Buccaneers give Baker Mayfield what he needs most to try and recapture his early-season success in a new 2026 NFL mock draft
A new 2026 NFL mock draft has the Buccaneers adding a dynamic weapon to help them figure out the answer to a big question they are facing next season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of the best teams in the NFL to start the year. They won six of their first eight games. This had some wondering if they had the chance to be the number one seed in the NFC.
Sadly, that didn’t come to fruition, as the team went on to lose seven of its last nine, including three- and four-game losing streaks. They not only weren’t the NFC’s number one seed, but they also lost the NFC South and missed the playoffs altogether.
The stellar play of Baker Mayfield was a major component of the early-season success, so it shouldn’t be a shock that once he started to struggle, the Buccaneers’ season really fell off the rails.
Trying to rediscover that early-season magic ahead of the 2026 season will be crucial. In a new 2026 A to Z Sports NFL mock draft, the Buccaneers make a selection that would give Mayfield exactly what he needs to prove his early-season success in 2025 was not a fluke.
Buccaneers select Oregon star TE Kenyon Sadiq in a new 2026 NFL mock draft
“The Buccaneers quietly have a huge need at tight end, and Sadiq is by far the best in this class. While his body type and athleticism would scream that he’s an F (lex) tight end, Sadiq is also an outstanding run blocker. He’s the type of player who can impact both the run and pass game in a big way.” – Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports NFL Draft analyst
Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq’s college career stats
- 2023: 5 receptions, 24 yards, 1 touchdown
- 2024: 24 receptions, 308 yards, 2 touchdowns
- 2025: 51 receptions, 560 yards, 8 touchdowns
The Buccaneers have a decision to make this offseason, as Cade Otton is set to become a free agent. Otton has flashed some real skill in the Buccaneers offense, but is giving him an extension the best use of their resources?
Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq would give the team a day-one starter with a proven track record as a weapon in the pass game as a receiver and as a blocker in the run game.
He’s going to be the first TE taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, and if he’s on the board when the Buccaneers get on the clock, he should definitely be viewed as a top option.
The version of Mayfield the Buccaneers are down the stretch simply wasn’t good enough, and it isn’t someone they’d want to tie themselves to as their franchise QB for the next half-decade or longer. But the version they saw at the start of the year was arguably the leading MVP candidate.
Giving him a dynamic TE like Sadiq would help the team determine which version better represents who he is overall. Finding out that answer should be the Buccaneers’ top priority for the 2026 season, and this pick puts him in a position to do just that.
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