As a lead-up to the 2025 NFL draft, we've broken down the current depth chart of every NFL team and identified the biggest draft and team needs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
You can find additional team-by-team draft needs articles and other draft content on our 2025 NFL Draft Hub.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2025
- Cornerback
- Linebacker
- Edge Rusher
What Picks Do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Have in 2025?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have 6 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, including:
- Round 1 (19)
- Round 2 (53)
- Round 3 (84)
- Round 4 (121)
- Round 5 (157)
- Round 7 (235)
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2025 Draft Capital Stats
The Buccaneers have the 26th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.
Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Value vs. Other Teams:
The Buccaneers’ draft value is 17% lower than the league average of all 32 teams.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Prediction:
Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Buccaneers to draft:
- Brendan Donahue's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
- Ryan McCrystal's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #8 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Strength of Schedule, 2025
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the 10th-easiest NFL strength of schedule for the 2025 NFL season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
- Baker Mayfield
- Kyle Trask
- Michael Pratt
Baker Mayfield had the best season of his career, setting career marks in completions (407), attempts (570), completion rate (71.4%), yards (4,500), and touchdowns (41).
He also ran for a career-high 378 yards with 3 touchdowns.
His 49.4% success rate and 0.17 EPA per dropback were the best of his career.
In his first (and only) season with Liam Coen, there was a more significant emphasis on the short passing game.
After averaging 8.6 air yards per throw in 2023 under Dave Canales, Mayfield averaged 7.0 air yards per pass last season.
His average time to throw was 2.62 seconds from the snap, his fastest since his rookie season.
That area is where there was a divide with Mayfield as a passer this year.
When he threw the ball within 2.5 seconds from the snap, Mayfield completed 77.8% of his passes with 27 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
When he held the ball longer than that, he completed 63% of his passes with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
With Coen taking the head coaching job in Jacksonville, Mayfield will again be working with a new offensive coordinator.
This will be the ninth different coordinator Mayfield has had in the NFL.
He has bounced around a bit, but just once in his career has Mayfield had the same play-caller in back-to-back seasons in the NFL.
New coordinator Josh Grizzard was with Tampa Bay last season as the passing game coordinator, so the hope is that he still incorporates the components that led to success last year.
The backup situation in Tampa Bay is arguably one of the worst in the league.
Kyle Trask is under contract for 2025, and Michael Pratt has two seasons remaining.
Running Back Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
- Bucky Irving
- Rachaad White
- Sean Tucker
- D.J. Williams
Tampa Bay had one of the most effective backfields in the NFL last season.
Their backfield combined for 39.1 touches (4th) and 172.4 yards from scrimmage (2nd) per game last season.
Their 5.8 yards per touch ranked second in the NFL.
With 20 combined touchdowns, they were fifth in the league.
Bucky Irving was a great find in the fourth round last season.
Irving led all rookie running backs with 1,122 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns.
Among 46 running backs with 100 or more runs this season, Irving posted:
- 5.4 YPC (5th)
- 4.03 yards after contract per run (1st)
- 0.11 EPA per rush (4th)
- 43% success rate (9th)
- 13.0% of his runs gained 10 or more yards (10th)
- 14.0% failed to gain yardage (6th)
- 25.1% resulted in a first down or touchdown (10th)
He also tacked on a strong receiving line, catching 47 of 52 targets for 392 yards.
Irving had control of this backfield after the team’s Week 11 bye.
He averaged 21.7 touches for 135.8 total yards per game in his complete games after the bye through the end of the regular season.
Rachaad White lost ground to Irving to close the season but still managed to post 1,006 total yards and 9 touchdowns on 195 touches in 2024.
White is a viable complement as a pass catcher and has shown he can be a volume-based rusher.
He just has not been an efficient runner through three seasons in the league.
White is in the final season of his rookie contract.
Irving is the only back on the roster signed for 2026.
The team has restricted rights on Sean Tucker, who turned in 417 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 59 touches (7.1 yards per touch).
They also have exclusive rights for D.J. Williams.
Wide Receiver Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
- Mike Evans
- Chris Godwin
- Jalen McMillan
- Sterling Shepard
- Trey Palmer
- Rakim Jarrett
- Marquez Callaway
- Kameron Johnson
- Ryan Miller
- Dennis Houston
- Tanner Knue
The duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin still anchors the Tampa Bay receiving corps.
Evans missed three games last season, catching 74 passes for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns.
His 5.3 receptions per game were his most since 2018.
Keeping his 1,000-yard streak intact, Evans took off when he returned to the lineup without Godwin available.
Returning to the lineup in Week 12 from a hamstring injury, Evans was targeted on 29.7% of his routes (WR7) with 3.05 yards per route run.
Only Puka Nacua (3.91) averaged more yards per route than Evans over that span.
Evans also had 5 touchdowns after his return.
When he was on the field this season, Evans had 27.3% of the team's targets in the red zone and 47.4% in the end zone.
Despite his missed time, Evans had 18 end zone targets, tied for second in the league behind Ja’Marr Chase (21).
Evans turns 32 this August and is lined up to be an unrestricted free agent again next offseason.
The Bucs retained Godwin this offseason on a three-year contract that is more of a two-year deal with a club option in 2027.
Godwin enjoyed a strong bounce-back campaign last season until an ankle injury ended it seven weeks into the year.
Up until that point, Godwin was averaging a league-high 7.1 receptions per game.
That was also a career-high.
His 82.3 yards per game were his most per game since the 2019 season.
Coen played a role in Godwin recapturing his success, using him effectively near the line of scrimmage.
Godwin averaged a career-low 5.7 air yards per target.
As a result, a career-high 62.3% of his yards came after the catch.
After only 6.9% of his targets in 2023 were on wide receiver screens, Godwin had a 16.1% screen rate last year.
Only 1.6% of his targets came 20 yards or further downfield, the lowest rate of his career.
We will see what Grizzard keeps in the offense, but Evans and Godwin are as complementary a pair of wideouts as you can have.
Jalen McMillan was selected in the third round (92nd overall) last season.
Over 13 games, McMillan grabbed 37 of 58 targets for 461 yards and 8 touchdowns.
McMillan has had a nice close to his rookie season after a slow start.
Over the final five weeks, he collected 24 of 31 targets for 316 yards and 7 touchdowns.
He has at least five catches in each of his final four games.
With the top three wideouts in place here, this is far from a team need.
That said, Evans and Godwin are on the older end and each missed time last season.
Evans is also scheduled to hit free agency in 2026.
Those factors could prompt the Bucs to spend draft capital here, though they only have six picks overall.
Trey Plamer and Kameron Johnson are the only other wideouts signed after this upcoming season.
Tight End Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
- Cade Otton
- Ko Kieft
- Payne Durham
- Devin Culp
- Tanner Taula
Cade Otton set career marks in targets (87), receptions (59), and receiving yards (600) last season to go along with 4 touchdowns.
Otton stepped up for a stretch as the lead receiver when Evans and Godwin were absent.
He ran 141 routes last season with Evans and Godwin off the field.
On those plays, Otton was targeted on 24.1% of his routes, catching 25 passes for 236 yards and 3 touchdowns.
On 156 routes with both Evans and Godwin on the field, he was targeted on 16.7% of his routes, catching 17 passes for 151 yards and 1 touchdown.
Otton is in the final season of his rookie contract.
Ko Kieft is also in the final season of his rookie deal.
Tampa Bay does have some insurance here, with Payne Durham signed through 2026 and three years left on Devin Culp‘s rookie contract.
Offensive Line Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
LT: Tristan Wirfs, Charlie Heck, Garret Greenfield
LG: Ben Bredeson, Sua Opeta, Raiqwon O'Neal
C: Graham Barton
RG: Cody Mauch, Elijah Klein, Luke Haggard
RT: Luke Goedeke, Silas Dzansi, Lorenz Metz
The Bucs received good play up front last season, ranking fifth in ESPN’s pass block win rate (68%) and sixth in run block win rate (73%).
At Pro Football Focus, they were second in team pass blocking grade and dipped to 17th in run blocking grade.
They were able to stay healthy, which played a role in that success.
Right tackle was the only spot where a starter missed multiple games last year.
The team has every starter returning this season.
Not only are they bringing back the entire starting line, but everyone outside of right tackle Luke Goedeke is under contract for multiple years.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Defensive Line Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
- Vita Vea
- Calijah Kancey
- Logan Hall
- Greg Gaines
- C.J. Brewer
- Adam Gotsis
- Mike Greene
- Eric Banks
The Bucs allowed 4.2 yards per carry on running back runs in 2024 (13th), but for the most part, they shut opposing running games down.
They faced the second fewest rushing attempts from opposing running backs, allowed the fourth fewest yards to the position, the fourth fewest rushing touchdowns, and had the fifth best success rate against RB runs.
The core of the defensive line returns and is set to once again be led by Vita Vea.
Vea logged 9 run stuffs in 2024, 34th among qualified defensive linemen, and contributed 7 sacks on an 11.1% pressure rate.
He is now on the wrong side of 30 but remains an impactful player.
2023 first-round pick Calijah Kancey unfortunately missed time again in his second season, playing in just 12 games, but he led the team with 7.5 sacks and had 8 run stuffs of his own.
He just needs to stay on the field in year three.
A second-round pick in 2022, Logan Hall broke out last season with 5.5 sacks, but his 6.7% pressure rate looked very similar to his career average heading into the year.
He is headed into a contract season.
Greg Gaines can eat up space in the running game, but he is also headed into a contract year.
This does not stand out as a pressing need, but with both Hall and Gaines scheduled to hit free agency next spring, the Bucs could add to the defensive line later in the draft.
EDGE Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
- Yaya Diaby
- Haason Reddick
- Chris Braswell
- Anthony Nelson
- Markees Watts
- Jose Ramirez
- Daniel Grzesiak
The Bucs got after the quarterback in 2024, finishing fifth in pressure rate (37.3%) and sixth with 46 sacks.
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s time in Tampa is over, but the Bucs added Haason Reddick in free agency.
Reddick is coming off something of a lost season that began with a holdout, and he finished with just 1 sack across 10 games with the Jets.
He logged 11 sacks for the Eagles back in 2023, however, and had a monstrous 15.9% pressure rate for Philly in 2022.
Reddick was a great get for the Bucs on a one-year deal that carries no long-term risk should he not return to form.
Yaya Diaby is the primary returner on the edge.
He only recorded 4.5 sacks in 2024, but his 15.3% pressure rate ranked ninth among qualified pass rushers, suggesting he got a little unlucky with that sack total.
That pressure rate was much better than his 9.3% showing as a rookie, when he had 7.5 sacks.
Especially if Reddick shows well on the other side, Diaby could be primed for a major breakout in year three.
A 2024 second-round pick, Chris Braswell did not force his way onto the field as a rookie, so the Bucs are likely hoping for more this season.
Anthony Nelson has not been a high-level pass rusher to this point in his career, but he gives Tampa solid depth.
The Bucs are likely fine here in the short term, but there are more questions beyond that.
Those questions could be answered by Diaby really breaking out and Braswell taking a step forward, but this still is a spot they could look to add.
Linebacker Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
- Lavonte David
- Anthony Walker
- SirVocea Dennis
- Deion Jones
- Antonio Grier Jr.
- Deion Jennings
Stalwart Lavonte David is back for at least one more season after signing a one-year deal.
Despite turning 35 in January, David finished 17th among qualified linebackers with 14 run stuffs.
He did slip some in coverage, allowing 7.8 yards per target, but he remains a starting-quality option.
K.J. Britt left in free agency, opening up questions behind David on the depth chart.
SirVocea Dennis led the rest of the returners in snaps, and he played just 104 in four games before a shoulder injury ended his season.
Dennis was playing fine before that, but he has exactly 205 defensive snaps on his resume and zero starts through two seasons.
Anthony Walker was added in free agency after a one-year stop in Miami.
The eight-year veteran does have 83 games of starting experience, and though he struggled in coverage last season (8.2 yards per target allowed), he has been better in the past.
Perhaps Tampa is comfortable heading into camp with Walker and Dennis competing for snaps behind David, but especially given where David is in his career, adding front-end talent in the draft makes a lot of sense.
Cornerback Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
- Zyon McCollum
- Jamel Dean
- Christian Izien
- Kindle Vildor
- Bryce Hall
- Josh Hayes
- Dallis Flowers
- Tyler Funderburk
Tampa finished midpack in yards per attempt allowed (7.1), but they faced the second-most attempts in the league and forced just 7 interceptions (26th).
The Bucs’ top snap earners from last season are back, though Tykee Smith is expected to transition to safety full time in his second season.
Zyon McCollum played the most snaps among the returners.
He has not been outstanding through three seasons, but he did improve from 91st among qualified corners in yards allowed per coverage snaps in 2023 to 67th last season.
Jamel Dean was a little better in that metric last season, but he again missed time.
Dean has never played a full season in the NFL.
Even though Smith is expected to be a safety, it will be interesting to see how the slot snaps are split between him and likely Christian Izien, who saw time there last season and was the primary option in 2023.
Tampa also added Kindle Vildor in free agency.
He has some experience but has not been particularly good in coverage thus far in his career.
The Bucs have enough here to get by, but Dean always misses time, and McCollum is headed into a contract year.
More importantly, no one on this roster screams No. 1 option.
Tampa could certainly look to add that kind of player early in the draft.
Safety Depth Chart, Buccaneers:
- Antoine Winfield Jr.
- Tykee Smith
- Kaevon Merriweather
- Marcus Banks
- Rashad Wisdom
As mentioned with the corners, Smith is expected to play safety full time this season, though again, what that looks like remains to be seen.
Either way, there should be some fluidity in the Tampa secondary, as there is for most NFL teams.
Antoine Winfield was limited to 9 games due to two separate injuries last season, but he was able to return for the playoffs.
Even when active, Winfield was not at his best after signing a four-year extension last offseason.
He was a rightful All Pro in 2023, though, and should bounce back as long as his health cooperates.
Tampa also brought back Kaevon Merriweather, giving them good depth here.
The Bucs could look to add more later in the draft or one of the veterans left in free agency, but there is not a ton of urgency.
2025 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams
