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The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 23, and who will be the next player to join the Bucs? We’ll find out soon, but first I’ve got my annual SR’s Bucs Draft Insider column – presented by Gameday Men’s Health – which is full of Bucs-related pre-draft scoop and insight.

This comes on the heels of Pewter Report’s FINAL 2026 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft, which was published on Sunday.

There won’t be an SR’s Fab 5 column this week because of the NFL Draft, but there will be plenty of draft coverage on PewterReport.com on Friday, in addition to Pewter Report’s LIVE 3-Day Draft Show – presented by Prize Picks. So this SR’s 2026 Bucs Draft Insider will take its place.

I’ll also have an SR’s 2026 Bucs Draft Insider: Day 2 for you on Friday morning. Enjoy!

Will The Bucs Trade Up Or Down In This Year’s Draft?

I don’t think Tampa Bay will trade up in the first round of the draft this year. The cost to move up five spots to No. 10 to grab one of the draft’s elite talents – and there are truly only 10-12 such players this year – would likely be the team’s second round pick, which is No. 46 overall. For a team like the Bucs that has a plethora of needs, especially on defense, that is essentially sacrificing a potential starter who could be drafted in the second round just to move up inside the top 10.

General manager Jason Licht has only moved up in the first round one time, which was one spot to get Tristan Wirfs at No. 13 in 2020 by parting ways with a third-round pick to do so. Licht has moved down in the draft multiple times, including in 2018 to select defensive tackle Vita Vea at No. 12 and moving down and out of the first round altogether in 2022 to select defensive tackle Logan Hall at No. 33.

Licht said that this year, he was actually more open to trading down when asked if he would consider trading up in the draft when addressing the media at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Adam Slivon/PR

“We go through all those scenarios,” Licht said. “We look at all that (possibly trading up), but you know, [we] love picks. I’m not saying that there wouldn’t be a scenario where we moved up, but we have a lot of places where we want to add some depth, add some starters, add some help. But right now, it would be more attractive to collect more picks. But I’m not saying that we wouldn’t move up.”

Licht didn’t back away from that premise when speaking to the media last week prior to the draft. And Tampa Bay may have a legit chance to trade back as this is a good class of offensive tackles with as many as eight or nine expected to go in the first round.

Detroit, which picks at No. 17, is expected to draft an offensive tackle in the first round to replace 32-year old left tackle Taylor Decker, who was released in a salary cap move prior to free agency. The Lions could move All-Pro Penei Sewell from right tackle to left tackle, but the team needs another starting tackle regardless. Longtime reserve swing tackle Dan Skipper also retired this offseason.

There are several teams picking below Detroit, including the Steelers (No. 21), Chargers (No. 22), Eagles (No. 23), Browns (No. 24) and 49ers (No. 27) that could use another starting-caliber offensive tackle and may consider moving up ahead of the Lions to take the tackle of their choice. There is also the chance that the Lions may want to move up to No. 15 to select a tackle and prevent another team from moving ahead of them by trading with the Bucs.

How far does Licht want to trade down, though? And what if he wants to move down no further than six spots down to No. 21, yet there are no takers? If the only phone calls from from teams later in the 20s, that might be further than Licht wants to move down.

So while you might want the Bucs to trade down and the team might want to as well, if a deal doesn’t happen and Tampa Bay has to stick and pick at No. 15, it won’t be due to inaction on Licht’s part. He just may not have found the right trade partner.

“You have a group of players that you say, ‘No matter what, if this player’s there, we’re taking [them],'” Licht said. “If there’s a group of three, then maybe you go back one or two to make sure that you ensure you get one of your three, but the part of that that makes it difficult is you’ve got to find a trade partner. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes teams just don’t want to move up. They don’t want to give up picks, and I understand why.”

Who’s The Bucs’ Pick At No. 15?

If the Bucs can’t trade down and must stay put and make a selection, I believe that Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor would be the pick. Tampa Bay would probably love to move down a bit in the first round to acquire another Day 2 selection and grab Mesidor later, but I don’t think the Bucs would pass on taking the Hurricanes edge rusher at No. 15 if Jason Licht couldn’t orchestrate a trade down.

Mesidor led Miami with 12.5 sacks last year and finished his collegiate career with 35.5 sacks. That proven production and the NFL-caliber tutelage he received from pass rush coach Jason Taylor, who is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, has to be enticing for Todd Bowles and Co. There are some within the building who even believe he is a better fit in Bowles’ scheme than Mesidor’s teammate, Rueben Bain Jr., who is expected to be a top 10 pick.

Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jerome Miron

Mesidor just turned 25 and is one of the older prospects in this year’s draft. But for a head coach who is on the hot seat and a Bucs team that is in need of a quick rebound after a disappointing 8-9 season, Mesidor could be more NFL-ready than most edge rushers due to his physical and mental maturity. Taylor has said that Mesidor is “all business” and is “already a professional” with the way he trains, prepares and approaches the game of football.

Tampa Bay has the need for a starting-caliber edge rusher opposite Yaya Diaby, and free agent acquisition Al-Quadin Muhammad is 31 and only signed a modest, one-year deal. Mesidor is a very physical player with a background as a defensive tackle, has a relentless motor and plays with an edge. His mentality fits what the Bucs are looking for along the defensive line.

The other real possibility is Penn State guard Vega Ioane if he’s still available at No. 15. Ioane is the top-rated guard in this year’s draft and could have a higher draft grade than Mesidor on the Bucs board. If that’s the case, expect Licht to draft the best player available – even if guard is not a pressing need because the team has left guard Ben Bredeson under contract through 2027 and right guard Cody Mauch is back from a season-ending knee injury that cost him the final 15 games of the 2025 season.

Penn State G Olaivavega Ioane – Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics

The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Ioane did not allow a sack over the last two years and is a granite wall in pass protection. In the run game he’s a mauler – an absolute bulldozer, who would represent an upgrade over Bredeson from a talent perspective. Mauch is entering a contract year and the team would like to re-sign for the long term. But what if his surgically-repaired knee doesn’t hold up? Drafting an elite, starting-caliber guard like Ioane could serve as a layer of protection for the Bucs long term.

If Ioane were to start at left guard and Mauch makes a successful return at right guard, that would allow the Bucs to have one of the best swing interior offensive linemen in Bredeson, who would be the first player off the bench at guard or center. Bredeson would be filling a key reserve role like Robert Hainsey did in 2024 after the team drafted new center Graham Barton.

With Bredeson missing seven games due to injury last year and Mauch out the final 15 games, Tampa Bay’s offense struggled with a pair of practice squad guards, Dan Feeney and Mike Jordan, filling in. The Bucs’ scoring fell from 29 points per game in 2024 to 22.4 points per game last year. That’s a touchdown less per game, which played a big role in the team’s slide from 10 wins in 2024 to eight wins last year.

With quarterback Baker Mayfield entering a very important contract year in 2026, and running back Bucky Irving needing a bounce-back year after an injury-riddled 2025 season, making a team strength like the offensive line even stronger with the selection of Ioane makes a lot of sense. So don’t think of Ioane as being a surprise pick for the Bucs if it happens, as Licht loves to select offensive linemen with premium draft picks – and he’s good at it.

Who Are This Year’s Surprise Candidates?

The selections of outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (2021), defensive tackle Logan Hall (2022) and center Graham Barton (2024) with Tampa Bay’s first picks shouldn’t have been a surprise to Pewter Report readers, as each of them was a Bucs Best Bet at those positions in their respective draft classes. But occasionally general manager Jason Licht goes into stealth mode with a sneaky pick in the first round that few saw coming.

That was the case in 2023 when Tampa Bay drafted defensive tackle Calijah Kancey in the first round despite not formally interviewing him at the NFL Scouting Combine nor having him in for an official visit that year. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was also a surprise first-rounder last year after the team formally interviewed him at the Combine (although that wasn’t reported) yet didn’t bring him in for an official visit.

So if Licht wants to make a sneaky, off-the-radar pick again this year, who are some possible candidates? The departure of Mike Evans could prompt the Bucs to select a big X wide receiver this year to replace him, although the team does have four capable receivers in Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr., Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson.

Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Patrick Breen

If Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is on the board at No. 15, he would be hard to pass up if he’s medically cleared by Bucs doctors. Tyson, 6-2, 203, missed 17 of 51 games in college due to knee (2022), collarbone (2024) and hamstring (2025) injuries, but when on the field, he amassed over 1,800 yards and scored 18 touchdowns over his last two seasons for the Sun Devils. He has outstanding hands, body control and leaping ability to win contested catch situations.

Should Tampa Bay trade down into the later part of the first round, Washington’s Denzel Boston, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound split end would be another big receiver option to replace Evans.

Cornerback has been a position the Bucs have shown very little interest in during the pre-draft process. To Pewter Report’s knowledge, the team has not had a cornerback in for an official 30 visit and only had one formal interview at the Combine, and that was with Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes. The Bucs did have a Zoom call with San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson, who is viewed as a late first-round pick, and he could be a possible target if the team was to trade down.

Several mock drafts have linked Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy to the Bucs, including the first two by ESPN’s Peter Schrager. McCoy, who is a top 10 talent when healthy, missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL. That’s typically a 9-12-month recovery timetable, but McCoy opted out of the Senior Bowl, which was in late January about 13 months past his initial injury.

Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy – Photo by: IMAGN Images

Then he didn’t compete at the NFL Scouting Combine a month later, opting to wait until his pro day to run, do athletic testing and do position drills. So 15 months after his surgery McCoy opted to perform before NFL teams.

That should be a red flag to the Bucs and other teams about his medical status. Then came a report that he may need an additional surgery on his knee that could possibly keep him out his rookie season. I understand that his 2024 tape is really good, but it would shock me if the Bucs drafted another cornerback coming off an injury after doing so last year with second-round pick Benjamin Morrison, who wound up missing a month of training camp, all of the preseason and seven games due to hamstring injuries.

On Wednesday, Schrager ditched his McCoy-to-Tampa Bay pick in the first round of his latest mock draft, opting instead for Meisdor. It seems like McCoy’s stock is falling due to medical concerns. The same thing happened to Michigan cornerback Will Johnson last year as he slid to the second round.

So a player like Tyson would be a pleasant surprise, but a player like McCoy might be an unwelcomed surprised.

Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq is frequently mocked to the Bucs at No. 15, as is Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk. However, I don’t think the Bucs love Sadiq. I think they like him, but maybe not at No. 15. I think he would be in consideration if the team moved down a few spots and he was still on the board, but I would be surprised if he was the pick at No. 15.

As for Faulk, he’s a 20-year old, athletic 6-foot-6, 276-pound defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. He’s not a 3-4 outside linebacker candidate – at all. And no, he can’t play inside as a 4i/5-technique. The Bucs tried to do that with Logan Hall for four years and it just didn’t work out. So why would Tampa Bay be stupid enough to go down that road again?

Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk – Photo by – IMAGN Images – Jake Crandall

Besides, Todd Bowles has said he wants to bigger and more stout up front – hence the addition of 6-foot-4, 320-pound defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson in free agency. And for a team looking to upgrade its pass rush, drafting an edge rusher with just 10 career sacks, including only two in 2025, would just be dumb. When it comes to Faulk, stay away, Tampa Bay.

One last position worth noting for a surprise pick is defensive tackle, which is a position that Licht values taking in the first round. Licht has spent three top picks on defensive tackles – Vita Vea in 2018, Hall in 2022 and Kancey in 2023 – and he would have selected Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton at No. 24 if Graham Barton hadn’t been there.

The problem is that there are not a lot of great defensive tackle candidates in this year’s draft class, and certainly none worth selecting at No. 15. I don’t think the Bucs are high on Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods, and Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald is more of a nose tackle with very limited pass rush potential, and that doesn’t make him as valuable as a player Vea, who can do both. The Bucs appear to be out on Florida’s Caleb Banks, and while they like Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter, I think he’s more of a second-round prospect and would be a reach – even later in round one.

Why The Bucs May Not Draft A Linebacker In Round 1

While inside linebacker may be the team’s most pressing need, it’s not likely to be a position that will be addressed in the first round by the Bucs for two reasons. First, outside of Ohio State’s Sonny Styles, there may not be another inside linebacker with a first-round grade – assuming Ohio State’s Arvell Reese will be drafted in the top 5 as an edge rusher and not an inside ‘backer.

The team has done its homework on Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, Georgia’s CJ Allen, Missouri’s Josiah Trotter and Cincinnati’s Jake Golday, but the thinking here is that those linebackers are more likely to have second-round grades. Even if the Bucs trade down in the first round, selecting an inside linebacker might be over-drafting the position in Tampa Bay’s mind. I think Rodriguez deserves a first-round grade, but I’m not sure the Bucs necessarily concur.

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

The second component is financial. The base fifth-year option for inside linebackers drafted in 2023 is $13.752 million. If a linebacker meets a certain threshold and becomes a starter that number goes up to $15.124 million. If the linebacker – in this case Detroit’s Jack Campbell – makes one Pro Bowl, the fifth-year option amount escalates to $21.925 million. That’s why the Lions have not picked up Campbell’s fifth-year option yet and may not do, opting to work on a long-term contract extension instead for a lesser amount.

Had Campbell made two Pro Bowls his fifth-year option amount would be a staggering $26.865 million. To put that in perspective, San Francisco’s Fred Warner is the highest-paid linebacker in the league at $21 million, followed by Baltimore’s Roquan Smith at $20 million. Philadelphia’s All-Pro Zack Baun was recently extended at $17 million per year over two years, and Pro Bowler Devin Lloyd, the top linebacker in free agency this year, commanded a three-year, $15 million deal from Carolina.

There is a huge difference financially between $15 million and $21.925 million. And what will the fifth-year option amount be for a first-round linebacker with one Pro Bowl four years from now? Likely somewhere between $25 million and $30 million.

Bucs LB Lavonte David – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

To put that number in perspective, potential future Hall of Famer Lavonte David averaged $7.4 million per year over his 14-season playing career. And the most David ever made in a season was $12.5 million on a two-year deal he signed in 2021.

For some reason, the NFL views inside linebackers and 3-4 outside linebackers as the same financially – even though it’s two completely different positions. So 3-4 edge rushers like New York’s Will McDonald and Philadelphia’s Nolan Smith have the same fifth-year option amounts as inside linebackers. And for some reason the fifth-year option amounts for 4-3 defensive ends in 2023 is $14.475 million – just slightly higher.

This makes as much sense as lumping inside linebackers and outside linebackers in the same category for Pro Bowl voting, which is why David would get snubbed in favor of some edge rushing outside linebacker who put up double-digit sacks. But that’s the NFL for you, as it’s a league where not a lot truly makes sense.

When Will The Bucs Draft An Edge Rusher And A Linebacker?

So if the Bucs are opposed to drafting an inside linebacker in the first round this year – and I believe there is still the sting of drafting Devin White fifth overall that lingers – when will the team address that position? It feels like Tampa Bay will draft an edge rusher in either the first or second round and then draft an inside linebacker in the second or third round as a result.

Todd Bowles has said that there are 10-12 linebackers he likes in this year’s draft, so the team could wait until early Day 3 to address this deep position. Interestingly enough, Licht has never drafted an inside linebacker in the second round.

Missouri ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo by: IMAGN Images

He selected Kendall Beckwith (2017) in the third round, Kwon Alexander (2015) in the fourth round, and K.J. Britt (2021) and SirVocea Dennis (2023) in the fifth round. Devante Bond (2016) and Jack Cichy (2018) were sixth-round picks, while Chapelle Russell (2020) and Grant Stuard (2021) were seventh-round selections.

The Bucs could double dip at edge rusher and inside linebacker this year to take more bites at the apple to ensure a hit in the draft and to bolster those respective units. But if Licht was going to double up at one position, it feels like it would be inside linebacker with Day 2 and Day 3 picks.

SirVocea Dennis is in a contract year after a lackluster first season as a starter. Christian Rozeboom is 29 and signed a one-year deal in free agency. Alex Anzalone signed a two-year deal, but he’s 31 and is more of a stopgap linebacker rather than a long-term solution.

As for outside linebacker candidates, I think Miami’s Akheem Mesidor carries a first-round grade with the Bucs, but edge rushers like Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas, UCF’s Malachi Lawrence and Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell are second-round prospects. Meanwhile, Illinois’ Gabe Jacas is a Day 2 candidate, but perhaps with a third-round grade because he may not be an ideal scheme fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

The Bucs have had Missouri’s Zion Young in for a 30 visit and also formally interviewed him at the Combine, but he might be better suited as a 4-3 defensive end in the NFL and not necessarily a good fit in Todd Bowles’ 3-4 scheme as an outside linebacker.

Bucs Best Bets Cheat Sheet Comes Out Tomorrow

I know many of you love to see who Pewter Report selects for our Bucs Best Bets at every position. They can be found in all of our Bucs Draft Previews.

Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: QB
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: RB
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: WR
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: TE
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: OT
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: IOL
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: DT
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: Edge Rusher
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: ILB
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: CB – coming Wednesday
Bucs Draft 2026 Preview + Bucs Best Bests: S – coming Thursday

As I do each year, I will be compiling a Bucs Best Bet Cheat Sheet with all of the selections at each position in one article for you to be able to reference during the 2026 NFL Draft. Look for that Thursday morning on PewterReport.com.

Join Pewter Report’s LIVE 3-Day Bucs Draft Show – April 23-25

Pewter Report will be broadcasting its annual LIVE 3-Day Bucs Draft Show – presented by PrizePicks – from One Buccaneer Place on April 23-25. Buccaneers fans are encouraged to watch nearly 20 hours of wall-to-wall draft coverage from the Pewter Report staff streamed on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel, which has nearly 23,000 subscribers.

The LIVE 3-Day Draft Show will also be streamed on PewterReport.com in addition to Pewter Report’s X and Facebook accounts – @PewterReport. Here are the broadcast times:

Thursday, April 23 – 7:00 pm ET / Day 1 starts at 8:00 pm ET
Friday, April 24 – 6:00 pm ET / Day 2 starts at 7:00 pm ET
Saturday, April 25 – 11:00 am ET / Day 3 starts at noon ET

The entire Pewter Report staff will be on hand to preview and discuss each of the team’s draft picks, offering insight and analysis found nowhere else – in addition to answering questions from fans and reading their comments from the chat on-air.

The Pewter Report staff will also be offering live reaction from interviews with general manager Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay’s draft picks following their selections.