There is no question that when free agency options up and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turn from talking about their newest coaching staff to conversations about the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft class, the main priority will be beefing up a defense that was one of the worst in the league last season and has so many holes littered across its front seven.
However, the Buccaneers are missing one key piece on offense, too, to boost Baker Mayfield's supporting cast from great to elite. Impending free agent tight end Cade Otton had a rather disappointing season, completely lacking a playmaking dimension whlie leaving points on the board in the red zone and performing well below the NFL average as a blocker.
The Buccaneers may not have the same options at tight end in free agency as on the defensive side of the ball, so the draft class may be their best chance at landing that elite tight end prospect that Baker Mayfield needs to take his offense to that next level.
More reliable than Kenyon Sadiq?
Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq is declaring for the draft and is the consensus No. 1 player at the position, with many draft analysts alternating between mocking Sadiq at tight end and a linebacker or edge rusher to the Buccaneers.
But Sadiq is not the only top tight end prospect worth the Buccaneers time in 2026 in the first or second round, as the No. 2 prospect in the class is also quietly declaring himself for the upcoming NFL Draft.
According to a report from veteran ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Ohio State Buckeyes star tight end Max Klare has told the biggest sports outlet in the nation that he will, too, declare early for the draft and leave school. Klare was overshadowed by Ohio State's elite wide receiver duo of Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, but he caught nearly 50 passes in his own right.
A solid safety valve, Klare is an option for Tampa Bay if they wait after the first round to land a tight end in this year's draft and go defense instead, which may be the most prudent option. Klare would be a huge boon to No. 3 wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, as the two are both recent Ohio State alumn and could forge a nifty partnership across the middle of the field in certain situations.
Having a big, reliable tight end target over the middle with soft hands is a quarterback's best friend, but it can also open up the down field regions for a playmaking wide receiver like Egbuka, who found himself with an awful lot to do in the second half of the season with Otton struggling. Klare isn't an elite playmaker like Sadiq, but he may be a safer overall pick with his ability to get open and move the chains, which were underappreciated on that Ohio State team.