2026 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mock Draft: 7-Round Projection

By | Updated: October 26, 2026 | First published: December 08, 2025 | 9 min read

Category: Mock Drafts

2026 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mock Draft: 7-Round Projection

Draft Capital: 10 picks | Overall Grade: B Last Updated: October 26, 2026

Overview

Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the 2026 NFL Draft with 10 selections. Biggest needs: IOL, IDL, Quarterback.

Complete Draft Class: View Full 3-Round Mock Draft →

Complete Pick-by-Pick Analysis

Pick #12 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Will Echoles, Defensive Line, Ole Miss

Rank: #17 overall | Grade: A- Why This Pick:

Best player available. Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed IOL help, but Will Echoles (ranked #17) represents elite value here. You can't pass on top-tier talent when it falls to you.

The Fit:

Will Echoles brings immediate impact to Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Will Echoles is the top interior defender in the 2027 class on most boards and the engine of the Ole Miss front. A consensus four-star and Mississippi 4A Mr. Football out of Houston High School, he played both sides of the ball in high school and onl... His best trait—explosive first step that lets him knife into gaps and finish plays behind the line—fits perfectly with what this team needs. Projects as a Walter Nolen (Ole Miss predecessor, explosive interior penetrator)-type player at the NFL level.

  • Strengths: Explosive first step that lets him knife into gaps and finish plays behind the line
  • Weaknesses: Counter moves still need major work, he can get stuck on blockers once his initial move and power are matched
  • NFL Comp: Walter Nolen (Ole Miss predecessor, explosive interior penetrator)
Full scouting report for Will Echoles → | See Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-round draft →

Pick #34 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kewan Lacy, Running Back, Ole Miss

Rank: #24 overall | Grade: B+ Why This Pick:

Running back sits fourth on Tampa Bay's need list, and getting a player ranked 24th overall ten picks later at 34 is good value even if the position wasn't the most pressing hole on the roster. The Bucs already addressed the defensive line at pick 12 with Will Echoles, so doubling back for a dynamic runner here suggests they're prioritizing the best talent on the board over strict need order, betting that Lacy's upside outweighs waiting on offensive line or quarterback depth.

The Fit:

Lacy gives Tampa Bay a north-south runner with real burst, contact balance, and a nose for the end zone, all of which showed up in his 1,567-yard, 24-touchdown breakout season carrying over 80 percent of Ole Miss's running back load. His receiving work is the question mark, with only 29 catches and underdeveloped blitz pickup, so he'll likely start as the early-down hammer while the coaching staff builds out his third-down role gradually rather than handing him a true three-down workload immediately.

  • Strengths: Quick feet and easy acceleration to hit the hole before it closes
  • Weaknesses: One year of major production after 23 carries at Missouri in 2024
  • NFL Comp: Josh Jacobs contact balance and goal-line finish in a compact frame
Full scouting report for Kewan Lacy → | See Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-round draft →

Pick #43 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Inside Linebacker, Notre Dame

Rank: #50 overall | Grade: B Why This Pick:

Linebacker sits seventh on Tampa Bay's needs list, well behind interior line and IDL, so taking Viliamu-Asa at 43 is a clear best-player-available swing rather than a need pick. It's a modest reach relative to his #50 ranking, but Jordan Reid's enthusiasm and the first-round traits he flashes when healthy make it a defensible gamble, especially after the Bucs already addressed IDL at 12 with Will Echoles and backfield need at 34 with Kewan Lacy.

The Fit:

At 6'3", 230 pounds, Viliamu-Asa offers the kind of alignment versatility that fits a 3-4 scheme well, with experience stacked in the box, out in the slot, and rushing off the edge. His closing speed, downhill trigger, and coverage instincts against tight ends give Tampa Bay a developmental three-down piece behind their current linebacker group, though the two torn ACLs and thin workload (just two career starts) are exactly why he fell to the second round instead of going in the first.

  • Strengths: Downhill run defender who triggers fast and meets ball carriers at or behind the line
  • Weaknesses: Two torn ACLs already (right knee as a high school freshman, left knee in November 2025), so the medical is the swing item
  • NFL Comp: Zack Baun versatility as a box and edge hybrid
Full scouting report for Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa → | See Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-round draft →

Pick #65 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers: LaNorris Sellers, Quarterback, South Carolina

Rank: #54 overall | Grade: B- Why This Pick:

Quarterback is Tampa Bay's third-ranked need, and with Sellers falling 11 spots past his rank of 54 all the way to pick 65, this is pure value at a premium position. The Bucs have already addressed IDL and RB in this draft, so taking a developmental arm here rather than reaching earlier shows patience, letting the board come to them instead of forcing the position in round one or two.

The Fit:

Sellers brings a rare combination for a 6-3, 240 pound passer, a reported 4.5 speed and a rocket arm that drives the ball 55-plus yards, which gives Tampa Bay a developmental project with a much higher ceiling than his draft slot suggests. He still locks onto his first read, tips coverage with his eyes, and holds the ball too long, issues that show up in his 17 fumbles over the past two seasons, so he will need time on the bench to clean up footwork and decision-making before he is ready to start.

  • Strengths: Rocket arm drives the ball 55-plus yards downfield with ease
  • Weaknesses: Locks onto his first read and lingers too long before moving on
  • NFL Comp: Daunte Culpepper size, arm and punishing running
Full scouting report for LaNorris Sellers → | See Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-round draft →

Pick #75 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Yhonzae Pierre, Edge Rusher, Alabama

Rank: #45 overall | Grade: B Why This Pick:

Tampa Bay has already hit IOL, IDL and QB earlier in this draft, so by pick 75 they're free to simply take the best player on the board, and Pierre at 45 falling 30 spots is too much value to pass up. Edge wasn't a stated need, but adding a disruptive, versatile front-seven piece never hurts, especially one who can line up in multiple spots in a 3-4. This is a value-over-need selection the Bucs can easily defend given how much of their draft capital already went to the trenches and QB room.

The Fit:

Pierre's calling card is gap discipline and stack-and-shed ability, which plays well in a 3-4 scheme that asks edge defenders to set the edge and still rush. His speed-to-power bull rush and relentless pursuit give Tampa Bay a developmental piece who can rotate early while he adds counters, since his pass-rush toolbox is still unfinished and he tends to stall when tackles get into his chest. The interception-return touchdown and coverage comfort out of stand-up alignments also give the staff flexibility to use him as a hybrid Sam-type piece rather than a pure hand-in-the-dirt end.

  • Strengths: Outstanding run defender with excellent gap discipline and quick diagnosis of run concepts
  • Weaknesses: Pass-rush repertoire is underdeveloped with no consistent go-to move
Full scouting report for Yhonzae Pierre → | See Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-round draft →

Pick #82 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ja'Bril Rawls, Cornerback, NA

Rank: #107 overall | Grade: C Why This Pick:

This one is tough to square with the board. Tampa's top needs sit along the offensive and interior defensive line, at quarterback, and at running back, none of which this pick addresses. Taking a cornerback ranked 107th overall with the 82nd pick is a 25-spot reach, and with cornerback not even listed among the team's top eight needs, it reads as a pure best-player-available swing late in a run where the roster's real holes were going unaddressed.

The Fit:

Without detailed measurables or production notes available here, the pick has to be judged mostly on scheme logic: Tampa runs a 3-4, which puts a premium on corners who can hold up both in man coverage and in off-zone looks behind the front. Being drafted 25 spots ahead of his ranking suggests the team saw traits worth developing, but with so little statistical or scouting detail provided, he projects as a depth and special-teams piece early on rather than an immediate answer at a position that wasn't even a priority.”

  • Strengths: nan
  • Weaknesses: nan
Full scouting report for Ja'Bril Rawls → | See Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-round draft →
Pick #101: Drew Azzopardi (Offensive Tackle, Washington) - Grade C. Day 3 value pick. Depth addition with special teams potential. Pick #132: TJ Moore (Wide Receiver, Clemson) - Grade C. Day 3 value pick. Depth addition with special teams potential. Pick #163: Christian Gray (Cornerback, Notre Dame) - Grade C-. Day 3 value pick. Depth addition with special teams potential. Pick #194: Amare Ferrell (Safety, Indiana) - Grade C-. Day 3 value pick. Depth addition with special teams potential.

Draft Class Summary

Overall Grade: B | 9 positions addressed across 10 picks.

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