The Bucs’ offseason is here and the 2024 NFL Draft will be here before too long. The 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl and the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine have concluded, and now it’s time for the Pewter Report 2024 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft 3.0 – energized by CELSIUS, the official energy drink of Pewter Report.

Coming off a 9-8 season and a third straight NFC South championship, Tampa Bay filled a bunch of needs in free agency by re-signing every one of its star players and adding some new free agents. As expected, the Bucs parted ways with 31-year old edge rusher Shaq Barrett this offseason, and they let starting inside linebacker Devin White walk in free agency. Tampa Bay also traded starting cornerback Carlton Davis III and a sixth-round pick to Detroit for a third-rounder in a move that was forecast by Pewter Report.

The Bucs could sign another player or two prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, but this Pewter Report 2024 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft 3.0 is operating under the premise that Tampa Bay is essentially done filling its needs for the time being.

Bucs Personnel Needs

Outside Linebacker

Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby and DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs found a third-round gem in YaYa Diaby, who led the team with 7.5 sacks during his rookie season despite not being a starter until mid-November. Tampa Bay released Shaq Barrett, whose production dipped to just 4.5 sacks at age 31 while coming back from a torn Achilles tendon. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, a former first-round pick is entering a contract year and the team is not expected to pick up his fifth-year option for the 2025 season.

The Bucs need another athletic pass rusher who can start opposite Diaby in 2024. Anthony Nelson is a good rotational rusher who is strong in run defense and is also entering a contract year. Tampa Bay has two promising young edge rushers in Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez, but neither appears ready to start. Tampa Bay will be moving on from veteran Cam Gill, too.

Interior Offensive Line

The Bucs could use an upgrade at left guard and center this year. Veteran free agent Matt Feiler wasn’t the answer and was benched for backup Aaron Stinnie, who played slightly better in the run game. Neither will be back with the Bucs, nor will reserve Nick Leverett. Tampa Bay drafted right guard Cody Mauch in the second round and he showed some real promise and has one guard spot locked down. The team could also consider moving him to center in 2024.

Tampa Bay added Sua Opeta and Ben Bredeson in free agency, but both could be viewed as upgraded depth rather than starter material. While both will challenge for the vacant left guard spot, Bredeson could also vie for the center position.

The Bucs have gotten average play from center Robert Hainsey over the last two years as a fill-in for injured starter Ryan Jensen. At age 33, Jensen’s career is over as he’s officially retired due to his devastating knee injury during the 2022 training camp. Hainsey is a smart, tough player, but lacks the power and tone-setting attitude that Jensen brought to the offensive line. The Bucs could draft a center to compete with Hainsey, or have a two-man competition between he and Bredeson, or move Mauch to the pivot post.

Secondary

Bucs Ss Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs’ play at strong safety has taken a step back since losing Jordan Whitehead in free agency after the 2021 season. Mike Edwards and Keanu Neal weren’t the answer last year, and neither was Ryan Neal this season. So the Bucs made a wise move and re-signed Whitehead this offseason. Kaevon Merriweather returns for depth in his second year with the team, but the team could – and should – add another safety to the mix to safeguard against injury.

The Bucs traded Carlton Davis III to the Lions, which elevated Zyon McCollum to a starting role opposite Jamel Dean. Bryce Hall was signed from the Jets to provide depth at outside cornerback, while former Texan Tavierre Thomas will challenge Christian Izien for the starting job in the slot. Josh Hayes and Keenan Isaac are the top reserves at outside cornerback, but the Bucs could use another talented outside corner for competition.

Inside Linebacker

As expected, the Bucs re-signed Lavonte David and parted ways with fellow inside linebacker Devin White, a five-year starter and former team captain. K.J. Britt enters a contract year poised to fill in for White at Mike linebacker while David continues to play the Mo ‘backer role. J.J. Russell and SirVocea Dennis provide depth and could challenge Britt for the right to start. It’s not a deep or talented ILB draft, but don’t rule out the Bucs drafting one.

Tight End

In terms of strength of position, tight end might have been the weakest in Tampa Bay last year. It was certainly the youngest and most inexperienced with a pair of second-year players in Cade Otton and Ko Kieft atop the depth chart, along with rookie Payne Durham. All three players are Day 3 picks and the Bucs could use an upgrade in talent in the tight end room.

None of the Bucs’ tight ends are real weapons in the passing game, nor is any one of them an exceptional blocker. Tampa Bay made do at tight end this year, but could certainly do better in 2024 with a more talented starter to supplant Otton, who might be better as TE2.

Running Back

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: USA Today

Rachaad White was the wire-to-wire starter at running back this year for the Bucs, and he excelled in that role as the season went on. While he finished with 990 yards rushing and was 10 yards short of his first 1,000-yard season, White did top 1,500 yards in both rushing and receiving, and was the league’s fourth-most productive back.

The Bucs need more depth at the running back position, as White shouldn’t have to carry such a huge workload in 2024.

Chase Edmonds is a nice change-of-pace back and was re-signed. The Bucs jettisoned former third-round pick Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who was a bust, at midseason. Heralded undrafted free agent rookie Sean Tucker never made an impact, nor did he see the field much. The Bucs could use another good running back to compete for the backup job behind White in 2024, and be a capable starter in case White goes down with an injury.

Bucs’ 2024 NFL Draft Picks

The Bucs currently have seven picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. They traded their fifth-round pick to the Eagles last year in order to move up and select wide receiver Trey Palmer in the sixth round. The Bucs received a sixth-round compensatory pick for the loss of free agent safety Mike Edwards in the 2023 offseason. Tampa Bay also traded its own sixth-round pick and cornerback Carlton Davis III to Detroit for the Lions’ third-round pick.

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2024 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft 3.0
By Scott Reynolds and Josh Queipo

Round 1 – Duke OL Graham Barton
Senior • 6-5, 314

Pewter Report is sticking with Barton for a second straight mock draft, although there is a chance that the Bucs might have to trade up a few spots to get him – or Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson – if he is indeed targeted in the first round. On film and in interviews, Barton is basically Ali Marpet 2.0, and Powers-Johnson could be considered Ryan Jensen 2.0. Both interior offensive linemen are considered to be day one starters in the NFL, and both can play guard or center.

Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht believes in a couple of core principles. First, football has always been – and will continue to be – won in the trenches. And second, he loves to draft athletic left tackles and move them inside to play guard. He’s done that with Hobart College’s Ali Marpet in 2015, Humboldt State’s Alex Cappa in 2018, and North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch in 2023.

The times he’s tried to draft right tackles and move them inside, such with Notre Dame’s Robert Hainsey in 2021 and Central Michigan’s Luke Goedeke in 2022, it hasn’t always worked out great. So why not stick to the formula when looking for another interior offensive lineman?

Barton played in six games during his freshman season at Duke, getting five starts at center before becoming a three-year starter at left tackle. The big, athletic 6-foot-5, 314-pounder played 492 reps at left tackle last year, 895 snaps at left tackle as a junior and 747 reps at left tackle as a sophomore. Pro Football Focus gave him the following overall grades for the past three seasons:

Graham Barton’s Pro Football Focus Grades
2020: 61.3 grade – 3 QB hits and 3 QB hurries allowed
2021: 73.1 grade – 6 sacks surrendered, 4 QB hits and 10 QB hurries allowed
2022: 88.2 grade – 2 sacks surrendered, 8 QB hurries allowed
2023: 75.9 grade – 2 sacks surrendered, 9 QB hurries allowed

The Blue Devils star was supposed to see action at center and guard in the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl, but opted out of the game to continue to rehab some injuries that occurred during his senior season. Offensive line expert Brandon Thorn had this to say about Barton for Bleacher Report:

If Tampa Bay is going to invest $33 million per year in quarterback Baker Mayfield, Licht and the Bucs’ brass want to make sure he is well protected, and that the team can provide balance to the offense by running the ball more efficiently and effectively.

Round 2 – Western Michigan OLB Marshawn Kneeland
Senior • 6-3, 267

Tampa Bay addresses outside linebacker in the second round with the selection of Kneeland, who shined at the Senior Bowl and wowed at the NFL Scouting Combine. Kneeland’s athletic profile is strikingly similar to that of New Orleans Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Jordan, although about 20 pounds lighter and a tick faster, as well as being more agile and explosive.

Kneeland was not a prolific sacker at Western Michigan, and that could be a cause for concern. He tallied just 12.5 sacks during his time with the Broncos and posted a pair of 4.5-sack seasons. During Jordan’s time at Cal in the early 2000s, he notched just 16.5 sacks in four seasons with the Golden Bears with a single-season high of just six. Jordan went on to have six double-digit sack seasons with the Saints.

Marshawn Kneeland’s Defensive Stats
2020: 23 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 sacks, FF
2021: 32 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks
2022: 37 tackles, 10 TFLs, 1.5 sacks
2023: 57 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 2 FFs

Kneeland plays with intense physicality and has an attacking-style demeanor. He’s excellent in run defense and posted an 89.7 overall Pro Football Focus grade in 2023 with an 84.7 pass rush grade and an 83.4 run defense grade. Kneeland posted a 17.3% pass rush win rate and an equally impressive run stop rate. He was credited with 38 hurries and three QB hits last year.

The 6-foot-3, 267-pound Kneeland brings needed size to set the edge and replace Shaq Barrett on the left side of the defense opposite YaYa Diaby. With Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson entering a contract year, drafting Kneeland adds depth, and he has the talent to be a future starter – possibly during his rookie year. He’ll need to continue to develop his pass rush moves and not rely on bull-rushing as much at the next level. But Kneeland’s high motor, competitiveness and physicality are intriguing tools for Bucs outside linebackers coach George Edwards to work with.

Round 3 – Kansas OL Dominick Puni
Senior • 6-5, 313

After drafting Duke’s Graham Barton in the first round to start at either left guard or supplant Robert Hainsey at center, Bucs general manager Jason Licht wades back into the interior offensive line pool to draft the versatile Puni. Although he started at left tackle for the Jayhawks in 2023 as a senior, Puni was KU’s starting left guard in 2022. He also showed the versatility to play center at the Senior Bowl, where he turned heads and improved his draft stock.

While not as physical and nasty as former Bucs center Ryan Jensen, Puni is nearly as big at 6-foot-5, 314 pounds. He’ll need to continue to work on strengthening his core and adding some lower body weight, as he’s a little top heavy right now. But Puni has nimble feet and a massive upper body that can absorb and negate the best bull rushes.

The Bucs could essentially draft Barton and Puni and try each at both and center and left guard during the offseason to find each lineman’s best fit. With Hainsey still on the team and Tampa Bay signing free agent offensive linemen Sua Opeta and Ben Bredeson, the pressure isn’t on Puni to become a starter as a rookie. But he certainly has the size, agility and the pass protection ability to become a starter sooner rather than later.

Round 3 – Georgia SS Tykee Smith
Senior • 5-10, 202

Even with the signing of free agents Jordan Whitehead and Tavierre Thomas, the Bucs could use more depth at safety and nickel cornerback in the 2024 season. Smith began his college career at West Virginia, where he starred for two seasons before transferring to Georgia in 2021. He took over as a starter in 2022 and had a breakout senior season last year after helping the Bulldogs win back-to-back national championships.

Smith is an instinctive, hard-hitting box player who is also capable of covering in the slot and occasionally playing deep. Although he’s got 4.46 speed, Smith does his best work in underneath and intermediate coverage as opposed to down the field. Smith has a nose for the ball, evidenced by eight interceptions and 12 pass breakups in college, including a career-high four INTs last year.

Tykee Smith’s Defensive Stats
2019: 50 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, sack, 4 PBUs, 2 INTs, FF, TD
2020: 61 tackles, 8 TFLs, 5 PBUs, 2 INTs
2021: 3 tackles
2022: 28 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, PBU, FF
2023: 70 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 PBUs, 4 INTs

The play-making Smith could challenge Thomas, who was only signed for one year, and Christian Izien for the starting nickelback role as a rookie, while providing depth at strong safety behind Whitehead. Even if he doesn’t start right away, Smith has the size and physicality to be a quality special teams player during his rookie season in Tampa Bay.

Round 4 – Virginia WR Malik Washington
Senior • 5-8, 197

With the Bucs poised to use more 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers), Tampa Bay could use another play-making receiver to give Baker Mayfield another option in the passing game. With the team still high on outside receivers Trey Palmer and Rakim Jarrett as they enter their second seasons, drafting Washington gives the Bucs another dangerous slot receiver to play behind Chris Godwin. With Godwin entering a contract year at age 28, Washington could be his heir apparent at the position if he develops.

After spending four seasons at Northwestern, Washington transferred to Virginia for his final season where he exploded onto the scene in the ACC. Washington used his silky smooth hands to catch 110 passes for 1,426 yards (13 avg.) and score nine touchdowns. Despite being just 5-foot-8 and 1/2, Washington is solidly built at 197 pounds. That’s about 40 pounds heavier than undersized Bucs receiver and return specialist Deven Thompkins, who is 5-foot-8, 155 pounds.

Malik Washington’s Receiving Stats
2019: 6 receptions for 25 yards (4.2 avg.)
2020: 5 receptions for 51 yards (10.2 avg.)
2021: 44 receptions for 578 yards (13.1 avg.), 2 TDs
2022: 65 receptions for 694 yards (10.7 avg.), TD
2023: 110 receptions for 1,426 yards (13 avg.), 9 TDs

New Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen had a similar smallish wide receiver named Wan’Dale Robinson at Kentucky during his 2021 season with the Wildcats. Robinson (5-8, 185) posted 104 catches for 1,334 yards (12.8 avg.) and seven touchdowns in Coen’s offense at Kentucky before being selected in the second round by the New York Giants. In stature, on film and on the stat sheet Washington is a Robinson clone.

Washington could go higher than the fourth round, but also may slide a bit due to this draft being rich at the receiver position. And Washington’s 4.47 time – although plenty fast – was actually one of the slower times in this fast wide receiver class. After seeing how Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown torched Tampa Bay’s secondary twice last year, the Bucs could opt for a similar YAC receiver to work the middle of the field like Washington.

Round 6 – Auburn DT Marcus Harris
Senior • 6-2, 286

The Bucs add depth to their defensive line on Day 3 with the selection of Harris, who was a standout performer at the Senior Bowl. The Bucs have had some pretty good luck with Auburn defenders in the past with cornerbacks Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean and inside linebacker K.J. Britt. The Tigers pipeline to Tampa Bay continues with Harris.

Harris is a bit undersized at 6-foot-2, 286 pounds and has short, 32-inch arms. He’s one inch taller and a few pounds heavier than defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, who was the Bucs’ first-round pick last year. But what he lacks in size, Harris makes up for in quickness and technique. He has an uncanny ability to slip blocks and penetrate the backfield and has great hands. Harris’ high motor is on display on film and that was one of his best traits at the Senior Bowl.

Marcus Harris’ Defensive Stats
2019: 2 tackles
2020: 27 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, FF, FR
2021: 27 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 sacks, FR
2022: 30 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, PBU
2023: 40 tackles, 11 TFLs, 7 sacks, PBU, FF, FR

With the Bucs likely moving on from 32-year old veteran Will Gholston, who is a free agent, Tampa Bay could use Harris to push Logan Hall, a former second-round pick, for playing time and challenge Mike Greene for a roster spot as a rookie.

Round 7 – Washington TE Devin Culp
Senior • 6-3, 231

Tampa Bay could go several ways with its final pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary is still available, the Bucs could draft him to challenge Kyle Trask and John Wolford for the right to backup Baker Mayfield. Or Tampa Bay could draft a running back or another cornerback for depth.

But in this mock draft, the Bucs select Culp, the fastest tight end in the draft. Tampa Bay has an affinity for Washington players, and drafts another one to join former Husky tight end Cade Otton. Culp split time at tight end with Jack Westover, who was actually more productive as a receiver (46-433-4), but still managed to catch 16 passes from Michael Penix Jr. for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Devin Culp’s Receiving Stats
2020: 1 reception for 15 yards (15 avg.)
2021: 20 receptions for 222 yards (11.1 avg.), TD
2022: 29 receptions for 266 yards (9.2 avg.), TD
2023: 16 receptions for 208 yards (13 avg.), 2 TDs

Culp ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and has good run-after-catch ability. He can use that speed on special teams covering kicks and punts as a rookie while he tries to work his way up the depth chart. Culp, who met with the Bucs formally at the Combine, is undersized and will need to add some bulk at the next level. But Tampa Bay has been exploring the possibility of using an H-back or a move tight end, and Culp fits that mold.