is murky after very rough 2025 campaigns from both Zyon McCollum and then-rookie Benjamin Morrison. They have no depth outside of those two, and no plan for the future if both continue to underperform.
McCoy is an excellent athlete with sterling tape from two seasons at Oregon State and Tennessee, respectively, before missing all of 2025 with a torn ACL. Now I know Bucs fans are going to read that sentence and immediately furrow their brows. “Wonderful, ANOTHER injured cornerback.”
Listen, I get it, but McCoy has only that injury on his ledger, and it’s a commonly addressed one these days. He doesn’t turn 21 until the preseason, which is another reason for optimism. He recently tested at his Pro Day and ran a sub-4.4 along with posting other encouraging numbers, so there’s no reason to believe he won’t be ready to go. This does not feel like a Morrison situation nor a Mesidor situation, as the latter turns 25 before season’s start (an entire rookie contract older than McCoy) and has a history with multiple lower-body injuries.
You’re now talking about a toolsy, 6-foot-1 ballhawk who’s ahead of the curve mentally and won’t be asked to start for the Bucs right away but can rotate in as he acclimates. To me, that feels like extracting better value at this point in the draft, and it should really stay on people’s radars.
Round 2, Pick 46 — EDGE Gabe Jacas, Illinois
Now the flip side of not being aggressive with needs in the first round: you really need to nail your Day 2 picks.
Even with Al-Quadin Muhammad signed and 2025 rookie David Walker returning, the Bucs need as many talented bodies as they can muster on the edges. Former second-rounder Chris Braswell is a bust, and Anthony Nelson is just a fine backup.
The Bucs have really stressed getting bigger and more aggressive on defense, and it’s hard to find many prospects more fitting of those descriptors than Illinois’ Gabe Jacas (Ya-cas). A rocked-up 22-year-old standing 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Jacas is an imposing physical presence who quite simply wants to beat the hell out of anyone standing across from him.
Touting a wrestling background, Jacas uses strong hands and an unrelenting motor to play through an offensive tackles face and hunt the ball. He’s not super twitchy or bendy, which you wish the Bucs had more of as a roster, but Jacas is the ideal version of what they’ve typically drafted in the past.
He has experience lining up from multiple alignments (standing up, 4i, etc.), which will appeal to Todd Bowles, and he’s acclaimed as a strong locker room presence and leader. Racking up 19 sacks and 7 forced fumbles in his final two years, including 11 sacks in 2025, indicates the needle is point up.
A non-elite athletic profile while likely keep him out of Round 1, but picks 30-50 feel like the sweet spot for him.
Round 3, Pick 77 — LB Josiah Trotter, Missouri
With strong NFL blood coursing through his veins — his dad was former All-Pro and Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, and his brother Jeremiah Jr. is currently a linebacker on the Philadelphia Eagles — Josiah Trotter is well-positioned to carry on his family legacy.
A sturdy 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, Trotter is an enforcing berserker who lives to disrupt at the line of scrimmage. He does well at sifting through traffic and has several tricks to slip by blockers, which allows him to formulate optimal paths to the ball. He lives to lay down the wood but does so in a controlled manner, using strong hands and a sturdy base to get ball carriers on the ground.
He’s still young, being just a two-year starter and a 21-year-old rookie, so that serves him well given how he’s already picked up some advanced skills. However, he’s an average athlete with an awkwardly cut frame, and he will get absolutely dissected in coverage if left alone with difficult assignments.
He’s twitchy and flexible with a good head on his shoulders, so there’s some growth potential in the passing game, but there will undoubtedly be hiccups to endure. Pairing him with new signing Alex Anzalone will help with this, as the Bucs could play Trotter as a true MIKE that’s frequently mugged up and sent as a blitzer.
Round 4, Pick 116 — TE Oscar Delp, Georgia
The Bucs have done plenty of research on tight ends despite signing Cade Otton to a contract extension. It seems to indicate they’ve seen enough of both Payne Durham (who’s in a contract year) and Devin Culp, and a potential upgrade at TE2 would be nice.
In a draft deep at tight end, the Bucs will have plenty of options on late Day 2 and into early Day 3, a range that seems safe to bet on for Georgia prospect Oscar Delp.
Despite starting 24 games over the last three years for the perennially contending Bulldogs, Delp saw very little in the way of usage — he never eclipsed 300 yards in a season or 5 touchdowns. Despite that, Delp is a high-quality, versatile athlete who should be able to contribute in both phases with a little more seasoning.
He needs to keep getting stronger, and his short arms limit his reach and ability to make secure catches in heavy traffic, but there’s no reason Delp can’t be a useful contributor down the line thanks to his short-area quickness and encouraging overall technique.
Round 5, Pick 155 — IOL Beau Stephens, Iowa
After the constantly revolving door at guard last year, the Bucs need to invest in some youthful upside since their current developmental options (Luke Haggard and Elijah Klein) haven’t really panned out.
Under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, the Falcons utilized a blocking scheme that focused mainly on zone blocking, which hasn’t really been Tampa’s speed for the last several years — a majority of the team’s success has been via running gap-duo. It remains to be seen how much Robinson can, or will, adapt, but it doesn’t hurt to assume he might want more bodies who naturally fit his tendencies.
The Bucs have found success with Iowa offensive linemen in the past, and Beau Stephens might be the next fit.
A sound technician who plays with ideal balance, hand placement and intelligence, Stephens helps reduce the downsides of his average athleticism and subpar length / size. There’s a clear ceiling on just how good he can be, but there’s no doubt the floor is there to be a high-quality backup and spot starter.
Round 6, Pick 195 — WR Reggie Virgil, Texas Tech
Enduring the loss of Mike Evans will incur some growing pains, and a sixth-round pick isn’t going to alleviate those by any significant amount. However, it would behoove Tampa to at least search for a larger body type who has some experience playing the role Evans has filled for the last 12 years.
Reggie Virgil made the jump from the MAC to the Big 12 in 2025 for the playoff-contending Texas Tech Red Raiders and didn’t miss a beat, leading the team in receiving with 57 receptions for 706 yards and 6 touchdowns. The 6-foot-3 wideout is surprisingly nimble on his feet while remaining a reliable contested-catch threat downfield. Average athleticism and rudimentary route running will lower the ceiling some, but there’s definitely something to work with.
A top 5 rotation of Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Reggie Virgil, and Tez Johnson is absolutely a young, solid group that can be built around.
Round 7, Pick 229 — DT Aaron Hall, Duke
Galvanizing the front 7 should remain at the forefront of Tampa’s draft strategy from picks 1 to 257, so there would be nothing wrong with a dart throw at one of those positions with their final pick to get a head-start on any potential UDFA signings.
At 6-foot-4, 290 pounds with 33 1/2” arms, Hall carries an NFL-ready frame and build that will give him an inside edge when it comes to at least getting on a 53-man roster. A two-year starter and team captain with strong character reports at Duke, Hall produced unspectacular yet solid numbers for the Blue Devils — 123 tackles, 8 sacks, 4 passes defensed, and 1 forced fumble in 45 career games.
He’s inconsistent in the run game, which stems from suboptimal understanding of leverage and gap assignments, but the wins are often very impactful (he posted 11 tackles for loss in 2025). He’s definitely got the strength and explosiveness to affect the passer as well, but lots of tinkering to his tool kit will be necessary if he’s to truly unlock any serious potential.
Overall, you could do a lot worse for a seventh-rounder. Take bets on athleticism and upside.
There you have it, Bucs Nation, mock draft 2.0 in the books. I tried to switch it up with a different approach and hopefully introduce some new names into the fray. Voice your feedback in the comments below!