The Bucs have won the NFC South division for a fourth straight season, as the team beat the Saints at Raymond James Stadium last Sunday, 27-19. But a 23-20 loss at home to the Washington Commanders in the Wild Card playoff game quickly ended Tampa Bay’s season on Sunday night.

With a 10-7 record, Tampa Bay currently has the 19th overall pick in the first round, according to NFL.com.

There are five 10-7 teams in the playoffs, but Seattle, which was one of those, did not make the playoffs and finished with a .498 strength of schedule. The Bucs have a strength of schedule of .502, which is tied with the Denver Broncos (.502) and Pittsburgh Steelers (.502), who also lost in the Wild Card playoffs over the weekend. But the next tiebreaker past strength of schedule determined that Tampa Bay would receive the higher draft selection.

The 10-7 Los Angeles Rams have a strength of schedule of .505 and would currently pick 22nd if they lose to the Vikings on Monday night in the Wild Card round. If the Rams beat the Vikings and advance in the playoffs they would pick later in the first round.

Tampa Bay currently has six picks in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. The Bucs have a pick in all but the sixth round.

Bucs’ Draft Needs In 2025

There is a chance that Tampa Bay fills some of these needs in free agency, which is up first in the offseason, beginning officially on March 12 with the open negotiating period set to start on March 10. But the Bucs will still be looking to have a defensive-minded draft in 2025. Here is a look at the team’s primary needs heading into the offseason.

Inside Linebacker

Bucs ILB Deion Jones – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs may be moving on from K.J. Britt, who started 11 games this year, taking over for Devin White. Legendary linebacker Lavonte David turns 35 later this month and is slated for free agency as is newcomer Deion Jones, who played quite a bit versus Washington. Will he come back for one more year, retire or will the Bucs look to get younger and faster at inside linebacker?

SirVocea Dennis has the potential to start at one inside linebacker spot, but he’s coming off season-ending shoulder surgery and the team needs to find at least one more starter and add some more quality depth. J.J. Russell is slated to be a restricted free agent and could return to the team for depth purposes and to play on special teams. Russell supplanted Britt as the team’s starter at the end of the season.

Outside Linebacker

Tampa Bay will be moving on from former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka this offseason as he’s slated to be a free agent. Top reserve Anthony Nelson will also be a free agent but could return. And who knows what the future holds for Shaq Barrett, who turns 33 in 2025, after his brief return from retirement.

Yaya Diaby went from leading the team in sacks as a rookie with 7.5 to posting just 4.5 quarterback captures in his second season. He’s a starting-caliber outside linebacker, but the Bucs need another one. Tampa Bay has high hopes for Chris Braswell, last year’s second-round pick, but he only notched 1.5 sacks as a rookie and the team needs to add another speedy rusher who can get to the QB. Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez appear to be just rotational pass rushers.

Safety

Bucs SS Jordan Whitehead and Eagles RB Saquon Barkley – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs thought they fixed their problem at strong safety by re-signing Jordan Whitehead after he spent two seasons with the Jets. But Whitehead was a huge disappointment in his return to Tampa Bay when healthy. The same could be said for Antoine Winfield Jr., as he only started nine games due to injury in 2024.

Complicating matters is the fact that Whitehead suffered a serious injury in a car accident prior to the season finale against the Saints, which could put his 2025 season in some jeopardy if he doesn’t recover fully from broken vertebrae in his neck.

Mike Edwards and Ryan Neal will be free agents, and Kaevon Merriweather and Christian Izien are more backup-level players rather than starter material. Drafting another starting-caliber safety to replace Whitehead and start alongside Antoine Winfield Jr. could be on tap for Tampa Bay in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Cornerback

The Bucs traded away former starter Carlton Davis III last spring and tabbed Zyon McCollum to replace him. McCollum was healthy all year and started off the season hot before cooling off down the stretch. Jamel Dean, the other starting cornerback, continued his trend of missing games due to injury as well as not being a playmaker.

Dean had just one interception this year and missed five games due to injuries. While he made it back for the team’s playoff game versus Washington he left the game when his knee injury flared up again, which proved to be costly. The 28-year old cornerback might get traded away for the same reasons that Davis did – being oft-injured and not coming up with enough interceptions to justify his big salary.

Tampa Bay saw top veteran cornerback Bryce Hall get lost for the season in Week 1 with a broken leg. The team will need to add another talented, starting-caliber cornerback in the draft to pair with McCollum – either as a rookie or in the near future. Josh Hayes proved to be more of a special teams standout than a true cornerback, and undrafted free agent Tyrek Funderburk failed to impress in his brief opportunity as a starter.

Defensive Tackle

Bucs DTs Logan Hall and Vita Vea and OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

On the surface, the Bucs seem set at defensive tackle with Pro Bowler Vita Vea starting next to Calijah Kancey, who led the team in sacks this year. Logan Hall had a breakout year as a rotational player in his third season, finishing with a career-high 5.5 sacks. But he’ll be heading into a contract year in 2025 and Vea will turn 30 this year. Tampa Bay will need to add another talented defensive tackle with future starting potential to bolster the depth and maintain the strength of the position moving forward.

Despite having Vea, Kancey and Hall, the Bucs almost drafted another defensive tackle in the first round in 2024. Had center Graham Barton not been on the board when the team picked at No. 26, Tampa Bay would have selected Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton, a St. Petersburg native. That just shows how important trench play is to general manager Jason Licht. Greg Gaines and Will Gholston are slated for free agency and may or may not return in 2025.

Wide Receiver

The Bucs appear to be pretty deep across the board on offense. Tampa Bay’s running back stable is the envy of the league, the team likes its depth at tight end, and the offensive line is one of the youngest and best in the NFL. But offensive coordinator Liam Coen likes to run 11 personnel, which is three-receiver sets. Mike Evans will be back for his contract year in 2025 at the age of 32, and the team is expected to re-sign wide receiver Chris Godwin, as Pewter Report has reported.

Rookie Jalen McMillan, one of two third-round picks this year, has really come on and should be a very good No. 3 receiver next year. But the team’s depth was tested with a rash of injuries at the receiver position. Godwin, who turns 29 in March, was lost for the season in Week 7 and Evans missed three and a half games due to a serious hamstring injury. Tampa Bay could use another starting-caliber receiver to bolster the depth and have an eventual replacement for Evans or Godwin on deck.

A Look At Bucs’ Last Five Top Picks

2020 No. 14 – Traded up one spot for OT Tristan Wirfs at No. 13
2021 No. 32 – Drafted OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
2022 No. 27 – Traded back to No. 33 for DT Logan Hall
2023 No. 19 – Drafted DT Calijah Kancey
2024 No. 26 – Drafted C Graham Barton

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, DT Calijah Kancey and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay has drafted pretty well in the first round over the last four drafts despite the team picking so late. After selecting one of his best-ever first-round picks, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs in 2020, Bucs general manager Jason Licht picked outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka with the final pick in the first round of the 2021 draft. Tryon-Shoyinka has not lived up to expectations and became the first first-round pick to not have his fifth-year option picked up in Licht’s tenure. After four years with Tampa Bay, the team is expected to let Tryon-Shoyinka leave in free agency after recording a season-low two sacks.

The Bucs traded out of the first round with the Jaguars the following season and wound up selecting defensive tackle Logan Hall. He’s been a rotational player along the D-line and an occasional starter when either Calijah Kancey or Vita Vea have been injured. After a disappointing second season in which he failed to record a sack, Hall has made big strides in his third year and finished the 2024 regular season with a career-high 5.5 sacks.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles, OL Graham Barton and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Breaking away from the team’s past of drafting bigger defensive tackles, Licht pulled a bit of a surprise in selecting Kancey, a 6-foot, 280-pound defensive tackle with the 19th overall pick in 2023. The team picked inside the Top 20 for the first time in two years due to the Bucs’ 8-9 finish in 2022, in addition to losing their home Wild Card game to the Cowboys. Kancey has quickly become a force as a pass rusher and led the team with 7.5 sacks in his second season.

Tampa Bay was fortunate to have Graham Barton, a player the team was coveting in the 2024 NFL Draft class, still on the board when Licht turned in the No. 26 overall pick. Barton moved from left tackle at Duke to center in the NFL and has shown Pro Bowl ability. The perfect blend of strength, athleticism, toughness and a high football I.Q., Barton has learned some lessons as a rookie that should make him take a quantum leap forward next year the way right guard Cody Mauch did in his second season this year.