The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have enough of a solid foundation to consistently compete for division titles in what is a wide open NFC South, but they also have some gigantic holes that will make it next to impossible for this team to emerge as a viable championship contender in the near future.
The secondary remains a mess despite all of the wounded missing time, the pass rush on the outside remains nonexistent, and the wide receiver room is starting to show a general lack of overall spice when the X-factor known as Chris Godwin is taken out of the equation.
The Buccaneers have talent, but Jason Licht needs to nail it in the draft if he wants to help take this team from good to great. Why not check these three boxes, improve at key positions, and challenge the Falcons for the role of top dog in the NFC South?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-round 2025 NFL Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick 16: James Pearce Jr, EDGE, Tennessee
The Buccaneers could benefit from a bit of luck here, as they will need Penn State’s Abdul Carter to have won out as the top pass rusher in this class. With Pearce having a good, but not great, final season with the Volunteers, the Buccaneers could end up benefitting from a brief fall by landing a new starter.
Pearce plays like he has a rocket strapped to his rear end, and he is starting to make progress defending the run after a sluggish start to his final season with the Volunteers. Pearce is a guy who can play right away irrespective of how Tampa wants to run their defense in 2024.
Round 2, Pick 50: Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
There aren’t many 6-4 cornerbacks wandering around college football. The hit rate can be a bit all over the place, as it often depends on the cornerback in question having the ability to handle speedy receivers at the line of scrimmage. So far, Porter has proven able to check that box while flashing some ball skills.
Even though the Buccaneers secondary has been beset by injuries, Tampa Bay would be laughed out of the building if they went an entire NFL Draft cycle without adding a cornerback. Todd Bowles has had success with bigger corners in the past, which could make Porter very attractive.
Round 3, Pick 81: Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon
The Buccaneers don’t have a critical need at wide receiver, but Johnson could be worth adding for a team that hasn’t seen Jalen McMillan step up when needed and could be in the process of losing Chris Godwin. The adopted brother of Bo Nix, Johnson could be a very intriguing speedster in the pros.
Much like teammate Evan Stewart, Johnson is rail-thin and will face Xavier Worthy speed merchant allegations until he proves he can separate against more physical cornerbacks. If he can check that box, a quarterback like Mayfield and a coordinator like Liam Coen should have no trouble getting him the ball.
