With Tom Brady back, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in win-now mode in 2022. As such, their 2022 NFL Draft haul in our final mock draft considers players who should compete for snaps right away, as well as prospects at integral positions that may need to be replaced after the season. Let’s get to it for a team with Super Bowl aspirations once again.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022 7-Round Mock Draft
Here are projections of every pick the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could make within a 7-Round 2022 NFL Mock Draft, with the Pro Football Network staff as the general manager. This is what we would do with the picks after the board shook out while doing a full 7-round, 32-team mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 27: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
Those Georgia defenders were terrific in 2021 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grab the next big thing — who is already a big deal. Jordan Davis — all 6’6″ and 330 pounds of him — heads to Tampa to pair with Vita Vea on the inside. Davis should eat up double-teams and free up favorable matchups for Shaquil Barrett off the edge. The Bucs have a few needs, and Davis fills arguably their biggest.
Other players in consideration: Daxton Hill, S, Michigan; Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia
Round 2, Pick 60: Sam Williams, EDGE, Ole Miss
The offseason baggage that comes with Sam Williams may have already removed him from teams’ Day 1 boards. Nevertheless, Williams has first-round talent, and if a team is comfortable with his pre-draft process and character, he could sneak into the first round.
That isn’t the case here as the Bucs grab him at the tail end of Round 2. Tampa is in need of an overhaul on their defensive line to get younger and deeper. Williams adds to Davis to form an incredible start at that overhaul while grabbing two immediate starters in the process.
Other players in consideration: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State; Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego State
Round 3, Pick 91: Zyon McCollum, CB, Sam Houston State
After destroying the Combine with the most ridiculously gifted performance we’ve ever seen, Zyon McCollum rocketed up draft boards. The Bucs get McCollum here on Day 2 with the luxury of acclimating him to the NFL game with their strong defensive foundation. McCollum could play right away in CB3/4 roles while adding value in sub-packages as he likely becomes the team’s starting boundary corner in a year or two.
Other players in consideration: Marcus Jones, CB, Houston; Cam Taylor-Britt, CB, Nebraska
Round 4, Pick 133: Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky
Bailey Zappe is a better quarterback than Kyle Trask. The future in Tampa is in Zappe’s right arm. And that’s a great thing for Bucs fans. Zappe gets to learn from Tom Brady for at least one season before transitioning into a quarterback battle with 2021’s second-round pick Trask. But Zappe has all the arm strength, the mental makeup, and the leadership skills of a QB1 in the NFL. Tampa is lucky to get him here.
Other players in consideration: Jerreth Sterns, WR, Western Kentucky; Velus Jones Jr., WR, Tennessee
Round 7, Pick 248: Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA
The long-term answer to Tampa Bay’s running back issues can be found late in the draft, and their pick here is Sincere McCormick. A talented runner with the football, McCormick gets upfield quickly and makes the most of every carry. He dominated Conference USA action at UTSA, helping put the Roadrunners on the map.
Other players in consideration: Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida; Pierre Strong Jr., RB, South Dakota State
Round 7, Pick 261 (compensatory selection): Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M
There were ho-hum pro days, and then there were disasters. Texas A&M was that disaster, and Jalen Wydermyer‘s draft stock plummeted. As such, the Bucs could have pulled off the steal of the draft by grabbing him here with the penultimate pick in this 2022 NFL Mock Draft. Wydermyer plays differently than he tests, but the jury is out on whether that will correlate to the NFL field.
Other players in consideration: Devin Rockette, CB, South Alabama; Carson Wells, LB, Colorado