The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made 11 first-round draft picks under general manager Jason Licht. They've had a few absolute home runs including a pair of Hall of Fame caliber players. They've also drafted a few major busts, and for some players, it's simply too early to tell.
As the Buccaneers prepare to make their 2026 first-round draft choice, let's take a look back at how their previous first-rounders have fared.
Ranking every Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft pick since 2014
11. CB Vernon Hargreaves III
Vernon Hargreaves III is firmly in the bottom spot among Jason Licht’s first-round draft choices.
He didn’t even complete his rookie contract in Tampa Bay, as former head coach Bruce Arians made an example out of him and cut him halfway through the 2019 season for a lack of effort in a game against the Arizona Cardinals. He finished his Bucs career with two interceptions and 19 passes defended, but never lived up to his full potential.Â
Hargreaves’ most famous career moment was being called for a boneheaded unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the Bengals’ 2021 Super Bowl loss — a game in which he wasn’t even playing in.Â
He has been out of the NFL ever since, and while it seemed like the perfect fit for Tampa Bay at that time, Hargreaves proved to be Licht’s biggest draft bust.Â
10. TE OJ Howard
OJ Howard spent five of his six NFL seasons in Tampa Bay, catching 119 passes for 1,737 yards and 15 touchdowns.Â
He wasn’t necessarily a bad player, but was never able to live up to the sky-high ceiling many projected for him. He tore his Achillies just as he was building chemistry with Tom Brady in 2020, which really doomed his career, and he was out of the league just two years later.
Nobody can blame Licht for selecting Howard, who was an athletic freak and fell way further than expected, right into the Bucs’ laps. But in hindsight, they could’ve added players like T.J. Watt, Tre’Davious White, or Dalvin Cook, who all were selected after Howard.
9. OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
The Bucs took Joe Tryon-Shoyinka hoping he’d be a dominant pass rusher and a cornerstone defensive piece.
He finished with just 15 sacks in four seasons with Tampa Bay, never recording more than five in a season. He could’ve been a solid backup as a rotational pass rusher, but that’s not the type of player you invest a first-round pick in.Â
Tryon-Shoyinka played for the Chicago Bears in 2025 before being traded to the Cleveland Browns, but finished the season with zero sacks for either team. He’ll be suiting up for the Eagles in 2026.
The swing-and-miss on Tryon-Shoyinka is part of Tampa Bay’s failure to evaluate and draft effective pass rushers. They’re likely to draft one early during the 2026 NFL Draft, and hopefully they can break the curse.Â
8. QB Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston never reached the heights the team had dreamed of when they selected him No. 1 overall back in 2015. He didn’t have a single playoff appearance and finished with a 28-42 record in games he started.Â
But that wasn’t all on Winston. Between the lack of an effective rushing attack, a cellar-dwelling defense, and the infamous Tampa Bay kicker curse that does the team a handful of wins, Winston was far from the biggest problem.Â
He at the very least provided entertainment value and put on a show worth watching, even in losing seasons. His 2019 season in which he had 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions will be talked about for years to come. For all the bad, Winston is also one of only nine quarterbacks to ever throw for 5,000 yards in a single season.Â
The talent and effort were there, but he could just never put it all together in Tampa Bay. He’s No. 8 on this list, but Winston remains No. 1 in our hearts. Â
7. IOL Graham Barton
The jury is still out on Graham Barton. He’s only two years into his career, and we’ve yet to see the best version of him.
Barton was called for 12 penalties in his rookie season, which was the most of any center in the league. In 2025, he was called for another nine penalties which was the second-most. He also surrendered five sacks last year, and his 36 pressures allowed were the most among centers, but we can’t leave out the context that he was playing next to backup guards that frankly don’t belong on an NFL field.Â
The Bucs are really hoping Barton can take a big leap in year three, especially cleaning up his drive-killing penalties.Â
He stepped up admirably at left tackle last season amid a flurry of injuries to the offensive line. He’s a selfless, team-first player and wants to succeed. He has the talent and plenty of time to change the narrative and skyrocket up this list over the next few seasons.Â
6. WR Emeka Egbuka
Like Barton, the jury is still out on Emeka Egbuka. But Egbuka had a promising rookie season, bursting onto the scene with a game-winning touchdown in his first career game.
He finished with 63 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns. He has been praised for how he carries himself both on and off the field, and has all the makings of a Buccaneers great.
If he can build on his rookie season and come back even stronger in his sophomore year, Egbuka will only soar higher on this list, with no ceiling in sight.Â
5. DT Calijah Kancey
Calijah Kancey has been a game-changer when on the field. The problem is, he hasn’t been on the field nearly enough early in his career.Â
He’s appeared in only 29 of 51 possible games during his career, as injuries have held him back from his undeniable Pro Bowl potential.
He led the team with 7.5 sacks in his second career season back in 2024 despite playing in only 12 games. If he can finally stay healthy, he could feasibly develop into a one of the most disruptive interior defenders in the NFL, and one of the few capable of recording double-digit sacks. Â
4. LB Devin White
Devin White had an unceremonious end to his Bucs career, and rubbed many fans the wrong way on his way out the doors, but he’s still one of Licht’s best draft picks.
The Bucs wouldn’t have won Super Bowl LV without White’s dominant performance on the defensive side of the ball. He was one of the best blitzers in the league with a whopping 23 sacks in Tampa Bay. He also notched six forced fumbles, three interceptions, and a fumble recovery touchdown.Â
He struggled in coverage, and his attitude and contract demands towards the end of his stint left a bad taste. But for his first few years, he looked to be on his way to being one of the league’s elite linebackers, and when he was at his best, the defense was better as a whole because of him.Â
3. DT Vita Vea
Vita Vea kicks off the top three draft picks made by Jason Licht. Vea has been the anchor of Tampa Bay’s defense, as they’ve had the No. 1 rush defense overall since he became a full-time starter in 2019, and a top-5 rush defense in six of his eight seasons.  Â
His impact can’t be overstated, and while he flies under-the-radar as a player that doesn’t always fill the stat sheet, he is the key to Todd Bowles’ defense.Â
The Bucs will be praying they can find another Vea as he enters the twilight of his career. He’s entering his age-31 season in 2026 and it’s also a contract year, and Bucs fans should appreciate having such an elite player while they still can.
2. OT Tristan Wirfs
Tristan Wirfs was elite from the moment he entered the NFL. He’s already one of the most decorated and accomplished Bucs of all time, and he’s certainly the best offensive lineman in team history.
He’s been named to five consecutive Pro Bowls, and owns a piece of NFL history as the only player ever to be named All-Pro at both right tackle and left tackle.
Wirfs is only 27 years old, yet he already has a Hall of Fame resume that he’s not finished adding to. Wirfs is the type of player you hope every draft pick will turn out to be, and he’s easily one of the best decisions Licht has ever made.Â
1. WR Mike Evans
Jason Licht’s first-ever draft pick is also his best draft pick. Mike Evans left Tampa Bay this offseason to join the San Francisco 49ers, but he gave the Buccaneers 12 years of consistent greatness.
Evans is tied with Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons with 11. He owns the record outright for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start a career. He’s already in the top-10 all-time in receiving touchdowns, with a chance to climb even further up the list as he finishes his career.
He represented the Buccaneers perfectly both on and off the field, and he’ll have a legitimate case as a first-ballot Hall of Famer when his career comes to an end.Â
It would’ve been sweeter if he went wire-to-wire in Tampa Bay, but his decision to leave doesn’t erase the legacy he created in a Bucs uniform.
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