The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the weakest defenses in the NFL on paper right now, and though they did beef it up a little bit in free agency by signing players like Alex Anzalone and A'Shawn Robinson, there are still huge holes at the outside linebacker, inside linebacker, defensive line, and cornerback positions.
Tampa Bay will need to draft smart throughout all rounds this April, though they could go in a number of directions in the first round of the draft, with many even speculating that an offensive player could go at No. 15 - assuming the Bucs don't trade down.
JoeBucsFan relayed a quote they got from Bucs head coach Todd Bowles a couple of weeks ago at the NFC Coaches Dinner in Arizona in which he had huge words of praise for the inside linebackers in the 2026 NFL Draft class, “I feel like there are some [inside linebackers] in this draft that can really play. There are quite a few of them – at least 10 or 12 of them, for sure. The trait we look for the most is probably instinctiveness. You look for instincts right there, how they read, how they scrape and how they go. And I think there’s a bunch of those in this draft.”
Jacob Rodriguez sounds like the perfect fit for Buccaneers after Todd Bowles' comments
It didn't take Bowles saying it for Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans to know that the linebacker position would need to be addressed this year, but there is an interesting tip off here in what Bowles is saying. By praising the quality and depth of the class, Bowles is hinting that the Bucs do not necessarily have to draft one in the first round to come away satisfied with what they are getting, but also because the quality and depth are so good at linebacker, perhaps the Bucs could even double dip this year.
Since Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers are so keen on linebackers with great instincts, if one of those instinctive players they really like is there in the first round and they don't think he will fall further than that, perhaps the Bucs will go linebacker in the first. And then if there is someone else they really like on Day 2, they may load up.
Jacob Rodriguez seems to be the best fit among realistic linebacker prospects for the Bucs, as he has instincts and football IQ for days.
But you had better believe if Sonny Styles is somehow there at 15, the Bucs will be all over him. Kyle Louis is another one squarely on Tampa's radar this year.
The team will have plenty of options to consider as they look to upgrade the linebacker room and find a worthy replacement for Lavonte David.
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