Griffin Wong previews and breaks down everything you need to know about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.
Last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ five-year streak of division titles came to an end in spectacular fashion on the final day of the season, as they lost seven of their final nine games of the season to lose a three-way tiebreaker to the Carolina Panthers at 8-9. Even beating Carolina in Week 18 wasn’t enough, as the Atlanta Falcons’ meaningless win over the New Orleans Saints turned a two-way tie (which Tampa Bay held) into a three-way tie (which it didn’t). The Buccaneers fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard after the season, replacing him with Zac Robinson.
Tampa Bay is a solid candidate to re-start its playoff streak in 2026. Though the Buccaneers lost two key contributors during free agency, with wide receiver Mike Evans joining the San Francisco 49ers and linebacker Lavonte David retiring, Tampa Bay made some solid signings, including defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and linebacker Alex Anzalone. The Buccaneers (+4500) currently have the 18th-best odds to win the Super Bowl at DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re +150 favorites to win the NFC South.
The draft turned out to be critical for Tampa Bay last season, as Evans missed nine games with injuries and first-round pick Emeka Egbuka turned into the team’s most reliable receiver. The Buccaneers have historically valued the draft, making a first-round selection in 11 of the past 12 seasons, and in that span, five have gone on to make at least one Pro Bowl with the team. Offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, taken 13th overall in 2020, has been the most successful, making five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. This season, Tampa Bay has seven draft picks with which to operate, including the 15th overall selection.
After using four of their six draft players on defensive players last season, the Buccaneers seem likely to prioritize that side of the ball once again, especially in the wake of David’s retirement. Egbuka’s solid rookie season and Jalen McMillan’s return to health should allow Tampa Bay to cover for Evans’ exit, but David’s departure is trickier. The Buccaneers posted the 12th-lowest run defense grades and 11th-lowest coverage grades at Pro Football Focus last regular season, and they allowed the seventh-most net yards per passing attempt. Tampa Bay’s defense finished with negative expected points added in each of the final nine games of the regular season, giving up at least 350 total yards four times and at least 24 points five times. While Anzalone will help, he’s never been a Pro Bowler and ranked just 33rd of 88 qualified linebackers by PFF’s grades, so he’s not likely to be a game-changer by himself. Robinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad are sensible signings on the defensive line, but Robinson isn’t an elite run defender and Muhammad’s track record as an elite pass rusher is short.
The Buccaneers are projected to select a defensive lineman (+135 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook) in the first round, but tight end (+300), offensive lineman (+330), and cornerback (+380) lag closely behind. Bolstering the defensive line would make some sense; only YaYa Diaby amassed more than five sacks last season, and Tampa Bay managed just 37 total sacks, tied for 18th in the league. Free agency signing Haason Reddick disappointed, managing only 2.5 sacks. Robinson, Muhammad, and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches could provide boosts, but it’s also projected to be an extremely deep draft class of edge rushers. While David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. will be off the board by the 15th overall pick, Akheem Mesidor, Keldric Faulk, and Zion Young could be fits. Mesidor was the most productive of the trio and has additional upside as a run-blocker. The 25-year-old has been widely mocked to the Buccaneers, and general manager Jason Licht only added fuel to the fire by suggesting that age wasn’t necessarily a major consideration in the evaluation process.
Alternatively, cornerback could represent a value play. Tampa Bay finished just 20th in total passing yards, but it could be in line to bounce back offensively if Baker Mayfield, who played through several nagging injuries in the second half of the season, returns to his 2024 form and if Robinson lives up to his billing as an offensive play-caller. The Buccaneers signed cornerbacks Chase Lucas and Kemon Hall in free agency, both were marginal additions, as neither has started a game in his NFL career, so cornerback is still a major need. They allowed opposing passers to amass the sixth-most yards and eighth-most touchdowns in 2025, and Jamel Dean — who ranked fifth among 112 qualified corners at PFF — signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jermod McCoy and Mansoor Delane headline a strong cornerback class, though McCoy is more likely to be available because he missed the 2025 season with a torn ACL. Tampa Bay could take Delane if he’s available and select an edge rusher if he’s not.
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