It was a stunning but successful first round of the NFL Draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite being expected to address defensive needs, the Bucs ended up taking Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with the No. 19 pick, the latest in a long line of Jason Licht zags when everyone thinks he'll zig.
Licht explained the decision as a way to combat situations like when the Bucs lost both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for an extended period last year. The team went 0-3 in games where they were missing both players, and while Egbuka is an expensive insurance policy, he also makes an already dangerous wide receiver room even deadlier.
Using their first round pick on a wide receiver means the Buccaneers have to focus on defense in the second and third rounds on Friday. The team enters the second day of the draft armed with two picks:
- Round 2, Pick 21, 53rd overall
- Round 3, Pick 20, 84th overall
That could change if the Bucs trade down or craft a package to move up. The latter situation isn't out of the question, as there's a plethora of talent still on available for the Bucs to take.
Top 40 players still available for Buccaneers to target on Day 2 of 2025 NFL Draft
One thing about this draft class was that the talent gap between the bottom of the Top 10 and the end of the first round wasn't that wide, which is likely why the Bucs felt fine drafting Egbuka where they did.
That logic is backed up by how many familiar names are still available despite having been mocked as first-round talent as recently as last week. This means the Bucs have a chance to double up and walk away feeling even better about their class on Friday than they did already.
Here are the best players available on Day 2 of the NFL Draft:
- CB Will Johnson, Michigan
- CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
- OLB Mike Green, Marshall
- OLB Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
- CB Shavon Revel Jr., ECU
- OLB Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
- CB Trey Amos, Ole Miss
- S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
- LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
- CB Azareye'h Thomas, Florida State
- S Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
- OLB Landon Jackson, Arkansas
- DT Darius Alexander, Toledo
- OLB JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State
- DT T.J. Sanders, South Carolina
- DT Alfred Collins, Texas
- OLB Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss
- OLB Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
- S Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
- OLB Bradyn Swinson, LSU
- CB Darien Porter, Iowa State
- OLB Jordan Burch, Oregon
- S Andrew Mukuba, Texas
- LB Demetrius Knight Jr., South Carolina
- DT Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
- OLB Oluwafemi Oladejo, UCLA
- CB Jacob Parrish, Kansas State
- OT Charles Grant, William & Mary
- OLB Josaiah Stewart, Michigan
- DT Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee
- DT Joshua Farmer, Florida State
- OT Anthony Belton, NC State
- OLB Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
- LB Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
- OLB Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
- S Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma
- DT Deone Walker, Kentucky
- CB Nohl Williams, Cal
- DT CJ West, Indiana
- CB Quincy Riley, Louisville
Donovan Ezeiruaku will be the name that jumps out at Bucs fans the most. He was a popular choice for the Bucs at No. 19, and now fingers will be crossed that he lasts until No. 54. If that happens, Tampa Bay can walk away from the draft right then and there feeling like they pulled off a heist.
The same goes for Mike Green, who wasn't mocked to the Bucs because he was already gone in most predictions leading into the draft. Atlanta passing on him at No. 15 overall felt like a surprise but the fact that he's still available means someone is getting a steal.
Let's hope that ends up being Tampa Bay.
When the Bucs were on the clock, some thought that the easy pick to make was Michigan cornerback Will Johnson. Like Ezeiruaku and Green, the Bucs could land him on Day 2 instead, as is the case with Benjamin Morrison who was once an early projected first-round pick for the Bucs at the end of last season.
No matter where you look there are names that feel like they're great value given the draft positions they'll be selected. Tampa Bay raised some eyebrows by taking Egbuka, but they have a chance to walk away with both their luxury pick and some top defensive prospects and give Jason Licht one of his best draft classes ever.
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