The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw their streak of NFC South titles end in 2025 after four straight years atop the division. How do they reclaim their division crown and return to playoff contention in 2026?
That process began early this offseason with some key free agency signings (and re-signings) and will take another leap forward in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay owns all of its own picks entering this year’s draft – the Buccaneers own one pick per round with no compensatory picks or trades affecting their draft capital.
Among the top priorities for general manager Jason Licht is building up the defense. Tampa Bay allowed the sixth-highest success rate on dropbacks (49.7%) in 2025 and just lost cornerback Jamel Dean to the Steelers in free agency.
In addition, the Buccaneers have to decide how to move forward offensively without wide receiver Mike Evans for the first time in 12 years. Will Tampa Bay add to their receivers room in the draft with Evans leaving to join the San Francisco 49ers in free agency?
USA TODAY Sports compiled a 2026 NFL Draft tracker for the Buccaneers, including their full list of picks, team needs and a mock draft with potential best fits:
Buccaneers 2026 NFL Draft picks
The Bucs have seven picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, all of them their own. Here’s the complete list:
- Round 1, Pick 15
- Round 2, Pick 46
- Round 3, Pick 77
- Round 4, Pick 116
- Round 5, Pick 155
- Round 6, Pick 195
- Round 7, Pick 229
Buccaneers NFL draft grades
This section will be updated after the Buccaneers make their first selection.
Buccaneers 2026 NFL Draft needs
Edge rusher
Tampa Bay ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in team sacks in 2025, and no individual player had more than seven sacks. Outside of Yaya Diaby, who had seven sacks and is entering the final year of his contract, no other Buccaneers defender had even five sacks last year.
The Bucs signed edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad in free agency, but he’s only on a one-year deal. Tampa Bay really needs a young pass-rusher to both enhance the unit’s ability to defend the pass and give the team insurance for Diaby and Muhammad’s potential departures next offseason.
Cornerback
The Buccaneers lost 14-game starter Jamel Dean to Pittsburgh in free agency, and his projected replacement, Benjamin Morrison, struggled in 10 games (three starts) as a rookie in 2025. With an upgraded pass-rush and a starting-caliber cornerback to replace Dean on the outside, Tampa Bay’s pass defense could take a needed step forward in 2026.
Wide receiver
Mike Evans’ departure looms the largest over the Buccaneers’ 2026 roster. Sure, Tampa Bay still has veteran Chris Godwin to pair with young wideouts Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan to create a solid starting trio. But all three have concerns: Godwin did not appear fully recovered from his dislocated ankle he suffered in 2024, Egbuka’s production plummeted after a strong initial showing as a rookie as he struggled with drops and McMillan missed almost all of the 2025 season with a broken bone in his neck.
Evans leaves behind massive shoes to fill after he was the consistent, No. 1, big-bodied receiver that was the motor for the Buccaneers’ offense across three different eras of quarterbacks. It’s a tall ask for any young receiver to “replace” Evans in the offense, but adding another wideout that can be a true X-receiver and play some bully ball would benefit quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ passing attack.
Buccaneers 2026 NFL mock draft
Here’s what the Buccaneers could do come draft night, per Ayrton Ostly’s seven-round mock draft:
- Round 1, Pick 15: Edge Keldric Faulk, Auburn
- Round 2, Pick 46: WR Germie Bernard, Alabama
- Round 3, Pick 77: DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
- Round 4, Pick 116: Traded to 49ers
- Round 4, Pick 127 (from 49ers): CB Daylen Everette, Georgia
- Round 5, Pick 155: TE Oscar Delp, Georgia
- Round 6, Pick 195: DT Rayshaun Benny, Michigan
- Round 7, Pick 229: DB Lorenzo Styles Jr., Ohio State
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Buccaneers NFL Draft Tracker 2026: Full list of picks, live grades