While the 2025 NFL Draft is still two months away, everyone involved in the football world – from coaches, executives, and scouts to fans – will have their eyes glued to what unfolds in Indianapolis, Indiana this week. The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine will be in full swing, which affords many of the prospects who will be drafted an opportunity to interview with interested teams and show off their athletic ability by going through various drills measuring their size, speed, and strength to play at the next level.

Nearly a year ago, I looked at which prospects the Bucs would have their eyes on after analyzing what NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had to say on his annual conference call. Jeremiah recently held it again, going over which players would fit on the Bucs’ defense as well as his analysis of other players who will be looking to have big weeks and could be options when Tampa Bay is on the clock.

Daniel Jeremiah Shares Best Draft Fits For Todd Bowles’ Bucs Defense

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs will explore every avenue to improve the team before next season, especially on the defensive side of the football. While Pewter Report’s focus this past week was on free agency fits, that goes somewhat on the back burner this week.

With top college prospects from all over the country congregating in Indianapolis, it is only right to look at who could be long-term solutions for the holes on Tampa Bay’s roster. When Daniel Jeremiah was asked specifically about which defensive players would fit head coach Todd Bowles’ defense, he shared some interesting insight into two guys who could fit the bill.

“Well, aggressive guys that can blitz from anywhere,” Jeremiah said this past Thursday. “Jihaad Campbell would be sure as heck fun to watch there just with all the different things he can do, and fast and explosive and smart. That’s a good combination for him for Coach Bowles to be able to play with there. That’s the first thing that jumped off the top of my head here when I’m thinking about those types of players.

“[Mykel] Williams from Georgia would be another one. You can do a lot of different things with him in terms of rushing him inside, rushing him outside. He’s athletic enough if you want to drop him. He can do a lot of those things as well. Those are a couple of names to me that just kind of jump out as pretty dynamic players that are – I love it when you have pass rushers that can win from different entry points. I think those guys can both win from a variety of entry points.”

Alabama ILB Jihaad Campbell – Photo by: USA Today

Jeremiah’s assessment of the types of players who would fit is spot-on when looking at it from a front seven perspective. Campbell is the most highly-regarded inside linebacker in his class and possesses the ability to line up anywhere and do whatever is asked of him. Whether getting after the quarterback (five sacks in 2024) or dropping in coverage with a prototypical, muscular frame, he has the skillset and athletic traits to be next in the lineage of dominant Bucs’ inside linebackers.

When it comes to Williams, he is another player who has the traits to blossom into much more. While not projected to fall to No. 19, if he did, general manager Jason Licht might have a difficult time not pulling the trigger to select him.

“Mykel Williams, gosh, I just wish we could have seen him healthy,” Jeremiah said. “If he doesn’t get hurt in that Clemson game and we see him at full strength, I think we’re talking about him as another top 10 lock who has a lot of freaky qualities to him, freaky traits to him. He can really get off the ball. He’s got a lot of power and violence as a rusher. He can set the edge.”

While not a finished project and a bit raw, he could quickly become someone who climbs up draft boards like Travon Walker did to become the first overall pick in 2022.

“I think the Travon Walker experience and seeing how he has continued to develop with the Jags, I think that’s – when it’s all said and done, I will be more surprised than not if he’s not all the way up in the top 10,” Jeremiah added.

Bucs Will Have Plenty Of Options To Upgrade Secondary

Beyond just the linebacker positions, the Bucs will be looking long and hard at which players could help the team address the secondary. Adding ball production and depth are the key reasons why this need is high up the list. Beyond safety Antoine Winfield Jr., cornerback Zyon McCollum, and nickelback Tykee Smith, there are no other projected locks to start in Tampa Bay’s defensive backend next season, although Christian Izien is on hand to fill in the gaps where needed.

Cornerback Jamel Dean might be let go along with safety Jordan Whitehead. Cornerbacks Bryce Hall, Tavierre Thomas, and Troy Hill as well as safeties Mike Edwards, Kaevon Merriweather, and Ryan Neal are all free agents who do not inspire a ton of confidence playing extended snaps. After revamping the secondary with many of these additions last year, Jason Licht could look to the draft early and often to add more upside and potential to a room battered by injuries and limited with playmakers.

Daniel Jeremiah analyzed this year’s secondary class by detailing two players Bucs fans should familiarize themselves with.

South Carolina S Nick Emmanwori – Photo by: USA Today

“Quincy Riley from Louisville would be in that third-round range as a good one who kind of plays with a little bit of that edge…,” Jeremiah said. “So those are some of the corners. When you look at the safety group, second-round safeties that I – late first round, by the way, South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori, if he was there, I would turn the card in.

“I think he would be a fun player for them to play with. He’s big. He’s physical. Plays more near the line of scrimmage. He makes a lot of plays buzzing underneath the ball, and he’s a physical, firm tackler and an aggressive, aggressive dude. I would be excited about that at the end of the first round.”

Riley made our latest Pewter Report mock draft after we saw him at the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Emmanwori is one of the top safety prospects and had a big year for South Carolina with 88 total tackles and four interceptions, two he ran back for pick-sixes.

Still, those two players just scratched the surface of guys Jeremiah is a fan of, which should provide optimism that the Bucs could land one of them at each position group. Starting with safety, three players on each day of the 2025 NFL Draft could be an enticing pick.

“[Malaki Starks is] someone that can play in the nickel, can play high as the safety,” Jeremiah said. “So that one would be the first one I would talk about as someone who can range and play over the top. Xavier Watts is another one from Notre Dame who fits in there.

“One of my favorite guys in the safety group who is going to be third, fourth round, maybe you get him in the fourth round is Craig Woodson from Cal. He plays in the deep half. He can play downhill. He can open. He’s a smooth mover. He’s got speed. He’s a firm tackler, and he’s really, really smart. Talking to the folks at Cal, they rave about his intelligence and leadership. He’s someone.”

Assessing the cornerback position, Todd Bowles and Jason Licht like a little bit of everything. Finding players with above-average size, athleticism, ball production, and football intelligence is a hard task, but a few players stand out on Days 2 and 3 of the NFL Draft.

California CB Nohl Williams – Photo by: USA Today

“Corner-wise for a little more of the depth guys, we talked about Trey Amos is one of my favorites out of Ole Miss; [Jacob] Parrish, Kansas State,” Jeremiah said. “In terms of having some tools, some raw tools to work with, but you have to be a little bit patient, Darien Porter from Iowa State, height, weight, speed. He can play the ball down the field. He just is a little bit tight, but you have some things to work with there.

“Another Cal kid, Nohl Williams, who has a ton of production, and I think is ready to play right away. You can watch the Auburn game with him. [Had] a pick-6 against Cam Ward in that [Miami] game. Feisty, physical. Maybe a little quicker than fast. We’ll see what he runs, but he is another one kind of in that third, fourth round range.”

After discovering a draft gem who checked all of the boxes by drafting Zyon McCollum in the fifth round in 2022, this class could very well line up to be one where Licht does some double-dipping in the secondary.

Be sure to follow PewterReport.com and PewterReportTV this week for our analysis of these players and more after seeing them live from Indianapolis, Indiana.