The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are only days away from being on the clock with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the possibilities for general manager Jason Licht feel like they are just about endless.
He can go for a new edge rusher, find the heir to Lavonte David at inside linebacker, replace Jamel Dean with a younger shutdown corner, beef up Baker Mayfield's offensive line, load up with a friend for Emeka Egbuka at wide receiver, snag Kenyon Sadiq at tight end, or even add a defensive lineman to help Vita Vea out.
There are even thoughts of the Buccaneers trading down, though, of course, more teams in the back half of the first round will have the same thoughts of moving down to stockpile picks in a deep 2026 NFL Draft, rather than move up for a specific target.
But the Buccaneers just might stand pat in the first round, because there are some real gems who could fall to them with pick No. 15. In a piece for the FanSided main page, the always astute Nick Villano discussed 10 players who could take a surprise tumble in this year's draft - and five of those are especially relevant to the Bucs.
Buccaneers could get an absolute steal in these 2026 NFL Draft targets
The first is dream target of Tampa Bay's in Ohio State Buckeyes inside linebacker Sonny Styles, who is one of the best players in the draft and tested off the charts at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. But Villano thinks he could go down closer to the 15 range, simply because other teams will be after different needs.
Another elite defensive prospect Villano thinks could suddenly be in play for the Buccaneers is Rueben Bain Jr. of the Miami Hurricanes. The reasoning there is obvious, as Bain Jr. was involved in a car crash that led to the death of an occupant, and there honestly may be red flags there that the Bucs should not touch, regardless of his prodigious talent.
In any case, another risky proposition for entirely different reasons is Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy. A common mock to the Bucs at the corner position, McCoy has chronic knee injuries, but if he has a clean medical bill, he could be a great pick for the Bucs, though it is highly implausible he falls all the way to the second round.
Then there is Jordan Tyson. The talented but mercurial wide receiver is actually valued as the No. 14 pick, and Villano thinks he could go into the 20s. So if the Buccaneers are able to trade down, he is a candidate for them in the back half of the first round.
And finally, defensive lineman Christen Miller has come out of nowhere to be a projected first round pick in the draft. Villano doesn't buy it, and believes NFL GMs will see him as more of a Day 2 pick, which would prime the Georgia Bulldog as an intriguing second round ploy for Tampa.
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