Mel Kiper, Jr. has Bucs landing impact player, but not at a spot of desperate need in his final mock draft
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers badly need help on the defensive side of the ball. But the veteran ESPN commentator sees them going in another direction in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have plenty of roster needs heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, and most of them lie on the defensive side of the ball.
An impact edge rusher is needed. Another starting inside linebacker next to Alex Anzalone is on the list. Depth at defensive tackle and at cornerback is sorely missing. Basically, everything outside of safety is in play.
However, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. sees the Bucs going in a different direction with their first round pick. Kiper put out his final mock draft on Wednesday, based on “what [he’s] hearing in conversations with execs, coaches and scouts around the NFL.” For Tampa Bay at pick No. 15, he has them snagging Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq.
Bucs select Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq at pick No. 15 in Mel Kiper Jr.’s final mock draft
“There’s a chance we see more two-tight-end sets in Tampa Bay with coordinator Zac Robinson’s offense coming to town and the loss of receiver Mike Evans in free agency,” Kiper wrote. “So, I’m not sweating the Cade Otton re-signing as a major deterrent to the Bucs looking at Sadiq as an option in the middle of Round 1. Sadiq is the clear top tight end in the draft class, and he was one of the biggest winners of the combine, running a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at 241 pounds and leaping 43½ inches in the vertical. That explosion is obvious on the tape, too. He had 560 receiving yards last season, and a lot of that came after the catch.”
As much as the Bucs desperately need edge rushing help, if the Bucs aren’t in love with an edge rusher at 15, such as Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, or Miami’s Akheem Mesidor, then I get passing up on the position there. Those players all feel like proper picks further back. Say, in the early to mid-20s. If the Bucs can trade back and pick up an extra day two pick, then bravo.
But in this particular spot, Sadiq makes sense. The Bucs could use an impactful tight end, and particularly one that can add some real juice in the passing game, which Sadiq certainly would. OC Zac Robinson ran plenty of 12 personnel last year in Atlanta (one running back, two tight ends), and with Cade Otton back, the Bucs would be well set for years in their tight end room to handle that.
The draft gets underway on Thursday, April 23 in Pittsburgh.