Bills, Ravens, and Chiefs. At one time or another, you’ve viewed each of those teams as a Super Bowl threat over the past five seasons, right?
Those are the only teams with a better regular season point margin since the start of 2020 than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Behind Baker Mayfield, this team won six of seven games entering the postseason, and while they were one-and-done in the postseason, the arrow is pointing up for this franchise.
Did their work at the 2025 NFL Draft improve their outlook for this season from last season? We grade all of their selections and look forward to the upcoming season.
Looking for all 32 teams’ draft grades? Head to our 2025 NFL Draft Grades for All 32 Teams Tracker to see how we’ve graded other drafts.
Overall Buccaneers Draft Grade: B+
The grading of what Tampa Bay did relies on the process you take. In terms of raw talent, they drafted as much of it as anyone, but in terms of need, things got off to an odd start.
Emeka Egbuka is a natural pass catcher who should be able to impact the professional game, but will the 19th overall pick be given the opportunity to prove himself?
Unless Chris Godwin’s rehab is behind what reports suggest, the former Buckeye is going to have a hard time cracking a starting lineup that also includes Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan, a 2024 third rounder who scored eight times last season.
After that selection, Tampa Bay drafted at an elite level and followed the plan we assumed would be there — defense.
A season ago, they ranked 16th in Defense+, and it was only that high because they feasted on some poor competition in the second half of the season. The pass rush ranked 24th in sack rate when not blitzing, while 35-year-old Lavonte Davis is entering the last year of his contract and doesn’t have a feasible in-house successor at linebacker.
It’s rare to see multiple rookies make an immediate impact on a single defense, but the casting of a wide net was sharp. Benjamin Morrison is the name most likely to emerge from this Buccaneers draft class, as he was trending toward a first-round grade before an ACL tear. He is an NFL-ready player who should benefit from the solid infrastructure that this franchise has.
David Walker is an EDGE out of Central Arkansas that the Bucs used their fourth-round pick on. He’s capable of playing in waves right now and adding a new dimension to this defense.
Grades for Every Buccaneers Draft Pick
- Round 1, Pick 19
Emeka Egbuka, WR | Ohio State
Grade: A
Almost every mock in April had the Buccaneers investing in their defensive line, but they subverted all the prevailing expectations by selecting Emeka Egbuka at 19th overall. While the need for additional pass-rush help and cornerback talent remains on defense, Egbuka makes a dangerous offense even more so.
The only question regarding the Egbuka selection is how much Tampa Bay truly needed him. They brought back Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan showed promise as a WR3 down the stretch in 2024. But there’s no disputing the value Egbuka can bring as a high-level movement-Z WR.
At 6’1”, 205 pounds, Egbuka can carve through zone-coverage looks with his fluidity, explosiveness, and spatial IQ. He can operate out of the slot with his physical RAC ability and soft hands, and his ability to work multiple levels can help him weave between Evans and Godwin and function as a safety blanket. Tampa Bay’s entire operation runs through a high-powered passing offense, and now Baker Mayfield has the best WR trio in the league.
- Round 2, Pick 53
Benjamin Morrison, CB | Notre Dame
Grade: A-
Jamel Dean’s availability and consistency have been issues recently, and Zyon McCollum is still growing into his premier role in Tampa Bay’s CB room. Both factors likely led the Buccaneers to select Benjamin Morrison with the 53rd overall pick, and Morrison was one of the best scheme fits still on the board.
Morrison’s hip injury will be carefully considered as he works back to 100%, but if he’s fully healthy, Morrison is a borderline first-round talent with gnat-like mobility and claustrophobia in close coverage.
He’s not shy about getting in his receiver’s grill, and with his elite short-area twitch and reactive athleticism, he can match, plant-and-drive, and generate pivotal incompletions.
- Round 3, Pick 84
Jacob Parrish, CB | Kansas State
Grade: B-
In a somewhat surprising move, the Buccaneers doubled down on CB prospects on Day 2, stacking Jacob Parrish with Benjamin Morrison. Now the Buccaneers have an abundance of DBs, with Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum, Morrison, Parrish, and nickel back Tykee Smith all populating the space.
Parrish is undersized but fast, twitched-up, and feisty, and he has slot-boundary versatility. The questions don’t come so much with his profile as they do with the opportunity cost.
The Buccaneers have yet to address the interior defensive line or EDGE in this class, and that lack of early-round investment could come back to hurt them.
- Round 4, Pick 121
David Walker, EDGE | Central Arkansas
Grade: A+
This is home-run value for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who still needed to infuse their EDGE rotation with more pass-rush ability. At 6’1”, 263 pounds, Walker is a sawed-off havoc-wreaker from wide alignments, who amassed 31 career sacks and 63 tackles for loss in three seasons at Central Arkansas.
Walker is explosive, urgent off the snap, and packs an enormous amount of speed-to-power energy inside his frame when on the attack. He’s a great fit for Todd Bowles’ scheme, and he instantly improves their pass-rush outlook.
- Round 5, Pick 157
Elijah Roberts, EDGE | SMU
Grade: C-
- Round 7, Pick 235
Tez Johnson, WR | Oregon
Grade: A+