INTRO: The 2025 NFL Draft is less than a week away and the Bucs could select a player everyone thinks the team is targeting like Alabama inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell or Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku. Or maybe this year will be similar to 2023 when Tampa Bay drafted defensive tackle Calijah Kancey in the first round at No. 19. Kancey was a surprise to most, including Pewter Report, as the Bucs did not interview him at all at the NFL Scouting Combine or have him in for an official 30 visit.

Is there another first-round surprise in store for Tampa Bay this year? If so, who are the most likely candidates? I’ve got five names for you in this week’s SR’s FAB 5 column. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Edge Rusher Nic Scourton Has Not Been Talked About Enough

Okay, before I start, let’s set some ground rules. First, these potential surprise players are not necessarily bad surprises, such as if the Bucs were to draft Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart in the first round. You know Stewart, the athletic freak who has a terrible 26.9% missed tackle rate, and had just 4.5 sacks in college. It’s actually 1.5 sacks in each of the last three seasons.

If general manager Jason Licht decides to draft Stewart after parting ways with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, another athletic first-rounder who never got to the quarterback, I will personally lead the riot at One Buccaneer Place and pay for everyone’s torches and pitchforks on my Pewter Report company credit card. (Just say no, Jason.)

The kind of surprises I’m talking about are pleasant surprises, as in names you and I might not be thinking about for Tampa Bay at No. 19 – or a bit later if Licht decides to trade down in the first round.

And I’m not counting guys like Georgia safety Malaki Starks, who we had going to the Bucs in our most recent mock draft, or Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden. I featured Golden, who was formally interviewed by the Bucs at the NFL Scouting Combine and brought in for an official 30 visit, in last week’s SR’s FAB 5 column. So he’s not really a surprise pick – at least to me.

The first name on this list is a real shocker. Texas A&M outside linebacker Nic Scourton, who many draft analysts have as a Day 2 selection, likely as a second-round pick.

Not enough attention has been paid to this edge rusher, who has really grown me as I watch more of Scourton’s game film. I actually liked him coming into the 2024 season when he was known as Nic Caraway at Purdue before he transferred to Texas A&M and changed his last name to honor his late father. I like his pass rush tape better from 2023 with the Boilermakers when he was lighter – around 257 pounds, which is what he weighed in at in Indianapolis after shedding the 25 pounds he added for some reason last year.

Texas A&M edge rusher Nic Scourton – Photo by: USA Today

Scourton led the Big Ten with 10 sacks at Purdue along with 50 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss. For some reason, he played at 285 at Texas A&M and the extra weight caused him to play sloppy and slower at times. He did lead the Aggies in sacks, but only with five, in addition to 37 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss.

Scourton, who had an official 30 visit in Tampa Bay, is a very high-motor, high-character defender. He plays with good agility, strength, power and hustle, and earned team captain status at Purdue during his sophomore season in 2023. There is a lot to like about his game.

I’m not saying the Bucs would necessarily pick Scourton over Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku or Georgia’s Mykel Williams in the first round. But if the top edge rushers are gone by the time the Bucs are on the clock at No. 19, he could very well be in play.

I would rather see Scourton get drafted in the second round if the Bucs went in a different direction than edge rusher in the first round. But this is one of those “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” drafts where players that are second-round picks on some teams’ boards are first-round picks on other teams’ boards. Scourton is the 40th-ranked player on the consensus NFL Mock Draft Database.

I was going to put UCLA inside linebacker Carson Schwesinger in this spot because that would be a real surprise. It is unknown if Tampa Bay interviewed Schwesinger at the NFL Scouting Combine or if the team had him in for an official visit. I have no idea if the Bucs like Schwesinger, who is ranked 50th on the consensus board or not, or if they feel like he’s a one-year wonder. But some NFL insiders are suggesting Schwesinger could sneak into the bottom of the first round.

I do know the Bucs like Scourton, but how much? We’ll find out next week.

FAB 2. Maxwell Hairston Has The Traits The Bucs Crave At CB

It’s no surprise that the Bucs like Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston. The team had a formal interview with him at the NFL Scouting Combine and also had him in for an official 30 visit.

But it would be a surprise – sort of – if Tampa Bay drafted him at No. 19.

The Bucs do need a starting-caliber cornerback, so that part isn’t a surprise. But Hairston ranks No. 36 on the consensus NFL Mock Draft Database. Yet, some NFL insiders believe Hairston could creep into the bottom part of the first round.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Hairston as his fourth-rated cornerback behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Michigan’s Will Johnson and Texas’ Jahdae Barron as a first- or second-round pick. Hairston checks a lot of boxes for head coach Todd Bowles in terms of what he looks for in a cornerback.

Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston Photo by: USA Today

I asked Bowles how important speed was for him at the cornerback position. Hairston was the fastest player at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash.

“They matter for corners,” Bowles said of 40-yard dash times. “They matter for corners, and they matter to a degree for safeties and inside [linebackers]. Obviously, outside [linebacker] speed is always a good thing if you can get him on the d-line but not necessarily necessary.

“Corners, you have to be able to run, that’s No. 1. If you can’t run with somebody on the fade ball, then it’s tough. Unless you have a zone type of team that plays a bunch of cover two, you can get away with the other guys. We look for certain things in the corners, not just speed, it’s short-area quickness, obviously, ball skills are something else we look at, and a willing tackler.”

Bowles also said he wants ballhawks, and Hairston had five interceptions in 2023, including a pair of pick-sixes, in addition to six pass breakups and a forced fumble. Last year,he missed six games due to a shoulder injury, but had another pick-six, broke up four passes, forced two fumbles and had his first career sack.

Hairston is just under six-foot and weighs 183 pounds. While he doesn’t have the longest arms (31.5 inches), Hairston is only 21 years old, which is appealing.

The Bucs obviously love Hairston, but enough to draft him in the first round? Stay tuned.

FAB 3. Trey Amos Is A Smooth CB Who Has Been Battle-Tested In The SEC

Pewter Report identified 19 out of the 30 official visitors the Bucs had this year at the team facility prior to the 2025 NFL Draft. Of those 19, eight were cornerbacks that we’re aware of – the most of any position group.

There’s no doubt that the Bucs will be drafting at least one cornerback and selecting one early. The team has lost faith in veteran Jamel Dean’s ability to stay healthy and wants to draft his eventual replacement.

It could be Amos, who is the No. 39 ranked player on the consensus NFL Mock Draft Database. At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Amos has ideal size to play in Todd Bowles’ scheme. And with 4.43 speed, he’s fast enough to handle coverage duties on the outside, especially with his ability to play press-man at the line of scrimmage. The Bucs had Amos in for an official 30 visit, but it is unknown whether the team interviewed him at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Ole Miss CB Trey Amos – Photo by: USA Today

Amos has played in 61 games with 26 starts including 27 games between Alabama (one start) and Ole Miss (13 starts). After three seasons at Louisiana, Amos transferred to Alabama for one season but then moved on to Ole Miss for a better opportunity to start. He only has four career interceptions, but is coming off his best season with three picks and 16 passes defensed along with 50 tackles and a forced fumble.

Amos’ final two seasons came in the SEC where he battled plenty of NFL-caliber receivers, including two in practice on a regular basis with the Rebels in Tre Harris and Juice Wells. Amos doesn’t have the speed that Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston has, nor does he have the length that East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. has. But he might be the toughest and most physical of the three.

There are other possible starting-caliber cornerbacks that the Bucs like later in the draft in California’s Nohl Williams and Kansas’ Cobee Bryant. But with cornerback being such a pressing need, Tampa Bay may feel compelled to grab a player like Amos early instead of waiting – and hoping – to get Williams or Bryant later on.

The 23-year old Amos getting selecting at No. 19 might raise a few eyebrows around the league, but there might be a few teams that wind up having a low first-round grade on him and wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bucs take him that early.

FAB 4. There’s A Lot To Like About East Carolina CB Shavon Revel Jr.

The problem for the Bucs is that the starting-caliber outside cornerbacks that they really like – Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston, Ole Miss’ Trey Amos and East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. – are likely to be gone by the time Tampa Bay is on the clock in the second round. It would not be a surprise if all three of those upper echelon cornerbacks are gone in the top 40 selections and might not be there at No. 53.

So that means Tampa Bay would have to either take one at No. 19, trade down and hope to select one, or trade up in the second round and hope that either Hairston, Amos or Revel is still available. I’ve talked about Hairston and Amos possibly going to the Bucs at No. 19, and now it’s time to talk about Revel, whose promising senior season was cut short by a torn ACL in practice after the Pirates’ third game of the season.

Revel is the seventh cornerback on the list by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, and ranked as a second- or third-round pick. However, the consensus NFL Mock Draft Database has Revel as the No. 37 overall pick – right behind Hairston (No. 36) and two spots ahead of Amos (No. 39).

Had Revel not torn his ACL, he would certainly be a mid-to-late first-round draft pick and that can’t be forgotten. At 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, Revel has long arms just under 33 inches with an 80-inch wingspan.

Revel was timed at 4.4 at East Carolina prior to his injury, but was unable to work out prior to the draft because of his recovery from ACL surgery last September. The good news is that he’s cleared to return to action for training camp and would probably take part in OTAs and mini-camps in the spring/summer.

Not only does Revel have intriguing size and speed, but he also has good ball skills. He broke up 13 passes and had one interception starting all 12 games in 2023, in addition to a sack and a fumble recovery for a touchdowns. Then he had two interceptions in three games last year, including a pick-six, and two pass breakups before his ACL injury.

East Carolina CB Shavon Revel Jr. – Photo courtesy of ECU athletics

The Bucs had Revel in for an official 30 visit after formally interviewing him at the NFL Scouting Combine. There, they found out that Revel turned down six-figure NIL offers from FBS powerhouses like Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Alabama, LSU and Wisconsin to stay loyal to East Carolina – the team that took a chance on him as a transfer from Louisburg Community College. Revel graduated from ECU in December and seems like a Bucs fit, doesn’t he?

Will Tampa Bay turn this Pirate into a Buccaneer at No. 19 or a little later? We’ll find out in a week.

I do realize the Bucs brought in Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas for an official 30 visit, and he’s got a second-round grade so he could be an option if Revel, Hairston or Amos is gone. But I also remember general manager Jason Licht cutting former second-round pick Johnthan Banks in 2016 because he was too slow.

Banks, the former Jim Thorpe Award winner, was a second-round pick in the Mark Dominik-Greg Schiano era, and had great size at 6-foot-2, 186 pounds, but ran a 4.59 in the 40-yard dash. Thomas ran a 4.58 at his FSU pro day and measured just over 6-foot-1, 196 pounds. He had 17 career pass breakups in three years for the Seminoles, but only two interceptions, including just one last season.

So Thomas is not the ballhawk that Todd Bowles wants, nor is he a speed merchant he prefers. Banks, on the other hand, had 16 interceptions at Mississippi State, including three pick-sixes and wound up recording seven interceptions in his first two seasons in Tampa Bay, including a pick-six.

If the Bucs miss out on Revel, Hairston and Amos, I would much rather see Licht and Bowles not settle for Thomas early and go get a ballhawk later in the draft. Both California’s Nohl Williams (4.5) and Kansas’ Cobee Bryant (4.53) are faster and have far better ball skills.

FAB 5. Darius Alexander Is A First-Round Dark Horse DT

The final first pick surprise for the Bucs is Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander, who is considered to be a real riser in this year’s draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Alexander as the seventh-ranked defensive tackle this year with a second- or third-round ranking. Michigan’s Mason Graham and Oregon’s Derrick Harmon figure to be the top two defensive tackles off the board and both should be gone by No. 19.

To my knowledge, the Bucs haven’t expressed much interest in Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, who is more of a nose tackle at 6-foot-4, 330 pounds than he is quick, penetrating, play-making three-technique tackle. Grant and Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen, who also hasn’t received much interest from Tampa Bay that we know of, figure to be late-round picks.

Brugler also has Alexander ranked behind Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams and Texas A&M’s Shemar Turner, who had an official 30 visit with the Bucs, and the consensus NFL Mock Draft Database has the Toledo star with a No. 52 ranking. So he seems more like a potential second-round pick than a first-round pick, right?

Well, the Bucs not only had Alexander in for a formal interview at the NFL Scouting Combine, but they also brought him to Tampa Bay for an official 30 visit. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Alexander was a Senior Bowl standout during the week of practice and was virtually unblockable on the final day. Alexander was voted as the National team’s top defensive lineman of the week.

Toledo DT Darius Alexander and Utah DT Junior Tufana – Photo by: USA Today

The first-round might seem high for Alexander, especially at No. 19. But if Tampa Bay were to trade down into the lower part of the first round and pick up an extra pick or two, I wouldn’t rule it out if the Bucs have Alexander ranked highly like I think they do. Alexander had the third-highest defensive tackle rankings last year with a 90.1 overall grade, including a 90.3 run defense grade and a 12.9% pass rush win rate.

The Rockets star had 55 combined pressures over the past two years, in addition to 7.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 76 tackles between 2023-24. He also showed great awareness at the line of scrimmage, batting down eight passes and also returning an interception 58 yards for a touchdown while dropping in coverage against Pittsburgh in the overtime bowl win.

Alexander has a great frame with long, 34-inch arms and a wingspan that is nearly 83 inches. He ran a 4.95 in the 40-yard dash, which speaks to his athleticism and he’s plenty strong, evidenced by 28 reps on the bench press. Alexander is a cross between Calijah Kancey, who is 20 pounds lighter, and Vita Vea, who is 35 pounds heavier.

With Logan Hall entering a contract year, the Bucs would be wise to take advantage of a very deep and talented defensive tackle class and draft his replacement. Remember that Jason Licht loves to draft trench players early. He spent a first-round pick on Vea in 2018, drafted Hall with the team’s first pick in 2022 at the top of the second round, and then selected Kancey at No. 19 the following year.

In fact, had Graham Barton been drafted ahead of No. 26, the Bucs would’ve selected Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton in the first round instead of Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson. That’s how much Licht and head coach Todd Bowles value the defensive tackle position.

It would be a surprise if the Bucs took Alexander that early, but that’s what this SR’s FAB 5 column is all about, right? If the right edge rusher isn’t there and the team feels like it can get the cornerback it wants later, don’t rule it out.

Don’t rule anything out in this year’s draft, which will have plenty of surprises across the league in the first round.

Pewter Report’s FINAL 2025 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft Unveiled On Monday, April 21

Pewter Report’s fifth and final 2025 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft will be published on PewterReport.com on Monday, April 21 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Scott Reynolds and Josh Queipo authored all of Pewter Report’s Bucs Mock Drafts and will be discussing Tampa Bay’s picks, answering your questions and reading your comments on a special Bucs Mock Draft Show podcast at 8:30 p.m. ET on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel. Please join us!

Join Pewter Report’s LIVE 3-Day Draft Show – April 24-26

Pewter Report will be broadcasting its annual LIVE 3-Day Draft Show from One Buccaneer Place on April 24-26. Bucs 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 over 18,000 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 24 – 7:00 pm ET / Day 1 starts at 8:00 pm ET
Friday, April 25 – 6:00 pm ET / Day 2 starts at 7:00 pm ET
Saturday, April 26 – 11:00 am ET / Day 3 starts at noon ET

Nobody covers the Bucs draft like Pewter Report. The entire Pewter Report staff will be on hand to preview and discuss each Bucs draft pick, offering insight and analysis found nowhere else – in addition to answering questions from fans and reading their comments from the chat on-air.