Bucs 2023 Mock Draft Roundup: It’s Draft Month!

The calendar has flipped to April, which can only mean one thing: the NFL Draft is this month. The Bucs have addressed some of their needs during the free airing, but they still have plenty of areas to support before the season begins. And while there will likely be a few more free desk moves, Jason Licht and his staff will need a big trip on the last weekend of April.

With the big flow of free desk moves firmly in the rearview mirror (although there are still big moves around Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson to come), there’s a clearer picture of the needs each of the league’s 32 teams have. That makes mock drafts a bit more representative of what could happen over the draft weekend, though there’s always an element of unpredictability to them.

But now that we’re in April, what better time than now for another Bucs mock draft Roundup? Below are the Bucs’ picks in the latest mocks from analysts around the NFL world.

Josh Edwards – CBS Sports

In Edwards’ latest three-round mock published on Friday, he let the Bucs go big on offense – literally and figuratively – with their first three picks.

Round 1, Pick 19: Florida IOL O’Cyrus Torrence

“The Tampa Bay roster is fine with Baker Mayfield, but the offensive line needs to be more reliable. The selection of O’Cyrus Torrence is the first step towards achieving long-term health for that unit.”

Round 2, Pick 50: BYU OT Blake Freeland

Round 3, Pick 82: Michigan TE Luke Schoonmaker

Matthew Freedman — FantasyPros

In his fake design 6.0, Freedman also sees the Bucs add some help for their offensive line. This time it’s at the tackle position.

Round 1, Pick 19: Tennessee OT Darnell Wright

Cynthia Frelund — NFL.com

Freund’s Mock 2.0 fell Thursday, and it features yet another offensive tackle for the Bucs.

Round 1, Pick 19: Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison

“Offense line should be a priority after some key drifts. Harrison played LT in Oklahoma and allowed only one knockdown (sack/hit) last season on 425 pass pro snaps, per PFF.

Mike Tannenbaum — ESPN.com

Tannenbaum’s trial version from Tuesday has Tampa Bay added some competition – and an addition – to the 2022 third round running back Rachaad White.

Round 1, Pick 19: Texas RB Bijan Robinson

“Tampa Bay has moved on from Leonard Fournette and could become the best running back in the draft with his first-rounder. Robinson is a top-five talent who can score when he touches the ball. He averaged 6.3 yards per rush as a Longhorn and tallied a career-high 33 rushing touchdowns. Having a dominant running back is a great way to take the pressure off the team’s precarious quarterback position, currently held by Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.”

Keith Sanchez – The Draft Network

Sanchez has released his mock draft 7.0 earlier this week, about the first two rounds. The Bucs add to their defense first this time before picking up an offensive tackle.

Round 1, Pick 19: Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.

“The Buccaneers can go either way with this choice, but I believe Todd Bowles chooses to go with the defense. They call Joey Porter Jr. up to add to a corner room in need of improvement. These defenses age quickly and pieces like Porter help them build for the future.

Round 2, Pick 51: Maryland OT Jaelyn Duncan

“Due to age and injuries, the Buccaneers offensive line unit went from a strength to a weakness. With this choice, they address this unit and draft OT Jaelyn Duncan.

Kent Platte – Pro Football Network

Platte released a first-round mock on Thursday, with Tampa Bay selecting some pass rush assistance.

Round 1, Pick 19: Iowa EDGE Lukas Van Ness

“When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, it became clear that they favored explosiveness and suddenness in their pass rush. Lukas Van Ness is not the most refined pass rusher, but he has some of the highest points in the group, with some of the best agility in a reasonably strong pass rusher class.”

Bucky Brooks — NFL.com

Brooks’ mock version 3.0 fell on Tuesday and featured an increasingly popular pick for the Bucs at No. 19.

Round 1, Pick 19: Tennessee OT Darnell Wright

“Repairing the offensive line is a top priority for the Buccaneers after the unit disintegrated in 2022. Wright is a natural right tackle, so Tristan Wirfs would have to shift to the blind spot cleared by Donovan Smith for this move to work.”

Eric Edholm — NFL.com

On Monday, Edholm has released his mock draft 2.0 and had Tampa Bay traded back from number 19. The Bucs sent their pick to the Cowboys, who picked Texas running back Bijan Robinson. With Dallas’ pick at number 26, Tampa Bay went on the offensive.

Round 1, Pick 26: Tennessee OT Darnell Wright

“If the Bucs move Tristan Wirfs to left tackle, Wright could be a Day 1 starter at right.”

Chad Reuter — NFL.com

Reuter published a four-round mock on March 24, including an interesting mix of selections for the Bucs. Naturally, Tampa Bay has no choice in the fourth round, so the team had three choices in this mock.

Round 1, Pick 19: Georgia OT Broderick Jones

“The Bucs enter the rod market after the release of Donovan Smith. They can bring Jones to step into Smith’s left tackle spot or choose Tennessee’s Darnell Wright to play on the right side and move Tristan Wirfs to the blindside.

Round 2, Pick 50: Boise State S JL Skinner III

Round 3, Pick 82: Kansas State EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah

Bruce Feldman – The Athletic

Feldman’s mock from Friday (subscription required) had a wild card pick for Tampa Bay, which needs an offensive line, pass rushing and safety help above all else. This one appears to be a “best available player” projection.

Round 1, Pick 19: Boston College WR Zay Flowers

“Whether Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask can prove to be the answer at QB in the post-Tom Brady era, the Bucs need to upgrade at the receiver. While the idea of ​​choosing an OT here may be tempting, Flowers is too good to pass up. I could see some focus on USC’s Jordan Addison, but the hunch is that Flowers is the most complete prospect, though both are below par.

“The 5-foot 9, 182-pound Flowers, who has only 29 1/4-inch arms but packs 4.42 speed and a 10-7 wide jump, proved to be a one-man wrecking crew for BC, despite not having many offensive pieces to throw him in 2022. He caught 56 ​​passes for 892 yards and nine touchdowns despite being the main focus of rival defenses.

Jordan Reid — ESPN.com

This was the big of the week, like Reid put out a full seven round mock on Wednesday. In that, the Bucs got a pull.

Round 1, Pick 19: Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison

“Harrison gets my vote for the prospect who will hear his name much sooner than most expect. He just turned 21 years old, has been a rock solid two-year starter with Oklahoma and spent his entire career as a left-handed tackle. He’s a polished pass guard, but his biggest hurdle will be holding out at the point of attack for extended periods of time and continuing to improve his strength. After the release of Donovan Smith, the Bucs All-Pro were able to move right tackle Tristan Wirfs to the other side, but why mess with something that works? Setting up a natural left tackle to link with Wirfs is the better solution.

Round 2, Pick 50: Auburn EDGE Derick Hall

“With veteran Shaq Barrett coming off a torn Achilles tendon and 2021 first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka looking to move into the next stages of his development, edge rusher is a top need in Tampa Bay. Last season, Vita Vea (6.5) and Devin White (5.5) led the team in sacks. Hall is a base end who has powerful pass rush moves – he had 6.5 sacks last season. He is also capable of falling into cover.

Round 3, Pick 82: Illinois S Jartavius ​​”Quan” Martin

“Antoine Winfield Jr. is entrenched as the Bucs’ starter on strong safety, but free safety has been questioned. Martin has the versatility to take on multiple roles in secondary and be an important part of special teams. He had 3 interceptions, 11 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles last season.”

Round 5, Pick 153: IDL Cameron Young of Mississippi State

Round 5, Pick 175: Cincinnati WR Tre Tucker

Round 6, Pick 179: Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell

Round 6, Pick 181: Michigan K Jake Moody

Round 6, Pick 196: UAB RB DeWayne McBride

Round 7, Pick 252: Vanderbilt LB Anfernee Orji