In this 2025 NFL Mock Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ defense returns to the ranks of the formidable, while the offensive line receives a needed security update with Baker Mayfield behind it.
Who Could the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Note: The draft order for the 2025 NFL Mock Draft was derived from my record and playoff predictions for the 2024 NFL regular season.
1.9) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
This is an incredible confluence of need and the best player available for the Buccaneers, who land a top-three prospect on my board as the ninth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Will Johnson has all of the physical tools you want, but what makes him a notch above as a prospect is his route recognition, reaction quickness, transition freedom, and ball skills.
2.41) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
At 6’5″, 270 pounds, Dani Dennis-Sutton bears some similarity to Jason Pierre-Paul as a functional athlete on the field. In spite of his size, he’s explosive and fluid. He has the tools to buoy a complete rush arsenal, and his motor runs hot in pursuit.
3.73) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tate Ratledge, OG, Georgia
Sturdy and experienced, and also equipped with good flexibility and leverage acquisition skills, Tate Ratledge can man the left guard spot.
Rounds 4-7
4.106) Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
7.202) Jay Higgins, LB, Iowa
Buccaneers 2025 NFL Mock Draft Analysis
The Buccaneers have enough to remain competitive in 2024, but there are holes on the roster that could sink them if they’re not careful. Those holes were aggressively targeted in the latest Buccaneers seven-round 2025 NFL Mock Draft.
The first and most impactful addition doesn’t need much of an introduction or an explanation. Johnson is the top CB on PFN’s preliminary board and is a top-three overall prospect. His coverage variability takes pressure off of Bowles’ shoulders, and he provides a playmaking flair on the boundary.
Johnson and Jamel Dean forge a stalwart CB duo, but the Buccaneers still need more juice off the edge. That’s where Dani Dennis-Sutton comes in.
Dennis-Sutton needs more technical refinement and down-to-down consistency, but he has all the tools — size, burst, power, and bend — and the flashes are very promising.
Dennis-Sutton, YaYa Diaby, and Chris Braswell together form a young and exciting rotation off the edge. With another veteran addition next offseason, the pass rush could become a strength again for the Buccaneers.
In the middle and later rounds, the Buccaneers turned once again to the trenches, adding Tate Ratledge and Walter Nolen. Ratledge can start at left guard, while Nolen’s power element and alignment versatility mesh well with Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey.
Lastly, in the final round, the Buccaneers added Jay Higgins as an instinctive if unspectacular presence on the second level. He’s not the most athletic, but he reads his keys well, and he doesn’t shy away from contact.
