The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of the most disappointing teams of the 2025 NFL regular season, collapsing after a 6-2 start and missing out on the playoffs entirely. So it was imperative, after a relatively quiet free agency with no real stars coming in, for general manager Jason Licht to knock the 2026 NFL Draft out of the park.
And he and the Buccaneers organization did a great job, addressing a bevy of needs, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, while nabbing one of the draft's true top five, blue chip prospects in Miami Hurricanes edge defender Rueben Bain Jr.
The Buccaneers needed to bring an edge to their defense and their overall team in this year's draft, and the one word that comes to mind when describing this class is "nasty". Because from top to bottom, even including the offensive side of the ball with a quality new guard and tight end coming in during the final rounds of the draft class, the Bucs have given themselves a new edge and nastiness as an organization.
The Buccaneers want to get nasty on defense
It starts with Bain Jr., of course, but it extends to second round, run stuffing thumper Josiah Trotter at the inside linebacker position. Then, fourth round cornerback Keionte Scott, Bain Jr.'s underhyped teammate from the U, is the best run stopping cornerback in the draft class with speed and that hunger to make plays. And even fifth round pick DeMonte Capehart, the Bucs least impressive pick of the class, brings a certain swagger to him as a big, run stuffing defensive tackle in a more traditional form of decades past.
The Buccaneers best teams all had a level of nastiness to them, not just the 2002 team that dominated the league en route to Super Bowl glory. This club's skull and crossbones are more than just an image, as it is a way of life that has been embedded at Raymond James Stadium.
Going back to nasty, defensive football with an attitude is what Todd Bowles, Jason Licht, and the entire Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization is clearly aiming for in 2026. Most of the picks the Bucs made this year fall in line in that vein, and though Bucs fans, for example, will hate that they missed out on a player like Jacob Rodriguez, even Trotter as a fallback option almost suits the ethos of what the Buccaneers are going for even better. It's time to get tough.
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