A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This week’s prompt: Which draft pick would you steal for the Bucs from an NFC South rival? (Editor’s note: These picks aren’t replacing any Bucs draft picks. The exercise simply involves plucking one draft pick away from another NFC South team and adding that player to Tampa Bay’s roster.

Scott Reynolds: Bucs Miss Out On A LB, So I’m Stealing Danny Stutsman

The linebacker class in the 2025 NFL Draft was not strong at all, evidenced by the fact that only four linebackers were drafted among the Top 100 players last week. Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman was the only linebacker drafted by one of the four NFC South teams by New Orleans in the fourth round. Stutsman was the sixth linebacker taken in 2025, so I’m going to pluck him off the Saints to help bolster the Bucs’ linebacker room.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Stutsman’s tape, although there is no denying his production in college. He had 348 tackles and 34.5 tackles for loss as a three-year starter for the Sooners. Stutsman also had eight career sacks, eight pass breakups, four forced fumbles and three career interceptions.

Saints LB Danny Stutsman – Photo by: USA Today

At 6-foot-3, 233 pounds, Stutsman has decent size, but needs to do a much better job of being more physical when he takes on blockers. Instead of attacking blockers and shedding them, he oftentimes gets caught catching blocks while being slow to disengage. When he’s in space, Stutsman does a good job of using his 4.52 speed to chase down ballcarriers.

Given the fact that the Bucs only have one starting-caliber linebacker who will be under the age of 30 by the start of football season in SirVocea Dennis, adding another young, talented linebacker to the room is the reason why I’d steal Stutsman away from the Saints. Stutsman could compete with Dennis this year for the Mike linebacker role and then team with Dennis next year, assuming 35-year old Lavonte David retires after the 2025 season.

Matt Matera: Lathan Ransom Could Start At Safety In Tampa Bay

The Bucs filled a lot of areas in the draft but safety wasn’t one of them. They certainly feel comfortable with Tykee Smith moving to strong safety next to Antoine Winfield Jr. and understandably so, but the depth is a bit thin behind that, especially considering Smith missed time.

Lathan Ransom, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Panthers, may have fit better than outside linebacker David Walker, who went one pick before him. Ransom just won a national championship with Ohio State and could’ve be reunited with teammate Emeka Egbuka. He is a smart back-end player that is quick to diagnose and assist in the run game. And while he can show good form as a tackler, he also has a penchant to close too quickly without breaking down leading to missed tackles.

Panthers S Lathan Ransom

Tampa Bay likely would be better off with an extra safety rather than outside linebacker, especially considering they have edge rusher Chris Braswell going into his second season. After starters Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith, the Bucs have Kaevon Merriweather as a backup strong safety and Christian Izien playing a hybrid role of nickel and free safety. Being able to add another safety like Ransom would have perhaps been a better fit given the Bucs’ immediate situation.

Bailey Adams: Vernon Broughton Would Be A Worthy Addition To Bucs’ D-Line

There are a few position groups on the Bucs defense that could still use another depth piece, and my colleagues have covered the ones at safety and linebacker. So to go another direction, I’ll fill the remaining hole in Tampa Bay’s defensive line rotation by adding Saints third-round pick Vernon Broughton to the Buccaneers roster.

Broughton, a 6-foot-5, 311-pounder out of Texas, would give Tampa Bay another young piece on the defensive line. He’d join fellow rookie Elijah Roberts as depth pieces behind Logan Hall, who is entering a contract year. At the very least, the two rookies raise the floor in terms of the team’s defensive line depth in 2025. Beyond that, one could take over for Hall in 2026 if he’s not re-signed while the other continues to be a valuable developmental piece in the rotation.

Saints DT Vernon Broughton Photo by: USA Today

Broughton has some work to do technique wise in order to be able to win one-on-one more regularly at the NFL level. But he already comes into the league with good length and impressive strength, as well as a solid enough rush plan to contribute early on. He projects well as a 3-4 defensive end, so I like the scheme fit, and I just like the former Texas Longhorn’s potential.

The 23-year-old Broughton initially had to sit behind T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II in Austin, but when given more reps in 2024, he broke out with a career-high four sacks, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles. I think the arrow is pointing up for him, and given the opportunity, I’d pluck him away from New Orleans and make him the final man in the Bucs’ defensive line rotation.

Josh Queipo: Jalon Walker Would Be Lynchpin Chess Piece For Todd Bowles’ Defense

The Bucs have added plenty of talent to the defensive side of the ball this offseason. The goal of these additions was to improve the pass rush and improve the depth of the secondary. But there are still reasonable concerns as to whether those moves will be enough to vault the defense to a Super Bowl contending level. Todd Bowles’ defenses were at their best when he had a dynamic, movable chess piece to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

Say what you will about Devin White, and I have said plenty, but his skillset and role made life difficult for other teams. White averaged 113 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 31 pressures, 4 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles over his five years in Tampa Bay. Despite his inconsistent play individually, White allowed Bowles to be at his most dynamic and creative. Very few players offer that same unique skillset. But Atlanta’s Jalon Walker is one of those players.

Falcons LB/edge rusher Jalon Walker – Photo by: USA Today

Walker primarily played off-ball linebacker at Georgia and it will be interesting to see how the Falcons use him. But some of his best tape was as an edge rusher. Bowles could use him in a similar fashion with the Bucs. Standing him up in the A gap. Lining him up as a wide nine. Blitzing him from the slot. Layering him as a pass rusher from the second level. Having him run the pole or cover backs to the flat or running the seam with tight ends.

Walker has a unicorn skillset. The Bucs have a need for a dynamic, playmaking linebacker with versatility. The match might be made in heaven, so I’m stealing him from the Falcons.

Adam Slivon: Xavier Watts Would Be A Playmaking Safety In Bucs’ Secondary

The Bucs had the chance to double dip from the Notre Dame well in the 2025 NFL Draft. After selecting cornerback Benjamin Morrison at No. 53, college teammate and safety Xavier Watts remained on the board when Tampa Bay was next on the clock at No. 84. It made sense for the team to take another defensive back and Morrison and Watts have plenty of chemistry, but Kansas State nickelback Jacob Parrish was selected in the third round instead.

In the exercise of plucking one player from an NFC South rival, I would not waste the opportunity of taking Watts. The Falcons ended up drafting him at No. 96 and will be in the mix to start next to All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III in Atlanta’s secondary this season. What stands out most about Watts is his ballhawking background, as he had 13 interceptions over the past two seasons. Outside of his savvy taking away the football, he improved as a tackler as he recorded 82 tackles across 16 games for the Fighting Irish.

Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison (20 and Falcons S Xavier Watts (26) – Photo by: USA Today

Teaming up with Benjamin Morrison once again would have added another versatile defensive back into the mix and allowed Tykee Smith to move around the secondary more. It’s fun to imagine all the playmaking possibilities in a world where the Bucs landed Morrison, Parrish, and Watts. Those three with the starters in place would have really allowed head coach Todd Bowles to get into his bag of defensive tricks. On the bright side, Tampa Bay landed two of them and found perfect balance with all the draft picks they did make.