Go ahead and cross two positions off the Bucs’ top draft needs after listening to Jason Licht’s comments from the combine
Don’t expect the Bucs to draft any offensive or defensive linemen early.
As we get closer to the draft, more and more breadcrumbs will lead us to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ ultimate decisions.
And after Tuesday, it’s safe to say the Buccaneers won’t invest heavily in offensive or defensive line this draft cycle.
Jason Licht lauds the Bucs’ offensive line group
The Buccaneers had a top-5 offensive line heading into the 2025 season and unfortunately, the starting five never got to play a single snap together.
Tristan Wirfs missed the first three games of the season and Cody Mauch tore his ACL in Week 2, which officially ended any chance of those two, plus incumbent starters Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, and Luke Goedeke continuing the previous success we saw in 2024.
All five guys are back for the 2026 season, however, and once again hold top-5 potential when they’re all together. Licht knows this and made as much clear when he spoke with reporters on Tuesday at the NFL Combine.
“We have an offensive line who we think, is very, very good,” said Licht. “It’s one of our strongest rooms in the in the building, if not the strongest. I think that was the key, having that offensive line healthy and back [and] I think with Zac [Robinson], a lot of continuity coming back with Liam [Coen’s] offense, I think will be beneficial for a lot of people, including Baker and everybody.”
The Buccaneers aren’t going to sink heavy investments into the offensive line. All they need is to shore up the depth and they’ll do that through minimal free agent deals and potentially Day 3 draft picks. It’d be pretty surprising if they invest heavily in the offensive line in 2026.
Defensive line isn’t a draft priority, either
The Bucs do have two important pieces in Logan Hall and Greg Gaines that are set to hit free agency, but they won’t look to the early parts of the draft for their potential replacements, either, and that’s because there simply aren’t too many high-end defensive linemen in this draft.
“At edge and inside linebacker more so than defensive tackle,” Licht told reporters when asked about how he and his office view the front seven prospects in this draft. “That’s not to say we can’t find a defensive tackle, a good one at some point, [but] this is not a draft where we have as many players, I would say, in that top tier, which is fine, that’s been the case in the past, where we’ve still managed to draft well and have good players.”
It makes sense. Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey are still in the mix and they can form one of the league’s top DL duos if the latter can finally stay healthy for a full season. Sure, that’s a risky proposition at this point, but it’s hard to blame the Bucs for betting on it if they do.
Elijah Roberts also flashed plenty in Year 1 and will certainly get a crack at a starting job in Year 2. Elijah Simmons proved to be a good depth piece, as well. There are also solid options heading to free agency like Denver Broncos DL John Franklin-Myers and Baltimore Ravens DL Dre’Mont Jones that would be good fits.
So, overall, don’t expect the Buccaneers to use heavy draft capital on the trenches this year. As someone who is always trenches first, I can understand the logic behind it, as well. This isn’t the same situation as Emeka Egbuka last year and obviously there are major differences in how many receivers you can have on the field vs. the kind of offensive linemen. It’s two totally different scenarios.
The Bucs do need help in the trenches, but not to the point where it warrants a high draft pick. They’ll take care of those needs through free agency and maybe on Day 3 and that’s just fine.
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