The 2026 NFL Draft is finally here. After months of waiting, the NFL’s premier offseason event will get underway on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

The question on the minds of Bucs fans is: what will Jason Licht and his staff decide to do when pick No. 15 goes on the clock? Will they hold firm and make a pick, or, with just one pick per round, perhaps trade back and acquire more picks?

I decided to take a look at the final mock drafts for a number of national insiders and draft pundits and weigh in on their choices. Here we go.

Mel Kiper, Jr. (ESPN) gives the Bucs an offensive weapon

My take: I wrote about it before, but if the Bucs are going to stand pat at No. 15 and not trade back, I like Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq in that spot. He’s clearly the top of his positional group and one of the best overall players at that spot. He could add another element to a Bucs offense that sputtered too often last season.

New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson boosted his 12 personnel usage last year (one running back, two tight ends) in Atlanta, and with Sadiq and Cade Otton, he’d have two very capable tight ends at his disposal to continue that trend.

Lance Zierlein (NFL.com) concurs with Kiper

The NFL.com draft analyst also sees Tampa Bay going with Sadiq at No. 15, calling him a “unique weapon to exploit” for Baker Mayfield.

Peter Schrager (ESPN) has the Bucs rolling the dice on a risky but elite talent

This is a bit different, but Schrager has the Bucs going with Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy at No. 15.

McCoy is a player who has been under a microscope for months. After not running at the NFL Combine, he blazed at his Pro Day, recording a sub-4.40 40-yard dash and posting a 38-inch vertical jump.

But are there potential problems down the road? NFL insider Tom Pelissero mentioned this week that the concerns about McCoy aren’t with his ACL, but rather with a “bone plug that was used to repair a cartilage defect in his knee.” Per Pelissero, there is concern among some teams’ medical staff that he may need that bone plug replaced down the line at some point.

Ergo, it would be a risky pick potentially at 15 for Tampa Bay. However, McCoy is moving very well now, and his 2024 tape at Tennessee was CB1 material.

Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com) sees a trade down for the Bucs, with a popular name to follow

This is something that makes a ton of sense to me for the Bucs. If Tampa Bay can trade down into the low-to-mid-20s, then that’s a more logical spot to pull the trigger on an edge rusher. Here, Jeremiah has Tampa Bay selecting Miami EDGE Akheem Mesidor after trading back with the Eagles to No. 23.

Mesidor had 12.5 sacks last year, and while he’ll be 25 at the start of the season, he’s one of the more polished and NFL-ready pass rushers available in this draft. For a team like Tampa Bay who needs help quickly, that could be a good thing.

Bucs don’t take the risk with Matt Miller (ESPN)

But on the other side of the coin, dropping down increases the risk of someone else nabbing Mesidor before the Bucs get on the clock.

And Miller sees that as a possibility, stating that “someone from a team picking in the late 20s told me they think Mesidor is likely gone by the time they pick.”

I still think a trade down and targeting one of Mesidor, Keldric Faulk, Cashius Howell, or R Mason Thomas would make a lot of sense there. But if they’re set on their guy and share Miller’s concern, then taking Mesidor at 15, as Miller does here, is hard to fault.

Dane Brugler (The Athletic) is on board with this theory

“The Bucs would love to move out of this spot and get a pass rusher later in the first round,” Brugler, who picked Mesidor at No. 15, wrote. “If they’re stuck at No. 15, Mesidor might be the best option.”

I agree he might be might be the best option there among the pass rushers, but as I mentioned, there might be better overall players available. The ol’ need vs. best player available debate at its finest.

Albert Breer (SI.com) goes with need over BPA

And that debate between Mesidor and Sadiq as far as need vs. BPA is something that Breer also wrestled with before ultimately deciding on the former at No. 15.