With the NFL season officially over, all 32 teams will now begin their preparations for the 2024 NFL offseason. With that, free agency and the draft will both be pivotal for all teams this offseason, especially the Buccaneers.
Led by the resurgent play of star quarterback Baker Mayfield, the 2023 season was an absolute success for the Buccaneers. After starting the 2023 season 4-7, Tampa Bay managed to win six of their final seven games to win the NFC South and advance to the NFC Divisional Round, falling just two games short of returning to the Super Bowl.
Despite this, the Buccaneers have 22 players who could become free agents when the NFL's new league year begins on March 13, including 18 unrestricted free agents. The list of upcoming free agents is highlighted by Mayfield, superstar wide receiver Mike Evans, All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr., and linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David, among others.
As it currently stands, the Buccaneers are set to enter the offseason with roughly $37.2 million in cap space, the tenth-highest mark in the NFL. With the use of void years and contract extensions, however, Tampa Bay can create even more cap space to sign its top free agents.
Ultimately, not everyone is going to be back so nailing all seven of their picks in the 2024 draft will be vital for winning their fourth straight division title and their fifth straight playoff appearance.
Round 1, Pick 26: Kamren Kinchens, S/Miami
Last season, Tampa Bay's rush defense one of the NFL's bests, allowing just 19.1 PPG and 95.3 RYPG, which ranked seventh and fifth in the NFL, respectively. That was in large part to a stout front seven, which combined for 91 tackles for loss and 48 sacks, the sixth and seventh marks in the league.
In reference to this, the same can't be said for Tampa Bay's pass defense, which allowed 4,342 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns against 64 passes defended and 13 interceptions, all bottom-ten marks. This comes even with the excellent play of All Pro First Team selection Antoine Winfield Jr., further stating the Buccaneers' priority of adding talent to their secondary this offseason.
Late in round one, the Buccaneers manage to add Kinchens, a star safety that was great in pass and run coverage at Miami. After playing sparingly as a backup in his freshman season, Kinchens shined in his first season as a starter, compiling 59 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, six passes defended, and six interceptions as a Sophomore.
As a Junior, Kinchens showed notable improvement from 2022 to 2023, finishing last season with 59 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, five passes defended, and five interceptions in ten starts. To top it all of, Kinchens became the first player in Miami school history to lead the ACC in interceptions for two straight seasons.
With defensive coordinator Kevin Steele opting for man-to-man coverage more often than not, Kinchens was used as a ball hawking safety in the intermediate and deep parts of the field. In Miami's 31-38 loss to Louisville, Kinchens reads QB Jack Plummer's eyes on a streak route by WR Chris Bell and makes an acrobatic play for a diving interception and to save a touchdown.
Similar to Winfield Jr., Kinchens is a phenomenal safety at blitzing the QB, as he accelerates off the snap with little strain and can cover large areas of ground exploding downhill. Coupled with a strong tackling technique and ability to recover on play-action fakes, and Kinchens is an ideal player to use for all-out or delayed blitzes
In addition to his elite deep threat catching ability, Sanders is one of the best blocking TEs in the draft class. In space, Sanders takes good angles with a good pace and overpowers defensive backs and some linebackers.
Round 2, Pick 57: Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE/Texas
Since being drafted with the No. 7 pick in the 2014 draft, Mike Evans has grown and quickly become one of the NFL's premiere wide receivers. In 154 career games, Evans has caught 762 passes for 11,680 receiving yards and 94 touchdowns, while catching over 100 yards in 36 games -- a franchise record.
With 1,255 receiving yards this past season, Evans became the second player all-time to record1,000+ receiving yards in his first ten seasons, joining the all-time great WR Jerry Rice (11). As a result, Evans has made the Pro Bowl five times and has made the AP All-Pro Second Team two times, including this season.
While Tampa Bay will do everything in their power to retain Evans this offseason, the ten-year veteran is free agent this offseason and will be a highly sout free agent by a number of teams. In the case that Evans may have played his last game as a Buccaneer, Tampa Bay will need to add another big body receiving threat to give QB Baker Mayfield for the 2024 season.
Enter Sanders, one of the nation's best deep-ball receivers and versatile receiving threat. After playing sparingly for the Longhorns as a Freshman in 2021, Sanders thrived in his first season as Texas' starting tight end. In 13 games, Sanders caught a school-record 54 receptions for 613 receiving yards and five touchdowns, with the receiving yards representing the second-most by a Longhorns tight end.
Sanders would follow that up with another solid season in 2023, catching 45 passes for 682 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. As a result, Sanders earned All-Big 12 First Team Honors, while also being named as a John Mackey Award semifinalist and to CBS Sports' All-American second-team.
Standing at 6'4" and 256 pounds, Sanders a true hybrid receiver, with the size of a tight end and the speed and agility of a wide receiver. As shown by his 4.56 40-yard dash, Sanders is more than capable of playing outside like a wide receiver, and is able to outpace most NFL linebackers and some NFL safeties in a straight line.
While playing inside, Sanders is a solid strong space blocker, and takes good angles with a good pace to overpower defensive backs. Sanders' frame is in the mold of a stout blocking tight end, so in goal-line formations or goal-to-go situations, Sanders would be a true matchup nightmare no matter where he lines up.
Round 3, Pick 89: Kris Abrams-Draine, CB/Missouri
Outside of Winfield Jr., the Buccaneers were forced to rotate a number of different cornerbacks on a game-by-game basis. To clarify, seven different cornerbacks and safeties played in at least 12 games and started in two or more outings. Whether this was due to injuries or poor performance, adding young and durable talent at cornerback isn't a bad option with one of their first three round picks.
To do so, the Buccaneers opt for Abrams-Draine, who is a true ball-hawking cornerback that excelled in most situations last season. While at Spanish Fort High School, Abrams-Draine was a four-star recruit at wide receiver and quarterback, and totaled 2,648 scrimmage yards and 30 touchdowns at both positions.
With that, Abrams-Draine committed to Missouri as a wide receiver, but was used in a reserve role as a Freshman. In the next season, Abrams-Draine switched positions to cornerback and enjoyed a solid first season at the position, finishing with 37 tackles, seven passes defended, and three interceptions in 13 games.
Abrams-Draine signed with Missouri. And his experience as a WR and QB has helped him climb the ranks early. After sitting as a reserve WR in 2020, Abrams-Draine switched to CB in 2021 and took a major leap, accounting for 37 tackles, three picks, and seven deflections in 13 games.
As a Junior, Abrams-Draine would continue to improve after his debut season at cornerback, with 48 tackles and 14 passes defended in 12 games. In his Senior season, however, Abrams-Draine was exceptional with 51 tackles, 2.5 tackles, 13 passes defended, and four interceptions, and was later named on the All-American second team and All-SEC first team.
Standing at 5'11" and 179 pounds, Abrams-Draine is an effortless accelerator who flashes elite explosive capacity tracking receivers up field, and has the quick strides and agility to prevent separation over the top. To top it all off, Abrams-Draine's ball skills are elite, in large part of being a converterd wide receiver. Regardless, Abrams-Draine is an intriguing cornerback prospect with the tape and stats to back up his solid production.
Round 4, Pick 125: Ricky Pearsall, WR/Florida
There's no doubt that this year's draft class is loaded with premiere talent at wide receiver. Led by Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., Washington's Rome Odunze, and LSU's Malik Nabers, there are 29 total wide receivers with draftable grades, per FanSided's Josh Blair.
Upon graduating Corona Del Sol as a three-star recruit, Pearsall committed to Arizona State and served as the Sun Devils' primary slot wide receiver for the next three seasons. From 2019-2021, Pearsall caught 61 passes for 794 receiving yards and five touchdowns, highlighted by Pearsall's 2021 campaign with 48 catches for 580 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Following his solid production in 2021, Pearsall decided to enter the transfer portal to leave Arizona State and join Florida. In his first season as a Gator, Pearsall finished with a respectable 33 catches, 661 receiving yards, and five touchdowns alongside former first-round pick and current NFL quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Even with Richardson declaring for the NFL draft and Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz becoming the Gators' starting quarterback, Pearsall still managed to improve to become the Gators' No. 1 wide receiver. This past season, Pearsall caught 65 passes for a career-high 965 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while posting 90+ receiving yards in six of 12 games. In addition, Pearsall took three carries for 62 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 20.7 YPC.
As shown this season, Pearsall has elite body control and coordination to pull off incredible acrobatic catches and make plays all over the field. Coupled with quick breakaway speed and acceleration, and Pearsall thrived at stretching the seams at the intermediate and deep levels of the field.
For what Pearsall lacks in size, he makes up for it twofold in his athleticism and route-running ability. Against man coverage, Pearsall used head fakes and solid blind-spot awareness to find soft spots in the defense to make catches and extend plays. Although Pearsall's frame causes concern for his durability in the NFL, Pearsall is a well-balanced wide receiver prospect worth a look for Tampa Bay in the middle of the draft.
Round 5, Pick 202: Fabien Lovett, DT/Florida State
As initially mentioned, the Buccaneers held one of the best rush defenses in the league last season, in large part to the talented depth and rotations in their front seven. For reference, five different Buccaneers recorded 4.0+ sacks and 7+ TFLs, a major reason for Tampa Bay's seventh-ranked defense.
Even though defensive line isn't Tampa Bay's most pressing need this offseason, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Calijah Kancey, and YaYa Diaby will all be eligible for contract extensions within the next three seasons, so adding through the draft is understandable.
With that, the Buccaneers add Lovett in the fifth round, whose impact for Missisipi State and Florida State cant' be understated. While Lovett' finished his five-year college tenure with 93 TCKLs, four PDs, and six sacks, Lovett was still one of the most integral players for the Bulldogs and Seminoles.
Standing at 6'4" and 318 pounds, Lovett was one of the best defensive linemen in the nation at disrupting the run at the line of scrimmage. To do so, Lovett used a variety of moves and displayed exceptionally good hand use to hold at the point of attack as a run defender.
Furthermore, Lovett showed a natural feel for setting up blockers and getting them off-balance in pass and rush scenarios, as he quickly disengaged with blockers and countered when his initial move stalled. Not only does Lovett's strength allow him to twist inside, but also free lanes for linebackers and safeties on blitzes to get to the QB.
Round 7, Pick 243: Austin Reed, QB/Western Kentucky
Following the retirement of legendary quarterback Tom Brady, the Buccaneers were at a crossroads with whom to sign or draft as their next quarterback. In March of 2022, Tampa Bay signed veteran Baker Mayfield to a one-year, $4 million contract to become the Buccaneers' next starting quarterback.
With the conclusion of the 2023 season, there's no doubt that the addition of Mayfield paid massive dividends. Starting in all 17 games, Mayfield completed 64.3% of his passes for 4,044 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and ten interceptions for a 94.6 passer rating, all career-highs. In addition, Mayfield lead the Buccaneers to their third straight NFC South division title and was named as the NFL's Most Improved Player of the Year.
Needless to say, Mayfield thrived this past season in Tampa Bay, and may end up as the Buccaneers' starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. With that said, Mayfield is a free agent this offseason, and may not return to Tampa Bay in hopes of securing a more lucrative contract from another team.
Regardless of what happens with Mayfield this offseason, the Buccaneers have 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask as the only quarterback that is under contract for the 2024 season. With that said, Tampa Bay uses one of their two seventh round picks to add Western Kentucky's Reed to the quarterback room, who was one of the nation's top passing leaders in the last two seasons.
After serving as the starting quarterback at West Florida for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Reed transferred to Western Kentucky in hopes of boosting his draft stock under the Hilltoppers' pass heavy scheme. In his first season at Western Kentucky, Reed completed 64.6% of his passes for 4,744 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions for a 149.1 passer rating.
In 2023, Reed would follow that up with a modest 3,340 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and 138.3 passer rating on 61.5% completion, leading the Hilltopers to back-to-back 8+ win seasons.
At 6'2" and 220 pounds, Reed has the ideal size of a prototypical NFL quarterback, and also has solid arm strength and velocity generation. Reed's velocity carries well enough into the intermediate and deep parts of the field, and is able to place the ball where only his receivers are able to catch the ball.
Similarly, Reed does a great job at anticipating breaks on comebacks and hitch routes, which allow his receivers time and space to catch the ball and make plays after the catch. Above all, Reed knows how to use his eyes to mislead LBs off the snap and open the middle of the field, which is becoming a more and more valuable skill in the NFL.
Round 7, Pick 254: KT Leveston, OT/Kansas State
Over the last four seasons, the Buccaneers have continued to add depth and talent to their offensive line. Dating back tot the 2020 draft, Tampa Bay has selected at least at least one offensive lineman that is still on the team, highlighted by star left tackle Tristain Wirfs.
Coupled with 2022 and 2023 second-round picks Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch, along with 2021 third-round pick Robert Hainsey, and four of the five starters on the offensive line are still under the rookie contracts.
Even so, Tampa Bay was still forced to rotate tackle Justin Skule, guard Aaron Stinnie, and guard Matt Feiler as the fifth starter on the offensive line. With Skule, Stinnie, and Felier at 27, 29, and 31 years old, it becomes clear that newly hired offensive coordinator Liam Coen and offensive line coach Kevin Carberry make clean house ahead of the offseason.
With Coen's and Carberry's expertise at developing offensive line, the Buccaneers add Leveston with their final pick in the draft to bolster their offensive line with young talent. At 6'5" and 330 pounds, Leveston is a positionally flexible offensive lineman with good traits and a strong athletic profile.
During the 2022 season as the Wildcats' starting left tackle, Leveston was impressive, starting in all 14 games and helping Kansas State finish 15th in the nation with 208.3 rushing yards per game, the school’s best national ranking since 2003 (9th) and best mark since 2016 (231.8 RYPG).
In addition, Leveston also helped Kansas State rank third in school history in rushing yards per carry (5.12), fourth in total rushing yards (2,916), and tenth in rushing touchdowns (32). With that, Leveston was named as an All-Big 12 Team Honorable Mention, and picked up First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors.
In the ensuing 2023 season, Leveston was even better for the Wildcats. Starting in all 13 games, Leveston helped the Wildcats rank in the top 10 in school history in 32 game or season categories, including a school-record 30 passing touchdowns, second in the nation for offensive yards per game (445.2) and first downs (310), and third in college football in total yards (5,788).
Similarly, Kansas State finished the season in the top 30 nationally in 11 offensive categories, including scoring, rushing, third down conversions, rushing touchdowns, and first downs. To top it all off, Leveston was not flagged for a penalty in any of his 909 in-play offensive snaps. As a result, Leveston earned All-Big 12 Team Honorable Mention for a second-straight season, while also being named to the 2023 Outland Trophy watch list.