The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to address a few areas of need in the NFL Draft this year, with edge rusher ranking pretty high on the list.
Shaq Barrett was a cap casualty this offseason and Devin White left to sign with the Eagles, leaving the Bucs pretty bare on the edges. There are guys there who the team will rely on, most notably Yaya Diaby, and Tampa Bay added Randy Gregory for some extra depth.
Edge rush is a clear are of need, though, and one the Buccaneers will almost certainly address with one of their Top 100 picks -- potentially more than one.
2024 NFL Draft: Best available Edge Rushers Buccaneers could target
First Round Targets
- Jared Verse, Florida State
- Chop Robinson, Penn State
- Adisa Issac, Penn State
There are two other guys who could be on this list, but the chances are near-zero that the Buccaneers land Laiatu Latu or Dallas Turner unless they trade up. They're both projected to be Top 12 picks, and moving that high is way too rich for Tampa Bay's blood.
Instead, sticking at No. 26 and waiting to see who falls might be the best strategy. If the Bucs do trade up, it'll be only a few spots and will likely be for Verse if he starts to get within range.
Day 2 Targets
- Darius Robinson, Missouri
- Bralen Trice, Washington
- Jonah Elliss, Utah
- Chris Braswell, Alabama
- Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan
- Xavier Thomas, Clemson
- Austin Booker, Kansas
- Jalyx Hunt, Houston Christian
- Javon Solomon, Troy
In all liklihood, the Buccaneers will wait to dip into the edge rusher pool on the second day of the draft. It's not as top heavy as other positions, and Jason Licht typically likes to cook in the second and third rounds, especially with smaller school players.
That could be good news for Marshawn Kneeland, Javon Solomon, and Jalyx Hunt. All three are at smaller schools but each could end up being sleepers who follow in Yaya Diaby's footsteps and develop nicely as rookies (although Louisville is not a small school).
Darius Robinson is a fringe Round 1 guy, but he's another edge rusher to keep an eye on to see if he falls to either of the Bucs first few picks on Day 2.
Day 3 Targets
- Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
- Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Notre Dame
- Gabriel Murphy, UCLA
- Brennan Jackson, Washington State
- Justin Eboigbe, Alabama
Potenital Sleepers
- Jalen Green, James Madison
- Solomon Byrd, USC
- Eyabi Okie-Anoma, Charlotte
- Khalid Duke, Kansas State
This is where the Bucs might find a diamond in the rough.
Mohamed Kamara is in the same conversation as Hunt, Kneeland, and Solomon from Day 2 in that he's a lower key prospect who could turn into a sleeper for the Bucs. There are also true sleepers Tampa Bay could target late in the draft, with JMU's Jalen Green being of the utmost interest here.
One other thing to keep an eye on is UDFAs the Bucs could target. Guys like Eyabi Okie-Anoma and Khalid Duke are late round picks who could go undrafted but still find their way onto Tampa Bay's roster.