As the Super Bowl LV championship is still fresh in the minds of Bucs players and their fans, the attention is starting to gravitate towards the 2021 NFL Draft. NFL experts and pundits are publishing mock drafts on a regular basis and making their picks for the Bucs.
Each week until the 2021 NFL Draft in April, PewterReport.com will scour the internet to find the list of players that are projected to Tampa Bay and put out the list with the links. The Bucs will have the 32nd overall pick in the first round, and here’s who those around the media have the defending Super Bowl champs selecting in their mock drafts.
NEW MOCKS THIS WEEK
Scott Reynolds – PewterReport.com
Bucs’ First Round Pick: Alabama C Landon Dickerson
Second Round Pick: Houston OLB Payton Turner
Third Round Pick: North Carolina RB Michael Carter
Bucs’ Fourth Round Pick: Purdue ILB Derrick Barnes
Fifth Round Pick: UCF WR-TE Jacob Harris
Sixth Round Pick: UCLA RB-WR-KR Demetric Felton
Seventh Round Pick: Arkansas DT Jonathan Marshall
Bucs’ Seventh Round Pick: Virginia TE Tony Poljan
“The Bucs will be looking for players who love football and play the game with a passion. No one may be more passionate about football than Dickerson, who is selected with the No. 32 overall pick. After tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, Dickerson still dressed for the National Championship Game and begged head coach Nick Saban to snap the ball at the end of the end of the game. After that happened and the Crimson Tide won, Dickerson hoisted Saban into the air – doing so with a surgically-repaired knee.
“There is a good chance that either Jensen or Cappa or both may not return in 2022 due to salary cap concerns. That means Dickerson, who won the Jacobs Trophy (top SEC blocker) and the Rimington Award (nation’s best center), could take over at center or right guard – where he had 11 collegiate starts – next year.” – Scott Reynolds
Dane Brugler – TheAthletic
First Round Pick: Washington Edge Joe Tryon
Second Round Pick: North Dakota State OT/G Dillon Radunz
Third Round Pick: USC DT Jay Tufele
Fourth Round Pick: Georgia OG Ben Cleveland
Fifth Round Pick: Florida State WR Tamorrion Terry
Sixth Round Pick: South Carolina CB Israel Mukuamu
Seventh Round Pick: Ohio State LB Justin Hilliard
Seventh Round Pick: Arkansas QB Feleipe Franks
“Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, the Bucs have done a nice job retaining key players for another run at the championship, but there is no such thing as too much pass rush. Tryon is still developing his pass rush arsenal, but his body type and athleticism could easily land him in the first round.” – Dane Brugler
Sam Monson – PFF.com
First Round Pick: Ole Miss WR Elijah Moore
“To me, Elijah Moore, and any slot-only receiver in the NFL, is a luxury pick in the first round, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have earned themselves exactly that. Between winning the Super Bowl and then successfully taking care of business so far this offseason to almost exactly run it back in terms of personnel, the Bucs have arguably the best roster in the league heading into a defense of their title. The only player of significance from last year’s team not currently back with the team is Antonio Brown, who had a couple of big games down the stretch.
“Moore would give them the ability to move on from Brown and not worry about depth at receiver should injuries bite the way they did last season. He would compete with Tyler Johnson, the team’s 2020 fifth-round selection, to pick up the slack in that eventuality. I have real concerns about Moore’s ability to play on the outside in the NFL, but there is a good chance he would never need to with Tampa Bay, which would immediately maximize his potential impact.” – Sam Monson
Trevor Sikkema – TheDraftNetwork.com
First Round Pick: Alabama IOL Landon Dickerson
Second Round Pick: Washington IDL Levi Onwuzurike
“What do you get the team that has everything? The next best thing in the offensive trenches, that’s what. Dickerson would be a surefire first-round player if it weren’t for his extensive injury history. That might push him to the second round. But with Tampa as the gatekeepers of Round 2, perhaps they could make Dickerson a first-rounder after all.
“The Buccaneers have their whole starting five from last year returning for 2021, but how often do you get through a whole season with no injuries on the offensive line? Not often. Dickerson has the size and athletic profiles to play all five spots on the offensive line as a reserve for 2021, and with both Ryan Jensen and Alex Cappa free agents for 2022, they can have some flexibility with who to pay.” – Trevor Sikkema
Maurice Jones-Drew – NFL.com
Bucs’ First Round Pick: TCU S Trevon Moehrig
“When you bring back all 22 starters from a Super Bowl team, you have the luxury of taking the best player available. Moehrig adds secondary depth and could become a starter by midseason.” – Maurice Jones-Drew
Mel Kiper – Espn.com
First Round Pick: Alabama DT Christian Barmore
Second Round Pick: Stanford WR Simi Fehoko
“General manager Jason Licht has done a great job putting together a great core, and the Bucs are essentially bringing back the exact same roster for 2021. That’s not a terrible idea when you’ve just won the Super Bowl. One spot where they could get younger is defensive tackle. Barmore could replace Ndamukong Suhlong term and play next to elite nose tackle Vita Vea. Barmore has some potential as a 3-technique pass-rusher.” – Mel Kiper
Chris Trapasso – CBSSports.com
First Round Pick: Virginia CB Caleb Farley
Second Round Pick: Washington Edge Joe Tryon
“The Buccaneers are in a position where they can roll the dice on a talented prospect who comes with an injury red flag.” – Chris Trapasso
Luke Easterling – DraftWire.USAToday
Bucs’ First Round Pick: Georgia Edge Azeez Ojulari
Bucs’ Second Round Pick: Alabama OL Landon Dickerson
Charley Casserly – NFL.com
First Round Pick: Alabama RB Najee Harris
“The Bucs have the luxury of looking ahead a year after Jason Licht figured out a way to bring back all 22 starters from his Super Bowl-winning team. Harris is the future at the running back position, with Giovani Bernard, Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones set to hit the open market in 2022.” – Charley Casserly
Vinnie Iyer – TheSportingNews.com
First Round Pick: Washington DT Levi Onwuzurike
Second Round Pick: Duke Edge Chris Rumph II
Third Round Pick: Louisville WR Chatarius Atwell
Fourth Round Pick: Louisiana Tech DT Milton Williams
Fifth Round Pick: Oklahoma CB Tre Norwood
Sixth Round Pick: Stanford QB Davis Mills
Seventh Round Pick: Penn State G/C Michael Menet
Seventh Round Pick: Ohio State LB Tuf Borland
“Ndamukong Suh is back for another season but he’s 34 so the Bucs should think about stashing this quick, strong prospect to pair with Vita Vea.” – Vinnie Iyer
Conor Orr – SportsIllustrated.com
Bucs’ First Round Pick: Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr.
I’m taking a flier here, given that it would produce a lot of bad feature stories about Tom Brady playing with both Asante Samuel and Asante Samuel Jr. What!? He’s old! Wow! I would say corner is a safe place to spend your pick equity if you’re considered a “complete” defense. Samuel can develop into a fine player for Todd Bowles, helping him continue building what was a Super Bowl–winning unit from a year ago.