The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a week away! The Bucs have tried to round out their roster the best they can to ensure they can go best player available when next weekend rolls around.

After months of watching tape and doing our due diligence it is time for Pewter Report’s Final 2026 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft – presented by Jorgensen Law P.A. Be sure to tune into Pewter Report’s Final Mock Draft Show to discuss the final Bucs mock draft live at 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 19 on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel.

Head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht are back from the NFL Annual Meeting and look to improve a team that slumped from a 6-2 start to 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 did not retain many of their free agents this offseason. Future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans departed for San Francisco despite Tampa Bay making him a sizeable offer. The Bucs made little to no effort to retain defensive tackle Logan Hall, outside linebacker Haason Reddick, defensive tackle Greg Gaines or cornerback Jamel Dean, while running back Rachaad White made it clear he was not going to return even if the team wanted him back.

Bucs TE Cade Otton – photo by: USA Today

The Bucs did re-sign starting tight end Cade Otton, backup guard Dan Feeney and tight end Ko Kieft, while picking up the team option on punter Riley Dixon’s contract.

But legendary linebacker Lavonte David did retire after 14 fantastic years in Tampa Bay, which means that the franchise lost not just one icon, but two this offseason.

To fill the roles of some of those departing players, Tampa Bay has signed the following free agents: defensive tackles A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, running back Kenneth Gainwell, inside linebackers Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom, outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad, backup quarterback Jake Browning and special teams ace Miles Killebrew.

Bucs Personnel Needs

Inside Linebacker

Despite the addition of Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom to the roster, the Bucs still need to build up their linebacker room with Lavonte David’s retirement. The Bucs have just three veterans on their roster including last year’s starting middle linebacker, SirVocea Dennis, who is entering a contract year. Behind those three is 2025 undrafted free agent Nick Jackson, who spent the majority of last year on the practice squad.

The Bucs need to continue to add to this room and draft a starting-caliber Mike linebacker to challenge Rozeboom and Dennis, and a young Mo’ linebacker to learn from Anzalone and eventually replace him on the weak side. With a draft that has real depth at linebacker, Tampa Bay needs to add at least one to this group – likely in the first three rounds – and another on Day 3.

Outside Linebacker

Letting Haason Reddick go, which was expected, left a hole at starting outside linebacker. David Walker, a 2025 fourth-round pick is someone the team is high on. But he missed all of last year with a torn ACL, and the team hopes he can at least help raise the floor of the group as a depth player who will log meaningful snaps. The same can be said for Al-Quadin Muhammad, who was a quality designated pass rusher for the Lions last year, notching 11 sacks and over 50 pressures at the age of 30.

Bucs OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Junfu Han

Yaya Diaby is the undisputed head of this group. He has been near the top of the NFL edge rusher leaderboards in pressures over the past two years and has logged seven and 7.5 sacks in two of his first three seasons in the NFL. Other holdovers from the 2025 team include Anthony Nelson, who is a solid run defender with great length at 6-foot-7 but lacks upside as a pass rusher, as well as 2024 second-round draft pick Chris Braswell, who the team is quickly losing faith in.

The Bucs need to add another edge rusher to help round out a pass rushing group that suddenly looks better at the bottom but still lacks impact at the top.

Tight End

The Bucs brought back starter Cade Otton and reserve Ko Kieft, keeping the 2025 tight end room intact. But if Otton were to go down for any significant amount of time, the position would be bereft of any real threat. Kieft is a blocker by trade, operating as a quasi-sixth lineman and as a special teams ace on coverage units.

Payne Durham has operated as the team’s de facto TE2 for a couple of seasons now but has failed to stand out in any facet of the game. He’s entering a contract year. Devin Culp, the 2024 seventh-round pick, has failed to translate his athleticism into a climb up the depth chart and earn any meaningful playing time under two different offensive coordinators.

The Bucs could use an ‘F’ tight end for 12 personnel who can act as an intermediate-to-vertical threat split off the line of scrimmage who can force Durham, Kieft and Culp to fight it out for the TE3 role. The Bucs had seven formal interviews with tight ends at the NFL Scouting Combine and have at least seven known official 30 visits with tight ends this offseason.

Defensive Tackle

A’Shawn Robinson was a good first step in helping replace the snaps lost with the departures of Greg Gaines and Logan Hall. Theoretically, Robinson will split the duties of the two, taking Hall’s snaps on early base downs in Todd Bowles’ 3-4 defensive front and then acting as a backup nose tackle to Vita Vea as Gaines has done for the last three years. And, again theoretically, a healthy Calijah Kancey gives the team a very good top three at defensive tackle.

Bucs DT A’Shawn Robinson – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Bob Donnan

But Kancey is entering his fourth season and can’t stay healthy, missing an average of seven games per season. Vea just turned 31 and is entering a contract year. Finding a future starter or two in this year’s draft class would be ideal for immediate depth and long-term planning purposes. Robinson is also 31, and backup nose tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who returns to Tampa Bay on a one-year deal, turns 33 later this year.

Elijah Roberts, the team’s 2025 fifth-round pick, was thrust into more snaps than the team expected last year and showed flashes as a pass rusher. But he needs a strong offseason where he builds strength to improve his ability to fit the run. Jayson Jones and Elijah Simmons are massive humans who the team picked up midseason last year and could provide strong run defense for a handful of snaps each game.

The Bucs could use some additional pass rush talent or potential replacement for either Vea at nose tackle or Robinson at 4i/5-technique to challenge the back of the roster players for the sixth spot on the depth chart.

Cornerback

With Jamel Dean now gone, Zyon McCollum becomes the veteran presence in the room. But he is coming off of a down season after signing a three-year, $48 million contract extension. Behind McCollum, two second-year draft picks will battle it out for the other starter role opposite him. Those players, second-round pick Benjamin Morrison and third-round pick Jacob Parrish, both logged significant snaps as rookies to varying degrees of success.

Parrish will be the starting nickel regardless of if he wins the starting job on base personnel. But behind those three the quality drops quickly. J.J. Roberts, a 2025 undrafted free agent, was impressive in preseason last year before suffering a season-ending ACL injury. He should back up Parrish at nickel and can also play safety. But on the outside, the team only has Josh Hayes, who has been mostly a core special teamer since being drafted in 2023. Veteran Kindle Vildor wasn’t re-signed after several busted coverages last year.

Tampa Bay added Kemon Hall and Chase Lucas to compete with Hayes for a depth spot and to contribute on special teams, but neither is viewed as a starting-caliber cornerback or an upgrade over Vildor.

The Bucs could use a veteran pickup with starting experience and a draft addition between now and training camp in August to fill out the depth chart. Those players should be able to play on the perimeter and give the Bucs more depth at a position that takes a toll on a player’s body.

Bucs’ 2026 Draft Picks

Tampa Bay currently has all seven of its own draft picks in 2026. The team did not receive any compensatory draft picks this year.

Round 1: No. 15 overall
Round 2: No. 46 overall
Round 3: No. 77 overall
Round 4: No. 116 overall
Round 5: No. 155 overall
Round 6: No. 195 overall
Round 7: No. 229 overall

Pewter Report’s 2026 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft series is presented by Jorgensen Law P.A. Need a personal injury attorney or legal help with workers’ comp or social security? Turn to Jorgensen Law P.A. Attorneys Spencer and Grady Jorgensen are huge Tampa Bay fans and Pewter Report readers with a law office located in St. Petersburg, Fla. They are the champions of the injured and disabled.

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Pewter Report’s 2026 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft 5.0

By Scott Reynolds and Josh Queipo

ROUND 1 – Miami OLB Akheem Mesidor (Selected at No. 21 after trade down with Pittsburgh)
Senior • 6-3, 259

This may look like our Mock Draft 4.0, and that’s because we had Mesidor in our Mock Draft 4.0. But this time it comes with a small twist. This time the Bucs still pick up Mesidor after trading back a few spots and getting an extra pick that will come in handy later. Tampa Bay trades the No. 15 overall pick to Pittsburgh for the Steelers’ first-round pick at No. 21 and third-round pick this year (No. 76 overall) plus a third-rounder in 2027.

At 25 years old, Mesidor is an older prospect. But that works in the Bucs’ favor as they are on a win-now timeline to show that missing the playoffs in 2025 was an aberration and not the beginning of a trend. He was one of the most productive pass rushers in the NFL last year, recording 12.5 sacks for the Miami Hurricanes as they worked their way to a National Championship appearance.

Miami EDGE Akheem Mesidor – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jerome Miron

Analysts are split on Mesidor because his prospect profile is so polarizing. On one hand, he has one of the best pass rush profiles in the class, pairing high-level athleticism with a deep bag of tricks and an advanced pass rush plan. But he also has a history of medical red flags including multiple foot injuries that eventually required surgery in 2023 and another surgery on his shoulder along with his advanced age (for an NFL prospect – oh to be 25 again!).

One thing you can give Mesidor credit for. He’s got perseverance in spades. He not only came back from those injuries, but he came back to thrive. But it doesn’t just stop there. He also converted from defensive tackle to full-time edge rusher in 2025, unlocking Mesidor’s most productive season yet – 63 tackles, 17.5 tackles-for-loss and 12.5 sacks.

Unlike many of the other pass rushers in this draft class either lack his size and ability to play all three downs or his high-end pass rushing talent. That combination make him a unique bet that could pay off in a big way.

Akheem Mesidor’s Defensive Stats
2020: 32 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 5 sacks
2021: 38 tackles, 8 TFLs, 4.5 sacks
2022: 38 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 7 sacks, 4 PBUs
2023: 5 tackles, TFL, sack
2024: 32 tackles, 9 TFLs, 5.5 sacks
2025: 63 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, 12.5 sacks, 4 FFs

Mesidor, who finished his collegiate career with 52.5 tackles for loss and 35.5 sacks, is a high I.Q. football player with a wide variety of pass rush moves. He can win with speed, agility or power as a bendy outside rusher or with the lateral quickness to flash inside. He plays with toughness, physicality and a relentless motor. His position coach, Hall of Fame outside linebacker Jason Taylor has commented that Mesidor is “all ball” and serious about his craft.

ROUND 2 – Texas Tech ILB Jacob Rodriguez
RS Senior • 6-1, 231

Remember that third-round pick the Bucs picked up in the trade down with Pittsburgh in the first? Well Tampa Bay packages its second-round pick at No. 46, Pittsburgh’s third-round pick in 2026 and the Bucs’ fifth-round selection in 2027 to move up with the New York Jets at No. 33 to secure their off-ball linebacker of the present and future. Rodriguez went from transfer quarterback at Virginia to defensive playmaker at Texas Tech in just a few short years. And after a stellar Senior Bowl, Rodriguez’s draft stock continued to soar with a surprisingly fantastic NFL Scouting Combine performance.

With inside linebacker as the biggest need for the Bucs, they would be justified in pouncing on a playmaker of Rodriguez’s caliber. The former quarterback/offensive weapon has proven to be an excellent playmaker on defense and downright turnover machine. Since becoming a starter in 2024 Rodriguez has 10 forced fumbles, four fumbles recoveries and five interceptions.

Texas Tech ILB Jacob Rodriguez – Photo by IMAGN Images – Nathan Giese

He has the size, strength and speed to work as a middle linebacker, pushing to start over SirVocea Dennis and newcomer Christian Rozeboom.

Jacob Rodriguez’s Defensive Stats
2021: 1 tackle
2022: 29 tackles, 3 TFLs, FF
2023: 32 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBUs, INT, 2 FFs, FR
2024: 127 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 5 sacks, 4 PBUs, INT, 3 FFs, 2 FRs, TD
2025: 128 tackles, 11 TFLs, 1 sack, 6 PBUs, 4 INTs, 7 FFs, 2 FRs, TD

Rodriguez is an explosive athlete with a nose for the ball and excels working in a two-gap system where he can seek and destroy. He is a strong communicator who is comfortable in space as a coverage ‘backer. In one-on-one passing drills with running backs at the Senior Bowl, Rodriguez showed an ability to match athletes in space and a high I.Q. to read two-way go’s and not lose his coverage assignment. He also had a fantastic rep using his strength to knock a back to the ground as he tried to stem.

And Rodriguez can be a plus part of a pass rush plan stepping down onto the end of the line and winning the edge as well as blitzing through the A or B gap. With his intelligence, instincts and plenty of physicality, Rodriguez is an instant starting linebacker for Todd Bowles.

ROUND 3 – Ohio State TE Max Klare
RS Junior • 6-4, 246

The Bucs have done extensive research on the tight end position. Cade Otton gives them a steady hand as a do-it-all ‘Y’, but the depth behind him is lacking at best. Tampa Bay takes a swing at improving their 12 personnel packages with an athletic and lean route runner who plays well in space. Klare spent three years at Purdue with his last season proving to be his most productive, snagging 51 catches for 685 yards and four touchdowns.

He transferred to Ohio State in 2025 where he caught 43 catches for 448 yards and two scores as he helped a high-powered Buckeyes offense to a college football playoff appearance. Klare gives the Bucs an opportunity to get a playmaker in the passing game on the field with Otton to bring more versatility to their offense.

Ohio State TE Max Klare – Photo by: IMAGN Images

Max Klare’s Offensive Stats
2022: 2 games, 0 rec
2023: 22 rec., 196 yards, 8.9 avg
2024: 51 rec., 685 yards, 13.4 avg, 4 TDs
2025: 43 rec., 448 yards, 10.4 avg, 2 TDs

Klare, a former teammate of Bucs receiver Emeka Egbuka, has sneaky speed and pairs it well with quick deceleration which helps him create separation against man coverage. He has loose hips that helps him work across multiple plains, stemming quickly at the top of routes. Klare’s a natural hands catcher with a low drop rate (5.7% for his career) and he tracks the ball in the air well downfield.

Klare is a willing and competitive blocker, but his thinner frame and unrefined technique make him a project in the run game. But he enjoys contact and will play through tackles as a receiver which lends itself to developmental room as a blocker.

ROUND 4 – Missouri DT Chris McClellan
Senior • 6-4, 313

The Bucs are entering a time of transition at defensive tackle. This offseason they said goodbye to a couple of stalwarts of the past few years in Greg Gaines and Logan Hall. In their place Tampa Bay has signed two players to one-year deals in Akeem Nunez-Roches and A’Shawn Robinson. With Vita Vea entering the final year of his contract, this position group is in need of long-term investment. General manager Jason Licht has found starters in the fourth round many times before in Bucky Irving, Cade Otton, Jordan Whitehead and Kwon Alexander. And with McClellan he tries to add one more.

McClellan had career highs in 2025, with 48 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and six sacks as he worked alongside Zion Young to create a formidable defensive front at Missouri. His positional versatility helps him play numerous places along the line which would be a boon for Bucs head coach Todd Bowles.

Missouri DT Chris McClellan – Photo by: IMAGN Images- Vasha Hunt

Chris McClellan’s Defensive Stats
2022: 23 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, FR
2023: 23 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack
2024: 39 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 2 PBUs, FF
2025: 48 tackles, 8.0 TFLs, 6 sacks, 2 PBUs

McClellan has the build of a nose tackle and the athleticism to work as more of a gap penetrating three-technique with surprisingly loose hips. He can keep up laterally against wide and outside zone and uses a strong get off to get inside of longer-levered offensive linemen and create vertical punch into the line and pocket.

His hands are a plus tool for him as he uses a strong swipe and arm-over to clear blockers and his athleticism shows up best in his balance in compromised positions. McClellan will need to improve his pad level and develop a better pass rush plan as his strength will be more good-than-great at the NFL level, but the tools are there for a plus starter down the line.

ROUND 5 – Western Michigan OLB Nadame Tucker
Senior • 6-2, 247

Tucker was another Senior Bowl riser, and as such, after we had Tucker in the fifth round of our initial 2026 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft. We moved him up a whole round in our second version of the Mock Draft,  and tripled down with him in the fourth round again in version 3.0. Since then, Tucker failed to test like an elite athlete at the NFL Scouting Combine. He didn’t test poorly, but not to the level of making up for his advanced age and his small stature and short arms.

His draft stock has cooled considerably as evidenced by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler having him as a sixth/seventh round tweener. We have Tampa Bay taking him in the same place we thought he would go in during our version 1.0 Mock Draft. At 6-foot-2 and 247 pounds, Tucker is another dart throw at finding the swooper to compliment Yaya Diaby’s pocket denter role.

Western Michigan edge rusher Nadame Tucker – Photo courtesy of WMU Athletics

While the Bucs have solidified a couple of their outside linebacker spots with Diaby occupying one starter spot and Muhammad occupying one of the depth roles. Walker, while thought highly of at One Buc Place, he’s still an older (25), small-school player coming off of a serious knee injury. And Nelson has a hard ceiling. This means Tucker has an opportunity to earn snaps with a strong camp.

After failing to find playing time at Houston, Tucker blew up in 2025 at Western Michigan recording 61 pressures and finishing in the 99th percentile in pass rush win rate and 98th percentile in pressure rate. Tucker excelled in multiple facets of the game in 2025 upon transferring, posting an 85th percentile tackle-for-loss rate and 98th percentile stop rate in addition to his excellent pass rushing profile.

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

He plays low to the ground and uses his leverage to anchor and power through tackles. Tucker explodes off the snap from a two-point stance like a compressed spring being released and he has the speed up the arc to create nightmares for quarterbacks who get deep into their dropback. Tucker is always in attack mode and plays with a chip on his shoulder.

He offers the speed the Bucs have been trying to find in the late rounds and undrafted free agents over the past several years with more power than those previous players. Tucker could team up with Akheem Mesidor and Al-Quadin Muhammad and replace Chris Braswell in a rotation to provide a one-two-three punch of every down pass rushing speed and bend off the edge, as well as giving the Bucs a more athletic depth piece.

ROUND 6 – Clemson ILB Wade Woodaz
Senior • 6-3, 236

Woodaz is a hometown hero from the Tampa area where he played for the South Pasco Predators under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Scott Reynolds. He took that base knowledge and added a few things along the way, winning a state championship with Jesuit High School with Troy Bowles, Todd Bowles’ son. Woodaz enrolled at Clemson, where he was a four-year contributor and two-year starter, amassing 201 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, three interceptions and a blocked punt.

The Bucs have worked hard to elevate the top and bottom of their linebacker depth chart, adding Alex Anzalone as a starter and giving Christian Rozeboom a chance as a depth piece with a fighting chance to start. After drafting Jacob Rodriguez on day two of the draft, they double-dip with Woodaz to add depth and competition with an eye to the future.

Clemson ILB Wade Woodaz – Photo by: IMAGN Images

Wade Woodaz’s Defensive Stats
2022: 20 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 3 PBUs, FF
2023: 28 tackles, 6.0 TFLs, 4 sacks, 2 INT, FR, TD
2024: 83 tackles, 10.0 TFLs, 3 sacks, INT, 5 PBUs, 3 FFs
2025: 70 tackles, 7.0 TFLs, 0.5 sack, 3 PBUs

Woodaz has good size for the position, and his 4.56 speed is more than good enough to help him play the run-and-chase role in any scheme. He’s a smart player who can sees it before it develops and beats blockers to gaps and spots. Woodaz plays well in space with the speed and agility to match up with backs and more athletic tight ends in space, and a high play IQ to understand zone coverage and works his assignments within those coverages well.

He’s on the taller side and that leads to a high strike zone. That led to a high missed tackle rate in 2024, but he improved it immensely in 2025. Physicality is where the questions arise for Woodaz as he struggles to get off blocks and stack-and-shed and can lose to physical route runners who like to push at the stem of their routes and he hasn’t shown himself to be a plus blitzer. But he has extensive special teams experience, which is extremely valuable at this point in the draft.

ROUND 7 – Texas Tech S Cole Wisniewski
Sixth-Year Senior • 6-3, 219

With the depth at safety a bit thin past starters Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith and 2025 undrafted free agent J.J. Roberts – whom the team is very high on – the Bucs add a big, tall defensive back who plays well in the box. His special teams prowess stands out in a big way and separates him from other players in this area.

After spending four years at North Dakota State, working his way up to a starter in 2023, he missed all of 2024 due to injury. He transferred to Texas Tech in 2025 and was a part of an elite Red Raiders defense. That defense featured, among others, the Bucs’ second round pick Jacob Rodriguez. Licht comes back for one more Texas Tech defender in Wisniewski.

Texas Tech S Cole Wisniewski – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Michael C. Johnson

Cole Wisniewski’s Defensive Stats
2020: 22 tackles, TFL
2021: 53 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1 sack, 2 FFs, 2 PBUs
2022: 27 tackles, FR
2023: 92 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, 8 INTs, FF, 5 PBUs
2024: DNP
2025: 78 tackles, 6.0 TFLs, 1 sack, 6 PBUs, 2 FFs, FR

Wisniewski is a quick mover with plus instincts to get after the ball. He plays with physicality and welcomes contact. He has plus instincts that help him get to spots early and can create turnovers. But his hips are stiff and hinder his ability to play centerfield or even deep half. Wisniewski can cover tight ends in space but struggles to elevate against superior athletes (wide receivers). His best reps are when he’s defending the run in the box and he has some talent as a depth rusher.