The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered an excruciating upset loss to an upstart Washington Commanders team in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but the team is in good position to compete in 2025.
Tampa Bay retains the majority of its production, and the draft will be a time to upgrade depth and competition. Who fits the bill? Find out our thoughts in this Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2025 NFL Mock Draft.
7-Round Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mock Draft
The Buccaneers led with five minutes to go in the 2024 Wild Card round afte3r kicking a field goal to take a slim lead, but the Washington Commanders and Jayden Daniels killed the clock and won the game with a short field goal of their own.
The end of the game highlighted Tampa Bay’s deficiencies at every level of the defense, something I tried to fix in this Tampa Bay Buccaneers mock draft. The Bucs have six picks, including four in the top 120. Here’s a look at what they could do in April.
19) Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
I’m extremely high on Benjamin Morrison, and I think the fit works with the Buccaneers midway through the first round. In fact, I had him going seventh in my first three-round mock draft of the year.
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Morrison is a smooth man corner who can also play in zone-heavy schemes. His 2024 season was cut short and there’s a possibility he returns to South Bend, but if he’s healthy enough to go pro and participate in the combine, he should test well and rise up draft boards.
53) Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College Eagles
The Bucs like to bring pressure, but that’s often because their front four is a “pass-rush by committee” group. It usually works, but the lack of a pure pass-rushing edge occasionally rears its ugly head.
That was the case against the Daniels, who picked the Bucs apart as Tampa Bay brought pressure on over half of Daniels’ drop backs. Donovan Ezeiruaka had 16.5 sacks for the Boston College Eagles last season and certainly scares offenses.
87) Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon Ducks
I think the Buccaneers will continue to invest in their young offensive line, making that their core identity. Josh Conerly Jr. isn’t the tackle for everyone, as he’s a bit lighter than your average NFL offensive tackle. However, he’s a strong pass blocker and would add another piece to a strong Tampa Bay offensive line.
119) Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma Sooners
I’m a bit higher on Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Danny Stutsman than some of my peers and that’s because I love his athletic profile. Stutsman is big and physical, but can still move better than the average linebacker.
As the Buccaneers look to get more physical on the defensive side of the ball, Stutsman is a mid-round linebacker who could aid in that department.
157) Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State Sun Devils
Speaking of toughness, Cam Skattebo is the posterchild for the word. He’s not going to test as well as many of his peers and his athletic profile falls short of the average NFL running back.
However, he’s going to seek out contact and run over defenders, adding a physicality to a running back room that loses Rachaad White and Sean Tucker after the 2025 season. His skill set is the perfect complement to Bucky Irving’s.
217) Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Again, toughness. Riley Leonard’s arm is below average for an NFL quarterback, but his football I.Q. and leadership should make him an ideal backup, especially to a similarly-built quarterback like Baker Mayfield.
Kyle Trask is the backup and his contract expires in 2025. Tampa Bay might look a different direction there and without much proven depth at the position, Riley Leonard makes sense.
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