The thermostat is back as the NFL Scouting Combine proceeds.
It’s time to gather around and dust off the thermometer, Bucs Nation. The draft needs temperature check returns once again!
The Buccaneers enter 2025 in a relatively stable position with good cap flexibility, a healthy boon of young talent, few priority free agents, and a decently positioned first-round pick. However, the defensive side of the ball is on much shakier ground than the offensive side and as such demands reinforcements when it comes to both starters and depth.
Free agency, which opens in less than 2 weeks, will cause some potentially significant ebb and flow in these initial temp checks, but it’s always wise to identify a baseline upon which to operate. You can’t assume a certain free agent will be available or willing to come aboard, and as such a team can exert much more control over their draft prep process.
Let’s get into it.
Quarterback
Temperature: Cool
Baker Mayfield will enter the final year of his contract in 2026 but he may expect an extension after this upcoming campaign if he continues his borderline top-10 play. If that happens, however, you can expect the Bucs will take care of him.
So as of now, any signal-caller discussions in Tampa Bay will be focused on backups. Kyle Trask is a free agent after 4 years of straight chillin’ on the bench, and nobody knows exactly how good of a player he is. You’d think bringing him back as QB2 would be fairly inexpensive, but he might want to go somewhere with more opportunity if such a place exists.
The team also has Michael Pratt as a practice squad guy, who they reportedly wanted to draft last year before they eventually signed him from Green Bay. They might just straight-up replace Trask with him as the primary backstop.
Regardless, it seems like a position that will likely take low priority in the draft. Another late Day 3 waiver like Max Brosmer from Minnesota might be intriguing.
Running Back
Temperature: Cold
Bucky Irving emerged as a revelation in 2024, showcasing possible superstar potential as he eventually evolved into an offensive centerpiece. His future is enticing, though we’ll see how losing a top-tier offensive coordinator like Liam Coen affects that trajectory.
Regardless, the 22-year-old Irving will be the unquestioned No. 1, with Rachaad White serving as an upper-tier change-of-pace option (a role in which he’s better-suited). Sean Tucker also flared to life here and there in a way that should have the Bucs feeling great about their top 3 options in the backfield.
White is in the last year of his deal and probably won’t stick around if Irving continues to ascend, so that may create a hole for next season but likely won’t force the team’s hand too much for now.
Drafting anyone here seems pretty unlikely unless it’s a late Day 3 name for something like kick returns.
Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images
Wide Receiver
Temperature: Warm
The Bucs receiving room has been among the NFL’s gold standard for nearly a decade now. Mike Evans has built a Hall of Fame career and continues to dominate in his 30s, but it’s hard to know when the decline may begin. It sadly will be sooner rather than later in some capacity.
Chris Godwin has been the team’s bonafide right-hand man, a fantastic 1b to Evans’s 1a despite various significant injuries, mostly recently last year’s ankle dislocation. The 29-year-old’s free agency status is easily the biggest offseason headline for the team, and his decision will play a large hand in the draft considerations.
With Godwin, receiver will likely still be on the radar as an ember, but it turns into a grease fire without him. Jalen McMillan, a 2024 third-rounder, really came on down the stretch so there’s some level of expectation with him, but bumping him into a hypothetical No. 2 role leaves a major sore spot behind him.
Trey Palmer, who the Bucs drafted in 2023, has really not shown much, and Sterling Shepard is a tenacious but unreliable veteran with a checkered injury history. Free agency is not ripe with options at present, so it might require the use of some draft capital.
With all that in mind, Bucs fans should familiarize themselves with names across the spectrum. First-round options could include bigger names like Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State or Matthew Golden from Texas. Jalen Royals from Utah State and Jaylin Noel from Iowa State are Day 2 options that stand out.
Photo by Gus Stark/LSU/University Images via Getty Images
Tight End
Temperature: Lukewarm
Cade Otton took a big step forward as the team’s No. 1 tight end when asked to shoulder a bigger load and should be firmly entrenched in that position. He’ll likely never be a lethal threat, but he handles being an auxiliary option quite well and has improved as a blocker, too.
Behind Otton, Payne Durham and Devin Culp are interesting young players who flashed in limited opportunities, and Ko Kieft continues to stick around as a blocking specialist.
Normally, I’d list this as a “cool,” but we’re also staring down one of the most fruitful tight end crops of the last decade so it feels ill-advised to not even consider it. If there’s someone who Jason Licht and Co. love as a weapon for Mayfield, you can easily make a two-tight end offense work.
In the top 3 rounds, you’ll see a plethora of intriguing names like Michigan’s Colston Loveland, LSU’s Mason Taylor, Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr., and Texas’s Gunnar Helm.
Offensive Tackle
Temperature: Cold
Tristan Wirfs is a top 5 offensive tackle on a Hall of Fame trajectory who’s locked into Tampa for the next 5 years. Luke Goedeke has turned into a top 10 right tackle who is going to get his big-money extension very soon.
The Bucs are completely set at the bookends for the foreseeable future, and on top of that they have a good-quality swing man in Justin Skule to back them both up. There will be no major investment here of any kind.
Interior Offensive Line
Temperature: Warm
Now, the interior is a slightly different story.
Though the unit saw much improvement thanks to the development of Cody Mauch, the insertion of the promising rookie Graham Barton at center, and the perfectly okay play of Ben Bredeson, the team will still need to do some upkeep.
Will they keep Bredeson, who played on a one-year prove-it deal? He was fine but replaceable, so the team might keep him for a paltry fee but continue to seek out an upgrade or at least some competition. Robert Hainsey should have opportunities elsewhere to be a starting center, which leaves the backup spot to Barton unfilled.
As such, there’s a decent chance you might see another draft pick to continue reinforcing the offensive trenches. If a starter at left guard is what the team wants, a late Day 2 pick like Georgia’s Tate Ratledge would likely fit what the team wants in both play style and demeanor.
Day 3 names may include Joshua Gray from Oregon State or Wisconsin’s Joe Huber, or perhaps the obligatory smaller-program name when talking about Bucs’ line prospects like Jackson Slater of Sacramento State.
Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Defensive Line
Temperature: Warm
The Bucs were reportedly poised to take Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton last year before Graham Barton fell gift-wrapped into their laps, and not much has changed between now and then to suggest they would view the position as anything other than upgradable.
Calijah Kancey is an emerging star pass rusher if he can stay healthy, which has been a bit problematic, and Vita Vea is still a top-tier nose tackle but is not getting any younger as he enters his age-30 season. Former top pick Logan Hall has made some gradual improvements but remains average at best with too many stretches of absenteeism.
Will Gholston, a career Buc whose understated yet consistent contributions should be praised, is pretty much staring down the end at 34 years old. Greg Gaines is a replacement-level backup nose whose presence is fairly inconsequential.
In a draft with so many quality defensive tackles and 4i-technique types, it seems likely they will keep some on their radar throughout the three days. Round one may be rich considering seemingly more prominent needs and fits on the defense, but you may want to watch someone like Oregon’s Derrick Harmon.
Day 2 may yield a better fit with names like South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders or Ole Miss’s J.J. Pegues. Rounds 4-7 could offer names like Jordan Phillips of Maryland or Warren Brinson from Georgia.
Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Edge Rusher
Temperature: Hot
Tampa simply must improve its pass rush, there is no excuse, and as such it should be in contention for the team’s most pressing need. Todd Bowles himself acknowledged Tuesday during his media session, expressing frustration with the unit and a desire to see more 4-man rush productivity and less reliance on blitzing (which is really saying something when Bowles wants to send fewer guys).
Yaya Diaby is a good player and logged some of the best pressure numbers of any edge defender last year, but it translated into only 4.5 sacks. He needs to improve his finishing ability to be a true threat. Chris Braswell, a 2024 second-rounder, showed some upside but sat behind former first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka way too much. The latter ensured his exit from Tampa after failing to show any substantive development in regards to his pass rush – he recorded just 15 sacks in 4 seasons (66 games).
This spot, once again, should be a top two-round priority. Keep an eye on names like Marshall’s Mike Green, Tennessee’s James Pierce, and Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku, as well as LSU’s Brayden Swinson, Ole Miss’s Princely Umanmielen, and Michigan’s Josaiah Stewart.
Inside Linebacker
Temperature: Hot
One could argue off-ball linebacker may be just as dire of a need as edge when it comes to Bowles’s scheme. Tampa saw massive issues up the middle when Sir’Vocea Dennis went down with injury, as K.J. Britt got consistently exposed as a bottom-tier everything and Licht scraped the bottom of the barrel with names like Deion Jones and J.J. Russell.
Lavonte David remained good, but clearly (and understandably) outside of his prime, and his future is still undecided. Dennis showed some potential but he’s suffered notable injuries in both of his first two seasons.
Starting linebacker may feel like more of a free agency add given how much Bowles demands from the position, but there are still Day 2 options to monitor like Ole Miss’s Chris Paul Jr., UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger, Oklahoma State’s Nick Martin, or South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight. Day 3 might offer names like Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa or UNLV’s Jackson Woodard.
Cornerback
Temperature: Hot
Injuries caused more issues in the secondary last season than pure talent, but “the best ability is availability” is an aphorism that remains pointedly apt.
And Jamel Dean embodies that perfectly…or horribly, depending on your perspective I suppose. When he’s actually playing healthy, Dean can be a very good player – but the problem is that the first part is almost never true. He’s failed to play a full season in 6 years and often struggles to finish games he does get banged up in.
Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images
With the ability to save some major cap space by trading or cutting him, Dean seems destined for the chopping block as the Bucs probably go on the hunt for a new starting outside corner opposite Zyon McCollum – who started 2024 excellently, but then got hurt and seemingly forgot how to play.
If the Bucs also don’t bring back Bryce Hall, who broke his leg early in the year, the cupboard is completely bare right now. Additions will absolutely come via free agency; to what extent, we will soon find out. Josh Hayes and Tyrek Funderburk cannot remain as your primary backups.
In the draft, every single round will be on the table when it comes to defensive back, and Licht might even do his classic double dip – he’s done that at corner twice in the past.
Day 1 options could involve Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison or East Carolina’s Shavon Revel. Day 2 will be loaded with a field that likely includes Ole Miss’s Trey Amos, Iowa State’s Darien Porter, and LSU’s Zy Alexander. Day 3 upside plays might consist of Cobee Bryant from Kansas, Nohl Williams from California, or Jordan Hancock from Ohio State.
Safety
Temperature: Lukewarm
The Bucs’ safeties suffered from injuries all year long as well, perhaps even worse than at cornerback but with better depth to compensate. Bowles should be applauded in this area for working through the constantly revolving door that saw Antoine Winfield Jr., Jordan Whitehead, Christian Izien, and Tykee Smith all miss extended time. Getting contributions for Kaevon Merriweather and Mike Edwards and still being okayish was impressive.
It’s hard to imagine this room’s injury luck possibly being any worse, so the floor is pretty high. Whitehead will not return after having his option declined, but it seems like Smith, who stood out as a rookie, will be Winfield’s primary running mate with Merriweather, Izien, and Edwards all likely still around.
As such, in a fairly shallow safety class, you might not see much action here come draft weekend. Right now, you can bet pretty good money the first two days will give way to far more pressing matters, so you’re instead looking at Day 3 depth lotto tickets like Virginia’s Jonas Sanker or Alabama’s Malachi Moore.