Carter Brantley – Bucs Report and Sports Talk Florida Bucs Reporter
I know it seems ridiculous to do yet another Buccaneers mock draft to clog your feeds, but hey, it’s draft season and there’s not a whole lot else going on right now.
So let’s buckle up and take a ride down the mock draft of the century! Just kidding; but I do follow a few basic rules:
1. I try my best to abide by the consensus boards and not draft anyone that isn’t likely to be there; I might stretch this a bit and I do apologize if anything seems out of left field, but for the most part I stick to this rule and don’t break it too much (bending it might be a better way of putting it, I guess).
2. Especially this year, there’s going to be a tendency to go best player available, something the Bucs haven’t been able to do very much recently with such glaringly obvious needs, but my feelings are that every team should do this regardless and try their best not to fall into the positional need trap that can get people fired.
3. No trades. It’s going to be complicated, messy, and unpredictable, so I like to cut through a bit of that here by just going through the draft order as God (or Roger Goodell, or whatever deity you think puts these draft orders together) intended.
Ok, enough rules, here we go:
Round 1, 19th Overall: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Oof, breaking rule #1 already; the likelihood that Johnson is there at 19 might not be super high, but I love him so much I’m going to dream on him falling right into Jason Licht’s lap.
Johnson has the versatility in terms of being able to play man or zone to unlock a potentially new way of Bucs’ defensive football, but even if he’s played as an almost-exclusively-zone corner like the Bucs currently run things, he’ll be great.
He’s got the size and length to be a disruptor at all levels, he can be fine in the run game, and he’s just flat out one of the best corners in this draft class.
If he’s not there, the Bucs do have options in Jihaad Campbell, Jahdae Barron, and whatever edge rusher they deem most valuable (or wild card: a wide receiver!), but this is my mock draft damn it, and I’m going to run with it.
Round 2, 53rd overall: Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA
Fellow cover linebacker Demetrius Knight, Jr. out of South Carolina is tempting here, as is safety Kevin Winston, Jr. (if the medicals are ok) out of PSU, or if you want to get a little crazy, Elijah Arroyo, tight end out of Miami, because Cade Otton is due for an extension and Arroyo is an exciting, athletic tight end who has a very high ceiling.
But Schwesinger is one of the best linebackers in this class other than Jihaad Campbell.
His RAS was an unofficial yet eye-popping 9.86, good for 46th out of 3204 since 1987, and has a good track record while at UCLA, posting an 80.6 PFF grade for his overall contributions in his final season as a Bruin.
If he’s gone by 53, those options listed above would be fun, too, but if he’s there and the Bucs haven’t already taken Campbell, Licht could pull the trigger and continue his remodel of the Bucs’ defense.
Round 3, 84th overall: Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina
Another stretch of rule #1, Kennard is a very interesting prospect who could easily be taken before the Bucs get their turn in the 3rd round; could they possibly trade up in this round to get Kennard to continue to bolster the defensive side of the ball?
I don’t know, but if he’s there in the 3rd round and they aren’t super convinced with any of the other defensive players available, Kennard is a solid athlete whose 40 times is one of the best at his position, contributing to his RAS of 8.58.
He also had a monster 2024 season to finish out his college career after transferring to South Carolina from Georgia Tech.
With 39 pressures and an 80.7 pass rush grade from PFF, he was able to secure All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
So the track record is there, as is the athletic ability; the question is just if he’ll even be there at 84.
Round 4, 121st overall: Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State
A potential riser due to an elite combine that resulted in a 9.8 RAS, he was hampered by injury in 2024 and never quite produced at an elite enough level to warrant a super high draft pick despite his athletic prowess.
Horton has speed for days and is as explosive as they come, but the lack of physicality due to his slight frame and the injury concerns are enough to prevent him from being taken too early.
He might be gone by 121, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 22-year-old still be there for the Bucs in round 4, and he’s athletic enough to warrant being a 6th wide receiver for the Bucs if they choose to carry that many wideouts.
Horton is more of a project player, which is fine for the Bucs, especially at that position, but he provides some massive upside potential.
Round 5, 157th overall: Malachi Moore, Safety, Alabama
Moore is one of the smartest safeties in this class, having played the STAR position in Nick Saban’s defense early in Moore’s time at Bama, but he’s limited in his athletic profile due to his lack of size.
His tackling ability at Bama was fine, good enough to pass by at the college level, but he has questions surrounding his overall talent level as a safety.
He also lacks the true speed or explosiveness many other safeties possess, especially for someone that size.
But, his special teams experience would prove invaluable, especially in the role the Bucs would likely have him in assuming he’d make the roster.
Round 7, 235th overall: Clay Webb, Guard, Jacksonville State
Who?
Sounds like a Buc already (sorry, had to throw in a Moneyball quote).
Webb was one of the best guards among the non-big-time schools in Division 1, providing Jax State with a solid presence on their interior.
He also posted an unofficial RAS of 8.75, pretty darn good for someone that will likely be there in the 7th round.
The Bucs can have him compete for a roster spot, but the likely place for Webb is on the practice squad, developing into a potential depth piece with a high ceiling, perhaps even a replacement for either Mauch or Bredeson at some point in the future.
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