2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Insider

Drafting an edge rusher like Ezeiruaku, who met formally with the Buccaneers at the NFL Scouting Combine, gives the team an insurance policy in case Reddick, who turns 31 this season, is more like the one-sack guy he was in New York last year than he was the double-digit sack guy he was in Philadelphia. And Ezeiruaku – or another impact pass rusher – could be a safety net just in case Braswell doesn’t pan out and develop.

Ezeiruaku had 16.5 sacks at Boston College last year in addition to three forced fumbles. He has considerable bend and athleticism that helps him win at the top of the arc along with 34-inch arms, which are quite long given his compact 6-foot-2, 248-pound frame. Ezeiruaku totaled 30 sacks for the Eagles, in addition to eight forced fumbles, which speaks to his playmaking ability.

Who’s The Backup Plan In Case Donovan Ezeiruaku Is Gone?

What if Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku is gone at No. 19? Which other first-round pass rushers would the Bucs consider?

Tampa Bay had Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams in for a 30 visit, and there’s a lot to like about the 6-foot-5, 267-pounder. He’s only 20 years to begin with and spent three years getting coached by Kirby Smart and running with a bunch of alphas in the Bulldogs defense, including Tampa Bay defensive back Tykee Smith.

Williams ran a 4.77 at the Georgia pro day, but is certainly quick enough and agile enough to be a force upfront. He has long 34-inch arms that helped him record 14 sacks and three forced fumbles in three years with the Bulldogs. That’s not bad production considering that Georgia heavily rotates along the defensive line and Williams averaged just 33 snaps per game. He also played through an ankle injury for most of the season, which showed some toughness.

I’ve heard whispers that the Bucs are out on Marshall’s Mike Green and Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr., especially in the first round, due to character concerns. I have no idea where those edge rushers rank on Tampa Bay’s draft board or if either is still on it. The team had a formal interview with Green at the NFL Scouting Combine and if his character winds up checking out, he could be in play for Tampa Bay – but I just haven’t confirmed anything.

Other Options For Tampa Bay At No. 19

I have no idea where these players are ranked on Jason Licht’s draft board, but I do know the Bucs like Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden, Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston and East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. All three of those players have had both a formal interview at the NFL Scouting Combine and were brought in for official 30 visits.

All three have to be considered options for the team at No. 19 or if the team traded down in the first round. Golden adds speed with his 4.29 time in the 40 and could be a future starter while he upgrades the depth tremendously at wide receiver. Tampa Bay has 29-year-old Chris Godwin coming off a dislocated ankle, and Mike Evans will turn 32 in training camp. Remember that the team went 0-4 in games without both receivers last year.

The Bucs have a pressing need for a cornerback – or two – and Hairston could play outside cornerback with his 4.28 speed or be tried at nickelback as a rookie. Revel is a long, fast cornerback in the Zyon McCollum mold and could’ve been a Top 15 pick this year if not for a torn ACL three games into his senior season.

Pewter Report was able to identify 19 out of the 30 visits through various media reports, so I don’t know if the Bucs had players like UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger, Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell or Georgia safety Malaki Starks in for a visit or not. Any of those three could have been one of those 11 mystery visitors.

I could Starks being a safe pick at No. 19 due to his ability and versatility. The Bulldogs star played strong safety, nickelback and some free safety. Plus he has some on-field chemistry already with former Georgia defensive back Tykee Smith.

I think the first round would be a little rich for Schwesinger. Most draft pundits, including The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, have a second-round grade on him, which I think is more appropriate. Schweinger’s 2024 film is quite good, but the guy didn’t test at the NFL Scouting Combine or his pro day at UCLA.

And he opted out of the Senior Bowl. What’s up with that? Usually if you don’t run a 40-yard dash at both the Combine and the pro day, it’s because you don’t like the number you’re going to run. Yet Schwesinger looks fast enough on tape.

Schwesinger was a former walk-on who couldn’t get on the field outside of special teams until last year, but then had a monster season with 136 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, three pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He’s a great blitzer as well as being sound in coverage. Is he a one-year wonder or just a late bloomer? Kind of a risky pick in the first round if you ask me, but he would be a nice fit in Todd Bowles defense.

What about Campbell? Well, let’s talk about Jihaad Campbell, shall we?

I’m Out On Jihaad Campbell, But Are The Bucs?

There hasn’t been a draft prospect mocked more to the Buccaneers this offseason than Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell. Seems like a natural fit, right? Tampa Bay has a need at linebacker – either to challenge SirVocea Dennis at Mike linebacker this year or replace Lavonte David, who will turn 36 in January, next year. Campbell is coming off a highly productive season where he notched 117 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, broke up three passes and had one interception. At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds and blessed with 4.52 speed, he’s an intriguing option.

But Campbell is coming off shoulder surgery for a torn labrum in March and might be sidelined through training camp and the preseason while he recovers. It was reported Tuesday that he could be cleared in time for training camp, but we’ll see. Todd Bowles’ defense is complex, and linebacker is not a position that can be learned on the sidelines with mental reps. Campbell would certainly miss the rookie mini-camp, OTAs and the mandatory mini-camp, and potentially the start of training camp. It would put him far behind in terms of being able to compete with Dennis, who is entering his third year in Bowles’ system.

Is that the best use for the team’s first-round pick, especially when the Super Bowl window is open in Tampa Bay? Doesn’t the team’s first-round pick have to be someone who can make an impact right away to truly realize the full value of that selection? I just don’t think a potential redshirt season during a rookie season is the best use of draft capital this year, especially with the Bucs’ top pick.

I also don’t see the value in drafting an off-ball linebacker in the first round. I’m also not sure general manager Jason Licht has the stomach for it again after using the team’s first-round pick on linebacker Devin White in 2019. I’d rather see Tampa Bay get an edge rusher or a defensive back in the first round. That’s why you haven’t seen Campbell mocked to the Buccaneers in any of our five mock drafts, nor did we include him in the Bucs Best Bets at linebacker.

Out of all of the linebackers who made the Pro Bowl last year only one – Baltimore’s Roquan Smith – was a first-rounder. For years, the best linebacker duo in the NFL was San Francisco’s Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Warner was a third-round pick out of BYU and Greenlaw was a fifth-rounder out of Arkansas. There are additional linebackers that the Bucs like who could be had in later rounds, such as South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr., Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa, Georgia’s Smael Mondon and Oklahoma State’s Nickolas Martin among others.

Either I’ll be terribly wrong on Thursday night if the Bucs draft Campbell in the first round, or I’ll be absolutely right. Especially if Campbell’s still on the board at No. 19 and the team goes in a different direction.

Will The Bucs Trade Up Or Down In This Year’s Draft?

I don’t see Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht trading up in this year’s draft. Tampa Bay only has six draft picks, so there’s not a lot of ammo to expend to move up. And as we’ve seen with running back Bucky Irving, a fourth-round pick last year, and cornerback Zyon McCollum, a fifth-round pick in 2022, even Day 3 picks are precious to Licht and the Bucs’ brass.

But will the team trade down in the first round? It’s happened before. Most recently in 2022 when Tampa Bay moved out of the first round altogether and selected defensive tackle Logan Hall with the No. 33 pick, which was the first selection on Day 2.

Licht also traded down in the first round in 2018 from No. 7 to No. 12 with the New York Giants and was still able to select defensive tackle Vita Vea. The Bucs picked up two Giants second-round picks as a result. That gave the team three second-round picks, which were used on running back Ronald Jones II and cornerbacks MJ Stewart and Carlton Davis III.

Licht traded down in the third round in 2019 and gained an extra third-round pick in doing so. That allowed Tampa Bay to select defensive backs Jamel Dean and Mike Edwards in that round.

If the Bucs are going to trade down this year, I could see it happening in the middle rounds – rounds 2-4 – to gain extra middle-round picks this year. The real value in this year’s draft is the fact that it is deep in talent on Day 2 and also early on Day 3.