Buccaneers 7-Round Mock Draft: Tampa Bay addresses key needs in major roster upgrade

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the 15th pick in the NFL Draft after a disastrous 2025 season that saw them collapse down the stretch, finishing 8-9 after a 6-2 start, and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season.

With the team's longest tenured player, Lavonte David, widely expected to retire and several other key players headed for free agency, there will be plenty of holes to fill for Jason Licht and the front office.

Despite the disappointing outcome last season, the roster still has a strong core and remains only a few key upgrades away from returning to Super Bowl contention in 2026 and beyond.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-Round mock draft

Round 1, Pick 15: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon 

All signs point to the Buccaneers drafting defense in the first round, but with such a deep defensive class, Tampa Bay could draft for need later and draft one of the most talented offensive players in the draft in the first round. 

The Bucs did something similar last year — foregoing their biggest needs on the defensive side to draft wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, and using the rest of the draft to address the defense, and it worked out just fine. 

Cade Otton is an impending free agent, and it’s not evident whether the team will bring him back. Behind Otton on the depth chart are Payne Durham and Devin Culp, who each had just one reception apiece in 2025. Ko Kieft is Tampa Bay's best all-around tight end besides Otton, but he's coming off a broken leg and specializes as a blocker rather than a receiver.

A dominant receiving threat at the position like Sadiq is the missing element in Tampa Bay's arsenal and could help unlock the best version of Baker Mayfield and the offense.

Round 2: Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech

Height graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 EDGE defender out of 852 qualifying players at the position during the 2025 season.

He specializes as a pass rusher, but also has a proven ability to drop into zone coverage, making him an ideal fit for Todd Bowles’ defense.

Height is coming off the best season of his college career in 2025, recording 10 sacks and two forced fumbles. Over the past three seasons, he’s totaled 16.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and an interception.

He’ll already be 25 years old when his rookie season begins, and there are some concerns about his size and strength at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds — for reference, YaYa Diaby checks in around 270. So this pick doesn’t come without questions. But from both a scheme-fit and positional-need perspective, Height makes too much sense to pass up.

Round 3: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech

After drafting Height in the second round, the Bucs dip back into the Texas Tech well to draft the most decorated and productive linebacker in college football.

Last offseason, Todd Bowles emphasized prospects with ball production and a proven ability to create splash plays. Assuming he’s looking to add more of those players to his defense, there is no better fit for the Buccaneers in this draft class than Rodriguez. 

In 2025, he was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year after recording 128 total tackles, a sack, 7 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 4 interceptions. In his college career as a whole, he’s notched six sacks, forced 13 fumbles, recovered five, and snagged six interceptions.

He isn’t just a playmaker, he’s also a proven leader as a two-time captain for Texas Tech. He brings everything the Bucs could ask for to the table both on and off the field, and is the dream fit for Tampa Bay to replace Lavonte David and upgrade the linebacker position.

Round 4: Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State

Allen has been a human highlight reel during his time at Penn State. He surpassed 900 scrimmage yards in all four collegiate seasons, and has had back-to-back seasons over 1,000 rushing yards while scoring 43 touchdowns over the course of his career. 

Running back could quickly become a need for the Buccaneers this offseason with both Rachaad White and Sean Tucker facing expiring contracts. White, who has already made it clear he intends to leave Tampa Bay in free agency, is listed as 6-feet-tall and 214 pounds. Allen is listed as 5’11’’ and 217 pounds, so the two are nearly identical in size. 

He’s a strong downhill runner that would be the perfect complement to Bucky Irving in the backfield. Penn State’s running backs coach, Stan Drayton, has raved about Allen’s pass blocking ability, which will make him even more appealing for Tampa Bay as they look to replace White who is one of the NFL’s most reliable pass blockers at the running back position. 

There’s a good chance Allen’s stock will soar leading up to the draft and he could be long gone by the fourth round, but if the Bucs could somehow land him at this point in the draft, it would be an incredible value that they can’t pass up.

Round 5: Logan Jones, IOL, Iowa

Interior offensive line is a major need for Tampa Bay this offseason that is flying under the radar. The Bucs lost both starting guards, Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson, to season-ending injuries in 2025, and the results were disastrous. 

Tampa Bay cycled through several replacement options — Luke Haggard, Elijah Klein, Michael Jordan, and Dan Feeney — but none provided reliable interior protection for Baker Mayfield. As a result, the middle of the offensive line became a major liability.

Center Graham Barton also struggled mightily at times throughout his sophomore season, leading some to wonder whether he may ultimately be better suited at guard. At minimum, the Bucs badly need a dependable insurance option at center, and Jones checks that box.

PFF ranked him third out of 307 centers, earning an impressive 80.7 overall grade. His elite 90.1 pass-blocking grade led all centers in the nation.

There’s also a natural Tampa Bay connection. The Buccaneers drafted the best offensive lineman in franchise history, Tristan Wirfs, out of Iowa. Adding another Hawkeye to the room would not only provide much-needed depth but would be a welcome sight for the Bucs’ All-Pro left tackle. 

Round 6: Josh Moten, CB, Southern Miss

With Jamel Dean almost certainly leaving in free agency, the Bucs could quietly use some added depth in the cornerback room. 

Moten is an absolute ball hawk, with 11 interceptions in his college career including five in each of the last two seasons. 

At 6-feet-tall, he has the length that Bowles covets in his cornerbacks, along with strong coverage skills. He is listed as 185 pounds, but scouts believe he is far lighter than that — he was listed at 164 pounds by Marshall just a season ago. He is significantly underweight and his thin frame could make him a liability in the run game at the next level. 

He’s not a perfect prospect, but nobody is on Day 3. His strong coverage skills and knack for creating turnovers alone make him worth the gamble at this point in the draft. 

Round 7: Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State

With Baker Mayfield entering the final year of his deal and no clear contingency plan behind him, this feels like the year Tampa Bay takes a late-round swing on a developmental quarterback.

Payton comes from the FCS level which will raise questions about the level of competition he faced, but all he did was dominate. He posted the highest PFF grade in the country among quarterbacks (95.8), completed 72% of his passes with 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions in 2025, and added 777 rushing yards and 13 scores on the ground.

At 6’3”, 233 pounds, he has the size and athleticism teams covet in a modern dual-threat quarterback. Despite his limited sample size as a passer with just one season as a starter, he’s already proven to be an accurate passer with a strong arm.

His stock is already rising after Senior Bowl and Combine invites, so him lasting this long may be a pipe dream — but if he’s still on the board this late, he’s exactly the kind of high-upside player the Bucs should take a swing for on Day 3.