You have to be really invested in the "what-ifs" of the 2026 NFL Draft to be analyzing who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have interviewed at the combine this weekend, so here we are. Bucs fans have been clamoring all offseason for Tampa Bay to pick up a new tight end and linebacker/edge rushers, and it appears the Bucs brass has listened.
Through Friday night, the Bucs have had the most formal interviews with tight ends, edge rushers, and linebackers out of all positions. Nine edge rushers, eight linebackers, seven tight ends, and six defensive linemen have been a part of formal interviews with the Bucs at the NFL combine thus far.
The Buccaneers just revealed what fans have been saying all along
These interview numbers vastly outweigh other positions like wide receiver (one), quarterback (one), running back (two), etc. If this isn't a clear sign the Bucs are going after the front eight defensive players and tight ends, I don't know what is.
With the fifteenth overall pick in the first round of the draft next month, the Bucs have plenty of elite options to choose from. After Kenyon Sadiq's elite combine performance, he's likely a lock to be picked up before the Bucs pick, but you never know.
Sadiq is the consensus top tight end prospect this draft season, and posted the best 40-yard dash time for a tight end since at least 2003. He's one of many tight ends the Bucs have formally interviewed.
Other notable names who have been interviewed are linebackers Sonny Styles, CJ Allen, and Jacob Rodriguez. Allen and Rodriguez are much more plausible future Buccaneers than Styles, who is a projected top 10 overall pick.
Allen is a consensus first-round pick, and for good reason. He recorded 8 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2025, along with 88 tackles and two forced fumbles, all career highs. Rodriguez
Rodriguez recorded just one sack but 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and seven forced fumbles. He finished fifth in the 2025 Heisman trophy voting, and by far was the highest-ranked defensive player in the voting.
While the draft is still over a month and a half away, the Bucs brass has made their intentions clear: pick the best front-eight defender, and find a strong tight end. A lot will happen between now and the draft, but at least fans can rest easy knowing this should be an exciting offseason.