Bucs' final draft class creates tough competition at key positions that will affect how the 2025 season unfolds
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the 2025 NFL Draft with some major needs on defense and it did just that.However, Jason Licht and Co. managed to create some competition on the offensive side of the ball, as well. Heading into the season, the wide receiver, cornerback, and EDGE positions will duke it out in order […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the 2025 NFL Draft with some major needs on defense and it did just that.
However, Jason Licht and Co. managed to create some competition on the offensive side of the ball, as well. Heading into the season, the wide receiver, cornerback, and EDGE positions will duke it out in order to see who rises to the top (outside of Mike Evans' Chris Godwin's, and Zyon McCollum's stronghold at the top of the depth chart of course).
Below are the final results of the Bucs' 2025 draft class, a.k.a, the aforementioned guys that will be scratching and clawing to make a name for themselves in Year 1.
Round 1, No. 19 overall: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio Sate Buckeyes
This was certainly a surprising pick, as the Bucs still have Mike Evans locked in for another year, Chris Godwin signed a three-year, $66 million deal in the offseason, and Jalen McMillan looks like a superstar in the making. However, Evans is getting older (even if he's still elite), Godwin's injury history is getting longer nearly every year, and McMillan still has to show he can take the next step in 2025.
Egbuka is a very similar player to Godwin in both play style and the role he'll play in the Bucs offense. He's a big, physical guy who doesn't mind doing the dirty work and making tough catches in traffic, but you can also put him on the outside and let him do damage there, as well.
Jason Licht made it clear that drafting Egbuka has nothing to do with Godwin's recovery from the ankle injury that ended his season in Week 7 of last year, too. So there shouldn't be much concern there, at all.
The Bucs' receiver room is officially crowded as all get-out, but that's a good problem in today's NFL and I'm sure Josh Grizzard will find effective ways to utilize all these guys during the season. Yes, they had bigger needs to tend to and there were players available that would've helped, but Egbuka can also make a big impact in 2025, it'll just take a little more creativity and thought to make it happen.
Round 2, No. 53 overall: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Morrison has what it takes to be a very good cornerback in the NFL. He can play in multiple coverages; he has good size, length, and speed. He is a ball hawk, can play the run, and is an effective blitzer off the edge.
Sounds like a prototypical corner for Todd Bowles' defense, no? I'd certainly say so, myself.
The key with Morrison will be health. He's had two hip surgeries in the last four years and the most recent occurrence came in October of last year. He held a private showcase for teams in order to show them that all is well post-op and it sounds like everything went well. The Bucs obviously thought so.
If Morrison can stay healthy, he should immediately come in and boost the cornerback room. He'll even compete against Jamel Dean for a starting spot, providing quality depth, at a minimum, in 2025.
Round 3, No. 84 overall: Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State Wildcats
The former Wildcat is an insanely fast corner that is also twitchy, physical, and a good open-field tackler. This selection means Tykee Smith is moving to safety because Parrish is best suited for the nickel position in the NFL, even though he played primarily on the outside in college. He moved to nickel on third downs in college, so he has experience playing on the inside.
The Bucs' cornerback room now has the depth it desperately craved coming into the draft, but it also has two guys in Morrison, and now Parrish, who can push for -and win- starting jobs in 2025.
Another big key with both guys is they can provide quality snaps in man/press coverage, which will help Bowles get back to running the aggressive secondary he's used to deploying.
Round 4, No. 121 overall: David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas
Walker is a former FCS standout who produced at an elite level in college. He finished his four-year career with 82.5 tackles for loss and 39.0 sacks – he basically rented out opposing opponent's backfields when he played against them.
He doesn't have elite height or length at 6-foot-0, but he's compactly-built at 263 pounds and uses every bit of his strength and leverage to beat blockers. He also has the bend to get around guys, along with a good assortment of pass rush moves that should only get deeper as he develops in the NFL.
Walker joins a very crowded EDGE room in Tampa Bay, but no one on the roster is currently considered the "alpha" of the group. Sure, there are guys like Yaya Diaby and Haason Reddick who are the leading candidates, but no one has fully established themselves as such, just yet.
In other words: The door is open for Walker to immediately open eyes, he just needs to get it done.
Round 5, No. 157 overall: Elijah Roberts, DL, SMU Mustangs
Roberts is listed as an EDGE/defensive end by most places. He'll play on the defensive line for the Bucs, but line up on the outside with his hand in the dirt. Whether it's five-, seven-, or nine-tech or whatever remains to be seen. There could be a world where he kicks inside on obvious passing downs, as well, but that remains to be seen since he didn't really do it in college.
Regardless, Roberts brings a unique skill set to the defensive line at 6-foot-3, 285 pounds. He's a broad, powerful guy who has a speed-to-power element in his bag and he can also play the run. He recorded 23.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons, so he fits the disruptor mold that also matches the pick before him in Walker.
Roberts fits in nicely with the Bucs' current crop of defensive linemen and may just find himself playing some relevant snaps in 2025.
Round 7, No. 235 overall: Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon Ducks
Of all the positions to double-down on -that isn't quarterback- in this draft, wide receiver was certainly last on the list. Yet here we are.
Best of luck to Johnson on making the roster and that's nothing against him, it's just really hard to see him cracking a room that has Evans, Godwin, McMillan, Egbuka, and Sterling Shepard as the top-5 options. That also doesn't include guys like Trey Palmer and Rakim Jarrett in the mix.
Regardless, the big question surrounding Johnson is how the Bucs plan to use him. He's uber-small at 5-foot-9 and 154 pounds and while he plays faster in pads, he clocked a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash. That's not good, at all, for a guy his size but again, he plays faster in pads.
He can hit another gear with the ball in his hands as he routinely outran opposing defenses in college. The Bucs will likely use him in the short/screen game, where he can use his run-after-the-catch ability often.
- Round 1, No. 19 overall: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State Buckeyes
- Round 2, No. 53 overall: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Round 3, No. 84 overall: Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State Wildcats
- Round 4, No. 121 overall: David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas
- Round 5, No. 157 overall: Elijah Roberts, DL, SMU Mustangs
- Round 7, No. 235 overall: Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon Ducks
Final Word
All of a sudden, the Bucs have serious competition at receiver and then its across the board when it comes to the cornerback and EDGE rooms. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin (when healthy) are locked into their spots and Jalen McMillan isn't going anywhere, but Emeka Egbuka is certainly going to try and make his presence felt.
When it comes to corner and EDGE, only Zyon McCollum should feel safe. Every other roster spot should be viewed as "the best man wins", which should make both positions better, in theory.
And if it all comes to fruition as hoped, then the Bucs are going to be in a very good position to take a step or two forward in 2025.
