Do Buccaneers Really Need Help Most on Defensive Line?
· Yahoo Sports
Nearly one week out from the NFL draft, Pro Football Focus has released a list of what their analysts argue are each team's top need entering the late stages of pre-draft preparation.
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, PFF's Bradley Locker listed defensive line as the biggest area of need.
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The Bucs have made some solid veteran signings on the defensive front, adding A'Shawn Robinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, but could still be looking for the premier edge rusher of the future.
Robinson, Nunez-Roches and Muhammad all bring at least eight years of NFL experience to Tampa, with Nunez-Roches reuniting with the franchise he won a Super Bowl with in 2020.
The current draft class is loaded with defensive talent, with multiple highly touted edge prospects projected to be first-rounders.
However, the Bucs have taken a "best available" approach over the past few seasons, drafting players they are high on, rather than basing it on positional need.
On Wednesday, Bucs general manager Jason Licht expressed his appreciation for head coach Todd Bowles being on board with the best available approach, while not showing bias towards his defensive responsibilities.
Combining this approach with the depth of the edge prospects in this year's class, Tampa may be able to afford holding off from drafting an edge in Round 1, opting for promising second- and third-round prospects like Clemson's T.J. Parker or Auburn's Keldric Faulk.
With talented options like Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq mocked in the first round, offense is certainly on the table for Tampa at the No. 15 overall pick. However, the defense was shaky towards the end of the season, and with Bowles' current standing and job security, defense seems more likely.
The secondary remains a big question mark for the Bucs, who lost their best cornerback, Jamel Dean, to the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.
Tampa ha veteran depth at defensive back, but so far has not secured a true No. 1 cornerback going into next season.
Cornerbacks Jermod McCoy out of Tennessee and LSU's Mansoor Delane, two of the top defensive backs in the draft, will likely be available with the 15th pick, providing Bowles with another young cornerback to develop next to Zyon McCollum, Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish.
McCoy, who missed last season with a torn ACL, was a second-team All-American in 2024, recording nine pass break-ups and four interceptions.
With McCoy healthy, Tennessee had the second-best pass defense in the SEC. In 2025, without him, it ranked 14th.
Delante, also a product of the SEC, had a standout season in Baton Rouge after three years at Virginia Tech.
The former Tiger earned a first-team All-SEC nod this past season, logging 45 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and a unanimous All-American honorable mention.
Unlike the plentiful amount of defensive line talent in this year's draft, the discrepancy in first-round defensive back prospects like Delane and McCoy and later options is glaring. Utilizing an early pick to secure a true No. 1 cornerback could be the Bucs' best course of action come April 23.
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