Through three rounds of the NFL Draft, the Buccaneers have added wide receiver Emeka Egbuka out of Ohio State, and cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish out of Notre Dame and Kansas State, respectively.
Now that Jason Licht has reinforced the secondary, adding another inside linebacker appears to be the biggest remaining need.
The team was linked to Demetrius Knight Jr. out of South Carolina, but he was drafted No. 49 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, just a few picks ahead of the Bucs’ selection at No. 53. It unfortunately wasn’t the first time the Bucs had a dream target stolen from them on day two.
The Bucs currently hold just three selections on the final day of the 2025 NFL Draft, and these four linebacker prospects stand out as players who could be potential fits for Tampa Bay.
Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
Despite measuring in at just six-feet-tall and 231 pounds, Carter makes up for his lack of size by testing as a plus athlete at the linebacker position, and could have the résumé to inspire the Bucs to draft him on day three.
Carter is solid in coverage, but he truly shines as a blitzer and QB spy. He logged 233 combined tackles including 33 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during his four-year college career at Clemson, showcasing a penchant for playmaking.
Carter’s athleticism and production, combined with his leadership experience as a team captain at Clemson, make him perhaps the most intriguing option remaining at the position for Tampa Bay.
Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Oregon
At 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, Bassa is a tad undersized, and his 4.63 40-yard dash isn’t necessarily blowing anyone away.
Despite the lack of a special athletic profile, Bassa is simply a solid player. The former safety is intelligent, fluid in coverage, and is a reliable tackler — which is all the Bucs could really ask for in a Day 3 linebacker.
Bassa finished his four-year college career with 236 combined tackles including 14 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
“…a vocal leader who handled green-dot duties at Oregon, organizing a defense that relied heavily on his ability to adapt to shifting offensive formations,” wrote The Pewter Plank’s Matt Sidney in his scouting report.
Smael Mondon Jr., LB, Georgia
Mondon presents the kind of upside you look for when taking a day three flier. Injuries held back his draft stock, but Mondon is one of the more athletic linebackers in this draft class, and at the very least, will be a strong special teams contributor early in his career.
Mondon has plus-speed, plays an extremely physical brand of football, and he can both blitz and cover. He finished his four-year college career with 212 combined tackles including 18 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and an interception.
Add in the fact that Bowles, due to his Georgia connection, has access to intel on Bulldogs players such as Mondon, and this becomes a very realistic option for Tampa Bay.
Chris Paul Jr., LB, Ole Miss
Paul, like Bassa, is slightly undersized at 6-foot-1 and 222 pounds and doesn’t possess top-end speed, but he has a lot of production to his name.
Paul recorded 225 combined tackles in his four-year college career at Arkansas and Ole Miss, along with 9.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. His upside isn’t as high as other potential fits like Carter or Mondon, but he certainly has the potential to be a solid contributor.
After missing out on the draft's early-round group of inside linebackers, the Buccaneers would benefit from leaving the draft with one of these top remaining fits on Day 3 — someone who can provide depth right away, contribute on special teams, and develop into a potential successor to Lavonte David.
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