The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are licking their wounds after a very difficult month of January. Between a home playoff loss against the Commanders and offensive coordinator Liam Coen leaving in the dead of night for the Jaguars head coaching job, Todd Bowles and Jason Licht have some work to do.
Even with Coen's departure, the defense should take up most of the attention for this front office. Between the lack of a solid pass rush, poor cornerback depth, and the linebacker room, this unit is a problem.
The Bucs would be wise to follow this 3-round 2025 NFL Mock Draft now that the Senior Bowl practices are in the past. The intersection of team needs and value the Bucs ended up filling in this draft could keep them atop the NFC South once again.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers post-Senior Bowl 3-round 2025 NFL Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick 19: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
Green has been one of the stars of Senior Bowl week, with the former Thundering Herd star riding a 17-sack season and some viral one-on-one clips to such a hot streak that it seems likely he will be a first-round pick. Green's speed off the edge and deep pass rush toolbag will help him replace Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
The issues with Green are his legit size (leading to some bad run defense reps) and the fact he had only 5.5 sacks in three college seasons at Virginia before moving down a level. Still, you draft for tools, and Green has more than enough tools to get the Bucs interested in him.
Round 2, Pick 53: Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State
The Bucs have frequently been willing to dip into the local universities for their top talent, and the Seminoles cornerback could be next in line based on the fact that he is a perfect Todd Bowles corner. Tall and athletic at 6-2 and around 200 pounds, Thomas is the type of player who will compete for starting snaps from the jump.
Thomas is a raw player who gave up a few big plays due to a lack of technical refinement that more experienced receivers were able to exploit. Luckily, Bowles has shown to be a solid developer of defensive back talent over the years, making the CB3 role next to Zyon McCollum and others a great landing spot for Thomas.
Round 3, Pick 84: Demetrius Knight Jr, LB, South Carolina
Lavonte David isn't getting any younger, and the last few years have shown that Tampa Bay does not have a viable alternative to him on the roster. Those who like old-school, contact-heavy men in the middle will love Knight, as he can lay some lumber on ball-carries while flashing impressive straight-line speed.
Knight is as old-school as they come, as teams will be turned off by some poor coverage skills and a general lack of athletic ability that will make him a challenge on passing downs. If Tampa works to get him just a bit faster, they can put together one of the stiffest run defenses in the league thanks to his vice-grip tackling skills.