The 2026 Bucs offseason is here and it’s time for Pewter Report’s 2025 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft 1.0 – presented by Jorgensen Law P.A. Be sure to tune into Pewter Report’s Mock Draft Show to discuss the first Bucs mock draft live at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 25 on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel.

Todd Bowles returns as Tampa Bay’s head coach in 2026 despite a collapse from a 6-2 start that saw the team finish 8-9 and lose the NFC South division to Carolina. Bowles made several changes to his coaching staff, including replacing offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard with former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

The Bucs don’t have a lot of free agents worth re-signing this offseason outside of future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans, who turns 32 in August, and possibly starting tight end Cade Otton depending on his price tag. Free agent running back Rachaad White will be leaving Tampa Bay for more opportunities elsewhere in 2026.

Legendary Lavonte David is expected to retire at age 36, which will leave a void at the inside linebacker position.

Tampa Bay should be active in free agency adding new players to the roster without having to invest much in re-signing the team’s own players as a result. Taking this into consideration, here’s a look at the Bucs’ personnel needs heading into the offseason.

Bucs Personnel Needs

Inside Linebacker

With Lavonte David expected to retire, the Bucs have just two inside linebackers under contract in 2026 in starting middle linebacker SirVocea Dennis, who is entering a contract year, and undrafted free agent Nick Jackson, who spent the majority of his rookie season on the practice squad.

Tampa Bay desperately needs an upgrade at inside linebacker in terms of talent, as well as adding more capable bodies for depth. Dennis is replaceable, and the Bucs would be wise to add a veteran in free agency, spend a premium pick to get another inside linebacker, and then draft another one for developmental depth.

Bucs ILBs Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: USA Today

Outside Linebacker

Haason Reddick was a bust after notching just 2.5 sacks while making $14 million in 2025. He won’t be re-signed. The Bucs have to admit that Chris Braswell, the team’s second-round pick in 2024, is a bust after he’s totaled just 2.5 sacks in two seasons. He needs to be replaced on the roster.

Markees Watts is strictly a special teamer and is also headed for free agency. The Bucs spent a fourth-round draft pick on David Walker, but he’s a virtual unknown after tearing his ACL during the first week of training camp. While loaded with promise, the team can’t bank on Walker being a factor in 2026 because he has yet to prove himself on the gridiron.

Tampa Bay is in desperate need of a stud, alpha edge rusher opposite Yaya Diaby, who is an ideal No. 2 outside linebacker and is entering a contract year in 2026.

Tight End

If the Bucs re-sign starter Cade Otton in free agency, the tight end position is somewhat solidified in 2026. Payne Durham will be entering a contract year, while Devin Culp enters his third season as a seldom-used third-string tight end. Ko Kieft is a free agent and offers little value outside of playing on special teams.

The Bucs could use a more dynamic pass-catching tight with the ability to block. Otton is average at best, and was more palatable as a starter when he was on a cheap rookie contract. If both Otton and Kieft depart in free agency, Tampa Bay will only have two tight ends under contract in the 2026 offseason.

Bucs TEs Payne Durham and Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Defensive Tackle

Vita Vea’s production slipped a bit at age 30, but he’s still a formidable starter at nose tackle. Vea is entering a contract year, though, and the team needs to plan for the future by finding his eventual replacement in case he’s not re-signed.

Logan Hall, the team’s top pick in 2022, will be let go via free agency as he never panned out and lived up to his draft billing. Calijah Kancey is a very good, effective player with his backfield penetration ability. But Kancey has missed 22 games due to injuries in his first three seasons while only suiting up for 29.

Tampa Bay needs to prioritize adding another talented defensive tackle via the draft, too. Elijah Roberts can replace Hall, but the Bucs need to try to find an upgrade over Greg Gaines and ultimately find another starting-caliber defensive tackle in case Vea’s career winds down quickly or Kancey continues to get injured. Rookie Elijah Simmons showed some promise, and the team has high hopes for practice squad rookie defensive tackle Jayson Jones, who missed most of the season with a torn biceps muscle.

Cornerback

The Bucs are letting cornerback Jamel Dean leave via free agency. Despite having his best season in Tampa Bay, Dean was forced to take a pay cut in 2025 and is ready to move on to greener pastures. While the Bucs drafted Benjamin Morrison in the second round to replace the oft-injured Dean, no cornerback was more injured last year than the Notre Dame prospect who battled hamstring injuries all season.

Combine that with the fact that Zyon McCollum regressed despite cashing in on a $16 million per year contract extension, and the Bucs outside cornerback position could use another starting-caliber player to throw into the mix – just in case Morrison isn’t that guy and/or McCollum continues to falter.

Jacob Parrish thrived at nickelback for the team as a rookie and got some experience playing outside in emergency situations. Veteran Kindle Vildor is a free agent and not expected to return in 2026.

Rams WR Davante Adams and Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

Bucs’ 2026 NFL Draft Picks

Tampa Bay currently has all seven of its own draft picks in 2026. Any compensatory draft picks will be determined by the NFL prior to the NFL Draft.

Round 1: No. 15 overall
Round 2: No. 46 overall
Round 3: No. 77 overall
Round 4: No. 116 overall
Round 5: No. 153 overall
Round 6: No. 193 overall
Round 7: No. 229 overall

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Pewter Report’s 2026 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft 1.0

By Scott Reynolds and Josh Queipo

Round 1 – Ohio State ILB Sonny Styles
Senior • 6-5, 243

If Ohio State’s stud inside linebacker Sonny Styles makes it to No. 15 the Bucs should probably pounce. With Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. and Texas Tech’s David Bailey figuring to be Top 10 picks – and possibly Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell also off the board by the time Tampa Bay selects, the Bucs have the chance to get the top inside linebacker or the fifth-best edge rusher.

Styles is a monster at 6-foot-5, 243 pounds and has sideline-to-sideline speed. A national champion in 2024, Styles is a better version of what the Bucs hoped they were getting in Devin White, the fifth overall pick in 2019. Styles had an 88.5 overall grade per Pro Football Focus and only missed two tackles the entire season.

He posted an 87.4 run grade per PFF and an 86.9 pass coverage grade, allowing just one touchdown and forcing three incompletions.

Sonny Style’s Defensive Stats
2022: 9 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
2023: 53 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, FF
2024: 100 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 6 sacks, 5 PBUs, FF, FR
2025: 82 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 1 sack, 3 PBUs, 1 INT, FF

Styles is also an accomplished blitzer when put into that role, which wasn’t that often in 2025, evidenced by only one sack. But during the Buckeyes’ championship run, Styles had a career-high six sacks.

Because of his wingspan, range and safety background, Styles would be an ideal replacement for Lavonte David as the Mo ‘backer in Todd Bowles’ defense. Pair Styles with a proven veteran middle linebacker like Philadelphia’s Nakobe Dean, and Tampa Bay’s weakness on defense is suddenly capable of becoming a strength.

Round 2 – Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter
Senior • 6-4, 330

The Bucs do have a need for an edge rusher, especially if the team doesn’t sign a proven veteran in free agency. But second-tier edge rushers like Clemson’s T.J. Parker, Miami’s Akheem Mesidor, Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas and Illinois’ Gabe Jacas will likely be gone by the time Tampa Bay picks again in the second round at No. 46.

The Bucs would then take the best player available, and Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter is a starting-caliber defensive tackle that could come in and help right away. The Red Raiders defense was one of the best, most dominant units in college football in 2025, and Hunter, a transfer from UCF, was at the center of it.

While he is not a penetrating defensive tackle like Calijah Kancey, capable of racking up a bunch of sacks, Hunter has a respectable 7.5 sacks in his career and is a quick, power player who game resembles that of Vita Vea.

Lee Hunter’s Defensive Stats
2022: 17 tackles, TFL, 1 sack
2023: 69 tackles, 11 TFLs, 3 sacks, PBU
2024: 45 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 1 sack
2025: 41 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, FF

Where Hunter excels is occupying offensive linemen and letting linebackers like All-American Jacob Rodriguez flow to the ball to make tackles and impact plays. The most noteworthy stat is Hunter’s 32 career tackles for loss. That and his 172 career tackles show that the 6-foot-4, 330-pounder is more than just a lane clogger. He is an actual playmaker in the run game.

Todd Bowles emphasizes stopping the run and wants his run defense to be among the top 5 across the league. Adding a defensive tackle like Hunter gives the team a long-term plan past Vea’s time in Tampa Bay, and immediate help along the defensive line with Logan Hall’s departure in free agency.

Round 3 – Penn State OLB Dani Dennis-Sutton
Senior • 6-5, 265

The Bucs add another edge rusher in Penn State’s Dani (pronounced “deny”) Dennis-Sutton in the third round. While not a flashy edge rusher with blazing speed to threaten quarterbacks, Dennis-Sutton is a bit more fluid than Yaya Diaby with a similar size at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds.

Dennis-Sutton began his Nittany Lions career playing behind the likes of Chop Robinson, Adisa Issac and Abdul Carter, but once he worked his way into the starting lineup he was able to compile back-to-back seasons with 8.5 sacks and at least 12 tackles for loss, in addition to five forced fumbles over that span.

Dani Dennis-Sutton’s Defensive Stats
2022: 17 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 3 INTs, PBU, INT
2023: 26 tackles, 6 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, PBU, 2 FFs, FR
2024: 42 tackles, 13 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, 3 PBUs, INT, 2 FFs, FR
2025: 42 tackles, 12 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, 3 PBUs, 3 FFs

With 127 tackles, 34.5 TFLs, and 23.5 sacks in his Penn State career, Dennis-Sutton was a productive college edge rusher. He displays a good motor, change of direction ability and is active in pursuit due to his hustle. Dennis-Sutton may not be an alpha edge rusher, but if he can be as good as Diaby is, the two could generate 15-16 sacks between them.

Round 4 – Illinois OL J.C. Davis
Senior • 6-5, 335

The Bucs found a gem in undrafted free agent tackle Ben Chukwuma, who will likely replace Charlie Heck as the team’s swing tackle in 2026. But Tampa Bay’s depth at guard was severely tested last year after Cody Mauch was lost for the season after a Week 2 knee injury and Ben Bredeson missing six games.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht loves the idea of continuing to stockpile talent along the offensive line, and with Mauch coming off a serious knee injury and entering a contract year, it’s probably a good idea to draft another interior offensive lineman.

J.C. Davis was a starting left tackle at Illinois for the past three seasons, but Licht likes to draft athletic left tackles and move them inside. He’s done that with former guard Alex Cappa, Mauch and even center Graham Barton. Davis doesn’t have the quickest feet, but has incredible grip strength and a fantastic punch where he latches on to opposing defensive linemen, controlling them with his hands.

Davis could move inside and be a power guard for Tampa Bay due to his size and strength. He earned an 87.8 Pro Football Focus grade in 2025 with an 86.7 run block grade (83.9 zone grade and 77.4 gap grade) and a 77.4 pass block grade. That beat his sophomore season when he earned an 84.5 PFF grade.

Davis has over 2,000 snaps at left tackle and has only surrendered six sacks over the past three seasons.

ROUND 5 – Western Michigan OLB Nadame Tucker
Senior • 6-3, 250

The Bucs come back and draft another edge rusher in the fifth round in Western Michigan’s Nadame Tucker. At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Tucker is smaller than Dani Dennis-Sutton, but brings more juice and quickness off the edge.

A one-year wonder as a pass rusher, Tucker was stuck on the bench at Houston for most of his college career before transferring to Western Michigan for his final season. As an immediate starter, Tucker recorded 14.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss, while forcing four fumbles during the 2025 campaign.

Nadame Tucker’s Defensive Stats
2022: 1 tackle
2023: 7 tackles, 1 TFL
2024: 2 tackles
2025: 55 tackles, 21 TFLs, 14.5 sacks, PBU, 4 FFs

Was Tucker a late bloomer? Or did he simply take advantage of lesser opponents in the MAC conference? That is for the Bucs scouts to decide.

Tucker was the seventh-rated edge player by Pro Football Focus last year, earning a 91.4 overall grade, including a 93.3 pass rush grade courtesy of a gaudy, 28.4% pass rush win rate. He was also effective against the run with a 72.6 grade. Tucker, who amassed 41 pressures last year, gives great effort and throws his body around with reckless abandon.

He is worth taking a chance on as a Day 3 selection and thrown into the mix with Dennis-Sutton and David Walker.

ROUND 6 – Southern Miss CB Josh Moten
Senior • 6-0, 185

Josh Moten started his career at Texas A&M before transferring to Marshall for two seasons prior to finishing up at Southern Miss. Solid against the pass and the run, Moten has the skills, the athleticism and enough size to play in Todd Bowles’ defense.

Bowles likes ballhawks and Moten recorded five interceptions in each of the past two seasons, in addition to 16 pass breakups during that span. Equally adept at both man and zone coverage, Moten would bring great versatility to Tampa Bay, especially as a sixth-round pick.

Josh Moten’s Defensive Stats
2022: 1 tackle
2023: 30 tackles, 1 TFL, 6 PBUs, INT, TD
2024: 38 tackles, 5 PBUs, 5 INTs
2025: 59 tackles, 1 TFL, 11 PBUs, 5 INTs

Moten began his career as a slot cornerback at Marshall in 2023 before moving outside over the past two seasons. That kind of versatility can’t hurt him at the next level. With Jamel Dean departing via free agency and likely Kindle Vildor, too, the Bucs could use another cornerback on the depth chart.

ROUND 7 – Arkansas TE Rohan Jones
Senior • 6-3, 242

Rohan Jones is built more like an H-back or a fullback than he is a tight end. But think of Jones as a poor man’s Kenyon Sadiq, who is a similarly sized tight end – albeit one that carries a first-round grade.

The Bucs already have an undersized receiving tight end in Devin Culp, but he’s really struggled to see the field over the last two seasons. Jones is an even better weapon in the passing game than Culp is, evidenced by catching 30 passes for 469 yards in his lone season at Montana State in 2024, then posting 20 catches for 533 yards and four TDs at Arkansas last year.

Jones had a fantastic receiving average of 15.6 yards per catch for the Bobcats in 2024, but his 26.7 average last year for the Razorbacks was just obscene. The 6-foot-3, 243-pound weapon just knows how to get open and has the speed to do it. His 11.5 yards after catch average was tops in the nation among all tight ends, as well as his 14-yard average depth of target.

Rohan Jones’ Offensive Stats
2022: 9 catches, 123 yards, 13.7 avg., 2 TDs
2023: 22 catches, 240 yards, 10.9 avg., 5 TDs
2024: 30 catches, 470 yards, 15.7 avg., 9 TDs
2025: 19 catches, 519 yards, 27.3 avg., 4 TDs

Like Sadiq, Jones is mismatch creator. He is too big for cornerbacks and safeties to handle in coverage, and too fast for linebackers. While his run blocking needs plenty of work, Jones shows a willingness to stick his nose into defenders. But like the Bucs did last year selecting Tez Johnson in the seventh round, adding another weapon for Baker Mayfield late in the draft is never a bad idea.