If anything, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers massive needs on the defensive side of the ball have become even more pressing to address in the 2026 NFL Draft, because legendary inside linebacker Lavonte David officially called it quits, hanging up the spikes at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. That leaves the Bucs with only new free agent signing Alex Anzalone as a proven player at the position.
And yet you could argue that even after adding another former Detroit Lions standout in Al-Quadin Muhammad, the Buccaneers pass rush is still a bigger area of need. Perhaps that is why legendary NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay had the Bucs going outside linebacker with the No. 15 overall pick in his latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
In version 3.0 of the McShay mocks posted to his personal site, the former ESPN analyst became just the latest high-profile draft guru to tab the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to select former Miami Hurricanes star Akheem Mesidor in the first round.
Latest NFL Mock Draft has the Buccaneers snagging a top edge rusher
Like two years ago with Jared Verse, this situation with Mesidor is one where he could rocket back up draft boards and be out of reach of the Bucs. That being said, for as good as it could be that he falls to Tampa Bay it's something that doesn't come without some risk.
Mesidor will already be 25 years old before the draft starts, which already portends a poor prognosis for his upside. And detractors will also point out that he benefited a lot from playing with the consensus best edge rusher in the draft, Ruben Baines Jr.
That said, the absolute best, slam dunk edge rushing prospects will be gone before the Buccaneers pick at No. 15, and the best secondary options like Mesidor will be long gone before the Bucs draft in the second round. So if the Buccaneers want to address this premium position with a decent enough option, they may be forced to go outside linebacker with No. 15 and then wait on an inside linebacker. This draft will have better inside linebackers at No. 15, but it is such a deep class at the position that the Bucs can still find a potential starter next to Anzalone in the second round.
And McShay has Mesidor as a No. 15 overall pick for a reason, beyond the fact that the Buccaneers could really use a pass rusher. He is a very quick player off the edge who never gives up on plays and is good against both the run and pass. It is hard to deny his production in college, and while he may not have the power or raw tools to be an elite edge rusher in the NFL, he looks like he could be a solid role player, which would still be a good pick for what the Bucs need at this point.
But at the same time, the Bucs have two role players off the edge and no real superstars in this entire defense right now.