Depth in the Defensive Secondary: NFL Draft Priority 3 and 4
After the first two rounds of the draft, where the Bucs will surely have selected two future hall of famers and fixed the defense with one Snap of the Infinity Gauntlet, the selection options will really open up for the Bucs.
They could really use a third Safety option on the roster behind Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith. In a perfect world, they would find a true box safety to let Winfield revert back to a ranging Free Safety, and potentially move Tykee Smith back to Nickel. They could also use a depth Corner, as they’ll be depending on Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morrison who have struggled mightily to stay healthy, with Jacob Parrish, former standout rookie, figuring to be the third Corner and the designated Nickel for now. They lost both Jamel Dean and Christian Izien (who was mostly a depth hybrid DB), who were respectively CB1 and S3/NICK3/CB4.
They spent significant capital over the last two drafts, adding Second Round CB Benjamin Morrison, Third Round Nickel Jacob Parrish, Third Round Nickel/Safety Tykee Smith. The Secondary as a whole showed vast improvements last season, but is still far from perfect, and losing Jamel Dean, who was maybe the most impactful defender on the field last season, will require some sort of replacement.
S Caleb Downs (OSU) Early 1st Round
If the NFL were drafting on talent alone, ignoring positional value and team needs, Downs is probably the second pick in the draft if not first. If the Bucs didn’t have other massive needs, he would be a player to pray for at 15th overall, and he may very well fall there on Thursday. He’s a rare player that could reliably play almost anywhere on the field, with elite tackling and feel for the run game, and all the ranging speed, ball skills, and zone coverage abilities to be a free safety. Don’t be surprised if someone trades up to get him.
S Dillon Thieneman (ORE) Late 1st Round
Thieneman would be the best safety in almost any other class, and he’ll certainly be on the board at 15. The question is if the Bucs really like him enough for the pick. He’s got sideline to sideline range, and fits the run very well, though his pad level gets high and causes some easy missed tackles. He’ll provide versatility as a potential nickel or box safety, but he had 8 career interceptions at Oregon and functions better when in the back half, and coming downhill against the run.
S Jalon Kilgore (SCAR) Late 3rd Round
Kilgore had big shoes to fill at South Carolina after Nick Emmanwori was drafted by the Seahawks last April, and he put up an admirable effort. He definitely projects more as a box safety, though he may stick at nickel depending on who drafts him, and he plays a lot more man coverage, which works to his benefit, because he often gets lost in space in zone coverage. But he lacks elite burst and his technique is not where it needs to be. He has the frame tools, but he needs polishing at the next level.
S Lorenzo Styles Jr. (OSU) Day 3
Styles, much like his brother Sonny, changed positions part-way through college, and it definitely shows. He brings elite ball skills to the table as well as generational physical tools (4.27s 40-yard dash, 1.49s 10-yard split). He’ll likely be a special teamer for a while in the NFL as he figures out whether he’s a Corner or a Safety, and learns the position at the NFL level.
S DeShon Singleton (NEB) Day 3
Singleton would probably not get drafted if not for his combine day, where he placed third in vertical jump and 1st in long jump. He defends tight ends very well, but he does not change directions very well, and is neither fast nor a heavy hitter, leaving him in an awkward spot between strong and free safety. He’ll be a nice special teams pickup at minimum.
CB D’Angelo Ponds (IU) 2nd Round
The Bucs showed they were not averse to picking undersized corners last year, as they took Jacob Parrish (5’10”) in round 3. Though 5’8”, his nasty mean streak (throwing 6’4” Denzel Boston to the ground), and his 43.5 inch vertical jump shows he can get up AND get down with the best of them. Will he consistently be able to do it at the next level with 6’3” receivers who have 40lbs on him? If he was even 2 inches taller, he’d very easily be a first round pick with his elite speed and ball skills. He even nabbed two blocked punts and is a willing and able punt returner (though the Bucs will still have Tez Johnson and Sean Tucker).
CB Davison Igbinosun (OSU) 3rd round
Of the corners laid out in this article, Igbinosun fits the Bucs preferred profile for Cornerbacks: Big frame (6’2”, 189lbs), willing run defender who doesn’t miss tackles. He doesn’t have great ball skills, not that that’s mattered to Jason Licht and Company before, but he’s taken a ton of penalties in the past. He runs a 4.50s 40-yard dash, but he’s often a step slow.
CB Tacario Davis (WAS) 4th round
Big frame? Check. Decent run defender? Check. Davis is a press corner who could excel as a boundary corner in a zone-heavy system. His injury history is the only thing keeping him out of day 2. He gets caught flat-footed against twitchy receivers underneath, and he struggles big time against double moves (hence the “zone-heavy” system), but these are expectations for big corners. His first step is a bit slower because his legs literally cover more ground. That said, he could be a steal in round 4. Besides, we know how Jason Licht feels about Washington Athletics.
CB Charles Demmings (SFA) Day 3
Demmings is a curious case. 4 interceptions and six pass breakups earned him first team All-Southland Honors and first team All-American in the FCS last season. His 35 PBUs in 42 career games are a Stephen F. Austin record. He’s a little on the light side, and struggles to press bigger receivers, and sometimes gets caught flat footed, but no receivers in the FCS ever gave him real trouble. General consensus would hold that the adjustment from the Southland conference to the NFL will not be an easy one, but he could be a fun project corner to challenge for a CB4 spot while he polishes up in mini-camp.
CB Ephesians Prysock (WAS) Day 3
Prysock and Davis have nearly the exact same frame. He unfortunately is not the same player. Prysock lacks long speed, and is a below average tackler. He also only has 2 interceptions in his college career, which is disappointing for a player with his physical tools. But in a draft of best names in the 2026 class, he very well could go first.
While the Bucs have certainly beefed up the defensive back positions in the last few years, history tells us that when Jason Licht prioritizes a position group, he uses the middle rounds of the draft to add a ton of depth very quickly, much like throwing a whole handful of darts at once. From 2016-2020, the Bucs drafted 10 defensive backs, including Vernon Hargreaves III (2016 R1), Ryan Smith (2016 R4), Justin Evans (2017 R2), MJ Stewart (2018 R2), Carlton Davis (2018 R2), Jordan Whitehead (2018 R4), Sean Murphy-Bunting (2019 R2), Jamel Dean (2019 R3), Mike Edwards (2019 R3), and Antoine Winfield Jr. (2020 R2). Factoring in the injury history of the Bucs position group, and general lack of production turning the ball over last season, you can figure at LEAST two defensive backs figure into the Bucs draft class.
