After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to re-sign Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, the organization is free to address a handful of different positions in Round 1 of the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
Offensive line has been the most popular position to address, according to our data from the PFN Mock Draft Simulator. Still, a handful of other interesting recurring selections certainly could fit the Bucs’ roster heading into the 2024 NFL season.
Top Options for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Round 1
The running game took a small step in the right direction last year, with Rachaad White taking over as the full-time starter, which helped the Bucs average an extra 15 yards per game on the ground last year. Yet, the Bucs still finish 31st in the league in rushing with an average of 90.4 rushing yards per contest.
The switch from to left tackle went favorably for Tristan Wirfs, while Luke Goedeke successfully moved from the interior of the offensive line to right tackle. Unfortunately, the interior of the offensive line was still a big issue, with Cody Mauch, Aaron Stinnie, and Robert Hainsey all struggling consistently through the majority of the 2023 season.
Another position of need includes an edge defender after the loss of Shaq Barrett to free agency. No Buccaneer finished with eight or more sacks last year, and you’ll see plenty of edge rushers on this list.
Lastly, the position of quarterback and wide receiver appears a lot on this list, but the data could certainly change a bit in the near future with the re-signing of both Mayfield and Evans earlier this month.
Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Georgia’s Amarius Mims is an imposing specimen who possesses all of the physical traits you want in a potentially dominant right tackle prospect. If Mims is available when the Bucs are on the clock at 26 overall, it would be tempting to add him to the unit up front. The issue lies with fit for this selection.
I don’t see Mims being moved inside to guard, and the Bucs got a glimpse of Goedeke as a guard during his rookie year — the results were not all that exciting. Mims is a great prospect with a higher All-Pro-type ceiling at the position than Goedeke, but I don’t see the fit being the best for this current group.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
The debate around who the actual QB4 is in this class continues, with J.J. McCarthy seeing the biggest bump up the draft board of the other options you’ll see on this list. It’s hard to imagine the Bucs sinking first-round draft capital into the quarterback position months after the team signed Mayfield to a three-year deal worth $100 million.
McCarthy has the biggest upside of the quarterbacks not named Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels in this class, which could be intriguing for the Bucs if a talent like this falls all the way to 26. Unfortunately, for those who aren’t the biggest believers in Mayfield, I don’t expect the team to go in this direction in the first round.
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
Another popular selection we’ve seen from the MDS data we’ve pulled is Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. This selection makes more sense if Penix was being mocked to the Bucs at the end of Round 1 before Mayfield signed his contract extension.
Ultimately, Baker is the Bucs’ quarterback for the 2024 NFL season. The team still has Kyle Trask under contract for this year, which further pushes the need to add another quarterback down the board considerably.
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, OC, Georgia
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger hasn’t been mocked at the end of Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft in many spots, but this pick would certainly address a big area of need for the Bucs roster. He has scheme versatility, but he saw far more reps in zone schemes as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs in 2023 than gap concepts.
His pass protection was exceptional during his collegiate career in the talent-rich SEC, allowing no sacks in his final year at Georgia. His experience as an interior offensive lineman could immediately contribute to this position group in 2024.
Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Unless the Bucs aggressively move up into the top 15 with a draft day trade, it is hard to imagine a scenario where Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga falls all the way to the end of the first round.
Fuaga is a great tackle who projects as a starting-caliber right tackle from Day 1 in the NFL. His technique, patience, and fluid lateral movement make him a great pass protector entering the league.
In the same scenario with Mims, Fuaga is best suited for duties at right tackle. Could he move inside and start for this team? Yes, but it wouldn’t be the ideal fit. If Fuaga somehow falls, I would take him and attempt to figure out a solution between him and Goedeke because he is too good of a tackle prospect to pass on when the Bucs need help up front.
Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
It may seem unlikely for the athletic and technically sound Laiatu Latu to fall all the way to the end of the first round, but he has a concerning number of injuries that could feasibly make him drop a bit on draft day.
As a prospect, Latu has top-10 potential and would instantly provide a solution — if not an upgrade — to the aforementioned Barrett, who signed with the Miami Dolphins earlier this month.
His bend around the corner is elite and makes for an instant contributor off the edge when combined with his wide array of pass-rushing moves.
Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
Washington’s Troy Fautanu is another tackle prospect who mostly projects as a tackle in the NFL with his exceptional lateral movement skills in both pass-protection sets and as a run blocker on gap schemes that require him to pull or climb to the second level.
He is another player I have a hard time seeing lasting to the Bucs at 26 and is another prospect who could present some fit issues. Fautanu played at left tackle last year, and Wirfs is going absolutely nowhere at left tackle. This pick would require Fautanu to either flip to the right side and move Goedeke to guard or simply have Fautanu move inside to guard.
It would be a good problem to have with a talent like Fautanu, but he isn’t a perfect fit for the Bucs’ needs at this very moment.
Jared Verse, EDGE, FSU
FSU’s Jared Verse is an EDGE prospect who can flex inside, giving the Bucs some valuable alignment versatility at the end of the first round. He doesn’t project as the type of pass-rushing specialist Latu does at the next level, but Verse has a high floor coming into the league.
Verse would certainly be an upgrade over Logan Hall and can rotate in alongside Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Yaya Diaby along the Tampa Bay front.
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
If Bo Nix slips to the end of the second round, we can potentially have a conversation about the Oregon quarterback. Similar to my reasoning with McCarthy and Penix, Mayfield’s status as the starting quarterback for the 2024 season — and potentially beyond — makes Nix an unlikely choice for the Bucs in this draft.
Cooper Beebe, OG, Kansas State
The Bucs could certainly use a road-grading mauler along the interior of the offensive line, and perhaps no lineman better fits that role than Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe. He packs an exceptionally powerful punch and can generate a ton of movement in gap-scheme concepts.
Surprisingly, Beebe is pretty nimble for a player his size, but his arm length could get him in trouble against longer-armed opponents who can get into his chest. Ultimately, there is plenty to like about Beebe’s game. He would have an instant impact in the running game if the Bucs managed to land him on Day 2.
Keon Coleman, WR, FSU
The re-signing of Evans kills the pipedream of the Bucs selecting FSU’s Keon Coleman at the end of the first round. Coleman and Evans win in similar ways — namely at the catch point with uncommon size and strength to bully DBs — which means this pick wouldn’t exactly provide a skill set that this offense doesn’t already have.
Coleman is an exceptional contested-catch prospect with the physical traits of an alpha X receiver in the league. He still needs some work getting off press coverage and separating consistently at the breakpoint with cleaner footwork.
The upside with Coleman is enticing and could immediately give the Bucs another red-zone weapon in 11 personnel sets, but this feels more like a luxury pick when the Bucs have other needs to address in the early rounds.
Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami
Kamren Kinchens from Miami is definitely in the conversation for the top safety prospect in this class with his exceptional ball skills (11 interceptions over his final two years in college) and quick processing to find the ball.
The need is really the biggest question with this selection. The Bucs recently brought back safety Jordan Whitehead — who spent the last two seasons with the New York Jets — to help bolster the back end of the secondary alongside his old running mate Antoine Winfield Jr.
The position already being addressed this offseason, combined with Kinchens’ concerning athletic profile entering the league, makes this a pick I would stay away from at the end of the first round.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, OC, Oregon
Now this is what I’m talking about. Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson would be an ideal pick at 26 because he checks all the boxes.
Can he play center immediately? Yes. Does he generate movement in the running game and get to the second level? Yes. Can you bull-rush this man when he anchors down in pass pro? No.
No disrespect to Hainsey, but Powers-Johnson would be a significant upgrade at the position.
Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
If Bucs fans are creating a wishlist for this draft, then Washington’s Rome Odunze is probably on that list. Unfortunately, there is a scenario where the talented wide receiver prospect could go as high as fifth overall to the Los Angeles Chargers.
There have even been conversations amongst NFL personnel evaluators that Odunze is a more intriguing prospect than Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., who is widely considered the top receiver prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Odunze is one of the most well-rounded receiver prospects in this cycle. He has the formation versatility, contested-catch ability, and route-running nuance to win at all three levels of the football field.
If Odunze falls to the Bucs, they should run to the podium to select him.
Cole Bishop, S, Utah
Utah’s Cole Bishop is another safety vying for the top spot atop the positional rankings, and he does have a compelling case. He tested better than some expected at the NFL Combine, can range over the top as a single-high safety or patrol the box, and is a tackling machine from the safety spot.
Unfortunately for the Bishop hype train, the signing of Whitehead makes it hard to justify this selection when the roster has many other areas of greater need.
Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
One of those areas of need on the roster could be addressed if the Bucs select Chop Robinson from Penn State.
Robinson’s elite athletic traits can simply overwhelm ill-equipped offensive linemen. Running a 4.48 40-yard dash at 6’3” and 254 pounds confirms the type of rare burst you see from his tape.
When you see a linebacker screaming off the edge to the quarterback by overwhelming his opponents with sheer explosive athleticism in a Penn State uniform, it’s hard not to get flashbacks of Micah Parsons. Robinson would be a great EDGE prospect to land at 26 overall.
Zach Frazier, OC, West Virginia
Zach Frazier out of West Virginia would be a slam dunk selection on Day 2, but he feels like a bit of a reach at 26 overall. This pick would certainly address an immediate need on the roster, and Frazier is a quality candidate to help the interior of the offensive line.
He isn’t quite the prospect of some of the other top guards or centers in this class due to his lack of arm length, which makes it tough to justify reaching on Frazier at the end of the first round.
Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
Arizona’s Jordan Morgan bounced back in a big way after tearing his ACL in 2022 with a standout 2023 campaign. His athleticism, length, and experience at left tackle likely means he’s best suited to stay at tackle entering the league.
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There is certainly a lot to like about his game, but he isn’t the best fit for the Bucs’ current needs on the offensive line.
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