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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit the lottery when Rueben Bain landed to them at pick 15. Edge rusher was a massive need coming into the NFL Draft as the team lacked depth and youth outside of Yaya Diaby. However, the Buccaneers still have a couple key needs.

For one, the Buccaneers need to draft a linebacker to partner with newcomer Alex Anzalone. Lavonte David left a gaping hole in the defense once he retired. Acquiring a proper coverage linebacker remains a priority for the organization.

Secondly, tight end is quietly a significant need as Cade Otton fails to take a step forward despite receiving a new contract with the team. As we have seen in recent history though like with Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland on the Chicago Bears, a steep contract has not stopped teams from drafting talent at tight end.

The Buccaneers could also consider taking an interior offensive lineman to help add competition to their developing guard and center situations. Ben Bredeson could become a cap casualty in 2027. Defensive tackle is also a need as the team lacks depth behind the great Vita Vea. Cornerback is an additional unproven area for the team, but perhaps they have more confidence in that situation than others after addressing it last season.

Best Available Linebackers

CJ Allen fell out of the first round and could be a steal for Tampa Bay if he continues to drop.

CJ Allen played middle linebacker at the University of George, where he excelled at run defense. He constantly plugged gaps in the running game where he scored a 88.6 PFF grade in college. While his man coverage is a concern, Allen did not miss many tackles throughout his college career. Matt Miller compares him to Roquan Smith. PFF Ranked him as their 18th overall prospect in the draft. He became a Consensus All American after posting 88 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2025.

Jacob Rodriguez showed incredible growth over the last three years at Texas Tech. In that time, he compiled 287 combined tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 6 interceptions, 12 pass deflections, and 12 forced fumbles. Rodriguez became an elite coverage linebacker and run defender in the Big 12. He earned a 94.8 run defense grade and a 92.3 coverage grade with PFF. He was the number one overall graded linebacker last season. While his athleticism could be better, clearly Rodriguez proved he is a high level playmaker at linebacker.

Some other names to keep in mind: Jake Golday, Anthony Hill Jr., Josiah Trotter, and Kyle Louis

Best Available Tight Ends

GettyEli Stowers’ consistently improved over the last three years at Vanderbilt.

Eli Stowers comes into the NFL Draft as one of the most athletic tight ends that has been seen recently. Formally, he used to be a quarterback before converting to tight end. Clearly that has been an effective change as he has produced 1773 yards and 11 touchdowns over three seasons at Vanderbilt. However, he is primarily a receiving tight end over a proficient blocker. Yet, that would compliment Cade Otton well.

Some other names to keep in mind are Max Klare and Sam Rousch, who could be available in round three when the Bucs are on the clock. That being said, both are well rounded albeit low upside projections at the NFL level.