Devin Sanguinett’s Final 2025 Buccaneers Mock Draft

It’s almost Christmas for Buccaneers fans and football jocks. Some teams will get exactly what they wanted. Others will get coal. Good GMs always make sure to snag themselves a good present. And I would include Licht in that category.

The draft is always fun when your team has a recent history of drafting well, something the Bucs have established over the past few years. The Buccaneers needs are fairly obvious. Defense is absolutely needed. Last year in my final mock, I went a perfect 0/7 in all my picks, so I can only go up from here

Round 1 (19)- CB Will Johnson, Michigan

I have gone on record at my YouTube channel that I really like Jahdae Barron. He just has the intelligence and instincts to succeed at corner plus he’s versatile. However, based on the athletic testing, I’m not sure the Bucs like him. So I’m going with the also impressive Will Johnson. Johnson has the prototypical size and length to succeed in a Todd Bowles defense. Like Barron he also has a knack for getting picks and plays at his best in zone where he can watch the QB. His biggest problem is that his tendency to look for picks causes him to get burned by savvy WRs. If the Bucs can hone his focus in that department, they will have a guy who could takeover for Jamel Dean and get some picks for a secondary that sorely lacked in that department.

Round 2 (53)- LB Demetrius Knight Jr., South Carolina

The Bucs desperately need help at LB, but I am not the biggest fan of Jihaad Campbell. So instead of reaching for a guy in the first, I’ll go after a guy I think will be very good in the NFL. He is a bit of an older rookie (about 24 and already has a family), but LB is an incredibly difficult position to transition from college to the NFL. Having a couple extra years may help him understand defensive schemes better. Hell when asked about it, he mentioned Lavonte as a guy thriving despite playing for a while. While the speed may not be there, he is still athletic and excels in zone coverage. Plus, he could contribute on special teams and develop if Sirvocea and Lavonte are able to stay on the field. And like any good Bowles LB, he can blitz. If you can ignore the tread on the tires, you have a remarkably complete LB prospect unlike a guy like Carson Schwesinger and Jeffrey Bassa who may have slightly more tantalizing upside.

Round 3 (84)- EDGE Bradyn Swinson, LSU

Swinson is a guy that didn’t really produce until his fifth season. Which can be seen as a negative. My counter to that is that it was a hell of a season. He went from two sacks to 8.5. And this is against SEC lines, which is almost like playing NFL competition. He is the guy you want if your sole mission is to bury the QB. Swinson has all the athletic ability in the world to succeed in the NFL. He mauls offensive tackles with the ferocity of a mother bear defending her cub. The question is if he can be anything more than a passing down player and can he develop moves to go alongside the athletic ability. You do also have to wonder if the fifth year is a sign of things to come or a fluke. I think he can succeed in the NFL, but this is a project pick that you are banking on developing properly. If he hits, you have a star edge rusher.

Round 4 (121)- S Lathan Ransom, Ohio State

Safety is not a big need for the Bucs since they seem committed to moving Tykee Smith to the position. However, I still like drafting a guy that could allow Tykee to be moved around more creatively. Ransom is a Jordan Whitehead replacement for sure. Less ballhawks and more ball hammer. He is a hard hitting safety and at his best playing downhill. While the speed to keep up with receivers isn’t amazing, he can stick with TEs. And like Demetrius Knight, he can play on special teams and even has a couple blocked punts.

Round 5 (157) G Jackson Slater, Sacramento State 

I made it known that I thought the Buccaneers could upgrade the LG position from Ben Bredeson. Slater gives them a chance to have a successor for him. He is an adept pass rusher with an ability to get to the second-level. The biggest concern for him is a knee injury he suffered in November. However, on the Bucs there is no pressing need for him to start immediately. So he should have time to heal from that and hopefully fully recover. He needs to improve his run blocking, but he has the chance to be a sneaky pick up if he is able to refine his already solid abilities.

Round 7 (235)- WR Ricky White, UNLV

White I think is the type of prospect where you cannot believe he was a seventh round pick. he doesn’t look like much, but his route running his superb. The biggest problem for him is that he isn’t the best contested catcher. But if he can keep his route running polished, he is a big play threat. The man didn’t just luck into back-to-back 1k seasons. Maybe you don’t see him as WR1 material, but I could absolutely see him as WR4 or maybe WR3 in the near future. The Buccaneers could use the juice at WR since it seems like Trey Palmer is on the way out.