Lets talk draft grade now that the draft has ended.
1st - Rueben Bain Jr. - EDGE - Miami: A+
Never in a million simulations could anyone have Bain going all the way down to 15. This was the premier pick of the draft for the Bucs and they filled not only a real position of need but also was able to grab BPA.
2nd - Josiah Trotter - LB - Missouri: F
This was a really poor pick and a colossal reach for Licht and company. Trotter by most accounts would have been available in the 3rd if he was their guy. By taking him, the Bucs passed on the following: Avieon Terrell, Jake Golday, Brandon Cisse, CJ Allen, Eli Stowers, Gabe Jacas, Anthony Hill Jr, and Jake Slaughter....all of which were rated head and shoulders higher than Trotter.
3rd - Ted Hurst - WR - Georgia State: B-
Hurst is a good pick and will be a vital part of the team in the future. The only bad thing about this pick is it is a trickle down effect from reaching on Trotter in the 2nd in my opinion. That domino kept the team from drafting guys like Daylen Everette, Emmanuel Pregnon, Eli Raridon, and Gennings Dunker.
4th - Keionte Scott - CB - Miami: B-
Scott gives them a good nickel CB and a guy that plays the run very well. He isn't going to lock many receivers down though and he is smaller in height than I personally like my corners and there were some beasts in this draft (over 6'0). I don't have much of a quarrel with this pick but they did leave some quality players on the board with Dani Dennis-Sutton, Mike Washington Jr, and Kaleb Elarms-Orr (again in my opinion).
5th - DeMonte Capehart - DT - Clemson: B
This pick is a deceiving one because of Capehart's role in Clemson's defense. He did only start 12 games at Clemson but his RAS score was second in the entire DT class and his ceiling is gigantic. This was a good pick to build off in the future.
5th - Billy Schrauth - OG - Notre Dame:Â C
Good enough pick to add O-Line depth. It isn't sexy but very few 5th rounders are plus its a solid pick. Schrauth is very heavy-footed in his play which is good when it comes to standing defenders up but its bad because he's a slow mover.
6th - Bauer Sharp - TE - LSU: F
No idea what Licht and company were thinking when they made this pick but it was almost as bad as reaching for Trotter. Trotter at least has some value in the run-stopping game. Sharp will be off the team or relegated to PS duties only. What makes this worse is the players left on the board when they traded up to get this guy. Still on the board: Kaytron Allen, Anez Cooper, Jack Kelly, Jam Miller, and Dallen Bentley.
OVERALL GRADE: C-
For the draft to start out the way it did, Licht and company found a way to colossally fuck it up. This should have been a slam dunk A- / B+ draft the way it was shaping up and they found a way to piss it into the gutter. Got a few good pieces that will be long term building blocks and a couple of wastes. Once Licht and Bowles are shown the door at the end of the season, it will be interesting to see what the new regime does with what remains of this draft class.
I'd give the grade overall a C+.Â
Bain was a gift
The rest of the draft was pretty bad... I'm still sour about our 2nd and 3rd round picks.Â
It's not the picks themselves but, to your point, what they turned down.
Interesting grades and here are my grades:
Bain A+
Great value and the Bucs drafted a player with explosion at edge and violent hands for a change. Bain is not a plodder so that right there makes him a great compliment to Diaby on the other side.
Trotter C+
I am not as down on Trotter as others but I do agree even with the trade down the value was not there. Still, I think if it means Trotter can push Dennis off a starting spot/depth chart at some point that is a win. Trotter is also an accomplished edge rusher like Dennis but his tackling technique is clean and on point. So comparing him to Devin White or even Dennis isn't correct at all.  Signing Rozeboom, Anzalone and drafting Trotter indicates to me the Bucs were not happy with the tackling of the ILB from last season.Â
Hurst A
People have compared him to Fitzgerald, Evans, Vincent Jackson. But I think he is just a taller version of Russel Gage because Hurst can play on the boundary but he can also play in the slot and really make teams pay on posts. The Bucs wanted a player like Gage so bad to add to the offense that has speed to play outside or inside and they finally have that with Hurst. Best part of Hurst though is his ability to adjust to the ball and help out Mayfield who isn't accurate at times when throwing those crossers and slants. And because of Hurst's deceptive speed he doesn't really slow down when he makes a break which is nice to create separation against NFL level defenders.
Scott A
Sikkema was suggestion the Bucs draft Scott a lot higher on his coverage of the NFL draft which showed on Bleacher Report YT stream. With that said Scott covers the Bucs in multiple ways and gives them options on the backend. This frees up Parrish to play boundary possibly, and may free up Winfield Jr to play more NCB. Â
Capehart B+
Very good athletic scores but will need coaching. But he is also capable of playing some snaps too which is important to help out Vea and Kancey. I wouldn't plug him as the future NT until he learns gap control, but he can probably play all over the line given his gifts in the mean time.
Schrauth B
OL depth and will compete for a chance to push Bredeson maybe? Klein has competition now along with Haggard. Feeney in theory shouldn't make the final roster but you never know. Still, Schrauth may be a sleeper pick up that cracks the line up or even becomes the primary guard backup.
Sharp B-
Given his size and ability to have a second gear the Bucs do not have a TE like him on the roster. Otton has show some juice but not enough. Durham has size but does not have that second gear and Culp in comparison does. But Culp does not have that size compared to the rest of the group. Sharp has the size and juice and is an athlete that can do many things that this team has not had in a while. Also a sleeper pick to climb the depth chart too like Schrauth.Â
Overall grade: B
It's not the picks themselves but, to your point, what they turned down.
This is sort of the thing about the draft as a fan experience. There are endless avenues of dissatisfaction. Theres the opportunity cost issue you raise. There is the value issue. There is the player himself. Add in the unlikely hypothetical (we should have taken an edhe when we just spent a 1st on an edge and need an LB) and the academic (GMs are supposed to pick players not the HC) and there is always a way to take issue with a draft.Â
And it usually it takes a while to make some sense of the actual outcome so plenty of time to debate.
Even with all of that it is still interesting to read all the posts and watch it play out.
We see it a little different, Alldaway (and that's fine). I do like your grade of Hurst but I was hesitant to rate him that high yet because I don't see him being much of a factor in the upcoming season. I am curious why you would rate Sharp so high. He wasn't even projected to be drafted through most of the simulations I ran and saw and was ranked as the number 270 player in the draft (meaning a high likelihood of not being drafted). If you read his draft profile on NFL.com, this was the one glaring weakness I could not pass over: Struggles to prevent being discarded by NFL-caliber talent. Well, guess what? He is now in a league completely full of NFL-caliber talent. There is no way I could ever see him as anything other than an F-grade with that assessment. I also think you slightly overrate Scott as well. A grade "A" (to me) for a CB would indicate a shutdown corner. He isn't that at all in any realm.Interesting grades and here are my grades:
Bain A+
Great value and the Bucs drafted a player with explosion at edge and violent hands for a change. Bain is not a plodder so that right there makes him a great compliment to Diaby on the other side.
Trotter C+
I am not as down on Trotter as others but I do agree even with the trade down the value was not there. Still, I think if it means Trotter can push Dennis off a starting spot/depth chart at some point that is a win. Trotter is also an accomplished edge rusher like Dennis but his tackling technique is clean and on point. So comparing him to Devin White or even Dennis isn't correct at all.  Signing Rozeboom, Anzalone and drafting Trotter indicates to me the Bucs were not happy with the tackling of the ILB from last season.Â
Hurst A
People have compared him to Fitzgerald, Evans, Vincent Jackson. But I think he is just a taller version of Russel Gage because Hurst can play on the boundary but he can also play in the slot and really make teams pay on posts. The Bucs wanted a player like Gage so bad to add to the offense that has speed to play outside or inside and they finally have that with Hurst. Best part of Hurst though is his ability to adjust to the ball and help out Mayfield who isn't accurate at times when throwing those crossers and slants. And because of Hurst's deceptive speed he doesn't really slow down when he makes a break which is nice to create separation against NFL level defenders.
Scott A
Sikkema was suggestion the Bucs draft Scott a lot higher on his coverage of the NFL draft which showed on Bleacher Report YT stream. With that said Scott covers the Bucs in multiple ways and gives them options on the backend. This frees up Parrish to play boundary possibly, and may free up Winfield Jr to play more NCB. Â
Capehart B+
Very good athletic scores but will need coaching. But he is also capable of playing some snaps too which is important to help out Vea and Kancey. I wouldn't plug him as the future NT until he learns gap control, but he can probably play all over the line given his gifts in the mean time.
Schrauth B
OL depth and will compete for a chance to push Bredeson maybe? Klein has competition now along with Haggard. Feeney in theory shouldn't make the final roster but you never know. Still, Schrauth may be a sleeper pick up that cracks the line up or even becomes the primary guard backup.
Sharp B-
Given his size and ability to have a second gear the Bucs do not have a TE like him on the roster. Otton has show some juice but not enough. Durham has size but does not have that second gear and Culp in comparison does. But Culp does not have that size compared to the rest of the group. Sharp has the size and juice and is an athlete that can do many things that this team has not had in a while. Also a sleeper pick to climb the depth chart too like Schrauth.Â
Overall grade: B
I love to discuss football. I don't have a much of a problem with a person's opposing view as long as it remains on planet earth.It's not the picks themselves but, to your point, what they turned down.
This is sort of the thing about the draft as a fan experience. There are endless avenues of dissatisfaction. Theres the opportunity cost issue you raise. There is the value issue. There is the player himself. Add in the unlikely hypothetical (we should have taken an edhe when we just spent a 1st on an edge and need an LB) and the academic (GMs are supposed to pick players not the HC) and there is always a way to take issue with a draft.Â
And it usually it takes a while to make some sense of the actual outcome so plenty of time to debate.
Even with all of that it is still interesting to read all the posts and watch it play out.
a good nickel CB and a guy that plays the run very well.
This is a Bowles special, but we have a couple already so it was strange pick to me when we really need an outside guy.
No idea what Licht and company were thinking
I think as another poster suggests his potential ability to be the receiver TE because the other guys have not developed to replace Otton. Licht has a penchant for taking fliers late. Hope it works out
I get your feeling, Fire. I think the 2nd round pick was the worst in the entire draft considering what was available and what the needs were.....then we traded up in the 6th to draft a guy that wasn't even going to be drafted. Not sure what the draft strategy was in the room but I thoroughly disagree with it. The Hurst pick in the 3rd is going to be a good one.....just not this season.I'd give the grade overall a C+.Â
Bain was a gift
The rest of the draft was pretty bad... I'm still sour about our 2nd and 3rd round picks.Â
It's not the picks themselves but, to your point, what they turned down.
It's not going to. That guy is going to be a camp cut or PS at best. Olaf, he was ranked 270 in the field. That means he wasn't even getting drafted. I would bet the farm he doesn't make it in the league and is out by the 3rd year.a good nickel CB and a guy that plays the run very well.
I think as another poster suggests his potential ability to be the receiver TE because the other guys have not developed to replace Otton. Licht has a penchant for taking fliers late. Hope it works out
I love to discuss football. I don't have a much of a problem with a person's opposing view as long as it remains on planet earth.It's not the picks themselves but, to your point, what they turned down.
This is sort of the thing about the draft as a fan experience. There are endless avenues of dissatisfaction. Theres the opportunity cost issue you raise. There is the value issue. There is the player himself. Add in the unlikely hypothetical (we should have taken an edhe when we just spent a 1st on an edge and need an LB) and the academic (GMs are supposed to pick players not the HC) and there is always a way to take issue with a draft.Â
And it usually it takes a while to make some sense of the actual outcome so plenty of time to debate.
Even with all of that it is still interesting to read all the posts and watch it play out.
Yes I agree.Â
I don't follow the college players like so many of the draftniks here, so its very interesting to read it all and much appreciated.Â
The only time for me that it loses some interest is when, as you suggest, it falls off planet earth. Most often that is expecting the Bucs to do something they were never going to do or not taking into account something they were obviously doing that transcends the player selected, like the trade back in this draft.
The most interesting part to me is how the wins and the losses of player selection compound themselves. For example, the commitment to a bad choice one season causing the Bucs to pass on a better option the next.or, the luxury of picking some other need because a later round pick or UDFA has over performed into a key starter. Fascinating process.
Warren Sharp
https://x.com/SharpFootball/status/2048186781644857583?s=20
"best value 2026 NFL draft classes 1. Commanders 2. Panthers 3. Colts 4. Bengals 5. Jets 6. Giants 7. Buccaneers 8. Raiders 9. Falcons 10. Chiefs"
"The Bucs ranked #7 in this metric in 2025, and are back in the top 10 with another solid draft in 2026.
It started Round 1 when they snagged one of the biggest drops of the round.
Rueben Bain Jr. surprisingly fell to them at No. 15.
Very few mock drafts expected Bain to still be available when the Bucs were picking, and now he can stay in the state of Florida, pair up with Vita Vea, and get after several of the highly questionable quarterbacks in the NFC South.
The Bucs did reach small in Round 2 for LB Josiah Trotter and in Round 5 for DL DeMonte Capehart, but they got outstanding value with CB Keionte Scott in Round 4 (expected to go No. 55) and G Billy Schrauth in Round 5 (expected to go No. 125).
Through Round 3 (Thursday and Friday), the Bucs were one of 10 teams with more surplus draft capital over expected, and that continued on Saturday."
Keionte Scott should have been drafted a round of two higher which is why he is an easy A in terms of value. Scott can play nickel or safety which is even better for his value where he was drafted. Scott is going to see playing time on defense with the way Bowles likes to use DBs and I doubt he rides the bench for this reason. Bain and Keionte were the best value picks up of the draft followed by Hurst given all three will see some playing time. A lot of lesser WR talent was drafted in front of Hurst too which was a huge win for the Bucs and Licht has a great track record when it comes to value in the third and fourht round. Â
Trottter was ranked as a late 2nd rounder/early third rounder by most draft pundits but really the Bucs still took him a bit high given there wasn't a team clamoring for him. But outside of that they went with value in every round and it shows.
As for Sharp his athletic traits show up on tape and he has size to add to his frame. Peele is the one coach I trust to be able to see what they have in him and to coach him up with some refinement. The TE room has a lot of variety of various skill sets now which makes it well rounded grouping now. To me Sharp with some coaching can be sneaky good and that is what the Bucs think of him so highly and drafted him.
To me the drafting of Sharp indicates that the team wants a TE with some more burst in the open field. Culp does have those traits but he hasn't shown he can leap frog Kieft or Durham as a blocker and is now the smallest TE on the roster. Sharp has the size and just needs the technique to be a blocker at the next level with more efficient hand movement. Â
Sharp reminds me of Jake Ballard a lot and Sharp has a chance to carve out a niche for this team. Not bad for a late round pick and given T. Johnson's success I wouldn't rule out Sharp being able to make this team.Â
I sure hope you are right, All, but I do think you are overvaluing the entire draft.Keionte Scott should have been drafted a round of two higher which is why he is an easy A in terms of value. Scott can play nickel or safety which is even better for his value where he was drafted. Scott is going to see playing time on defense with the way Bowles likes to use DBs and I doubt he rides the bench for this reason. Bain and Keionte were the best value picks up of the draft followed by Hurst given all three will see some playing time. A lot of lesser WR talent was drafted in front of Hurst too which was a huge win for the Bucs and Licht has a great track record when it comes to value in the third and fourht round. Â
Trottter was ranked as a late 2nd rounder/early third rounder by most draft pundits but really the Bucs still took him a bit high given there wasn't a team clamoring for him. But outside of that they went with value in every round and it shows.
As for Sharp his athletic traits show up on tape and he has size to add to his frame. Peele is the one coach I trust to be able to see what they have in him and to coach him up with some refinement. The TE room has a lot of variety of various skill sets now which makes it well rounded grouping now. To me Sharp with some coaching can be sneaky good and that is what the Bucs think of him so highly and drafted him.
To me the drafting of Sharp indicates that the team wants a TE with some more burst in the open field. Culp does have those traits but he hasn't shown he can leap frog Kieft or Durham as a blocker and is now the smallest TE on the roster. Sharp has the size and just needs the technique to be a blocker at the next level with more efficient hand movement. Â
Sharp reminds me of Jake Ballard a lot and Sharp has a chance to carve out a niche for this team. Not bad for a late round pick and given T. Johnson's success I wouldn't rule out Sharp being able to make this team.Â
I think most of these guys get lost in the first round picks. No way would I call this a top 10 draft. Thoroughly disagree.Warren Sharp
https://x.com/SharpFootball/status/2048186781644857583?s=20
"best value 2026 NFL draft classes 1. Commanders 2. Panthers 3. Colts 4. Bengals 5. Jets 6. Giants 7. Buccaneers 8. Raiders 9. Falcons 10. Chiefs"
"The Bucs ranked #7 in this metric in 2025, and are back in the top 10 with another solid draft in 2026.
It started Round 1 when they snagged one of the biggest drops of the round.
Rueben Bain Jr. surprisingly fell to them at No. 15.
Very few mock drafts expected Bain to still be available when the Bucs were picking, and now he can stay in the state of Florida, pair up with Vita Vea, and get after several of the highly questionable quarterbacks in the NFC South.
The Bucs did reach small in Round 2 for LB Josiah Trotter and in Round 5 for DL DeMonte Capehart, but they got outstanding value with CB Keionte Scott in Round 4 (expected to go No. 55) and G Billy Schrauth in Round 5 (expected to go No. 125).
Through Round 3 (Thursday and Friday), the Bucs were one of 10 teams with more surplus draft capital over expected, and that continued on Saturday."
Opinions vary. Not gonna get upset because someone has a different opinion.