2026 NFL Draft Review
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just about wrapped up their offseason roster changes this weekend with the NFL Draft and subsequent undrafted free agent signings. After a middling free agency cycle, where they lost two franchise legends (one taking a pay cut to play on a “contender”, and another opting to retire rather than play in what appeared to be a sub-par defense), this draft needed to be a home run for this offseason to be considered a success.
With a two strike count, Jason Licht took a hanging breaking ball 450 feet to dead center.
In all seriousness, this draft went about as well as it could have. While there are of course a few nitpicks (no draft is ever perfect), the Bucs filled just about every need and even bolstered their backups at key positions. They got extremely lucky that the board fell the way it did, allowing them to get playmakers with every pick without really burning extra draft capital to do so.
Round 1 – Pick 15
EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (UM) – Value Grade – A+
Obviously, it’s extremely early to grade a draft. But in ten years, there’s a pretty good chance that 14 teams look back on this pick with deep, deep regret. It’s the best value pick in the entire draft besides Jermod McCoy in the fourth round (which, depending on how his knee injury holds up, could be a terrible, but understandable mistake for 31 teams).
A projected top ten pick, if not top five, “Hurricane Bain” is one of those prospects that teams seem to have overthought. He’s a hybrid edge rusher, who could theoretically anywhere on the line besides nose tackle. He’s a little undersized in terms of height, but he gets great leverage which plays into his impressive bull rush. He’s EXTRA undersized in terms of arm length, which is where NFL teams may have balked. For pass rushers, long arms allow players to keep their distance from offensive linemen, because when they have to get too far into the reach of offensive linemen, they essentially get shut down. But Bain makes up for his lack of reach with intense power.
Much like Iron Mike Tyson, Bain’s relatively compact size allows him to generate more power especially with his hands. His size also gets great leverage as he turns the corner off the edge. He was an absolute wrecking ball as a pass rusher and a run defender, and his high motor helps him finish plays across the field and down the field. Across three seasons at Miami, including as a true freshman and a sophomore season that saw him miss the first four games with an injury, Bain posted 33.5 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, an interception, two passes defensed, and four forced fumbles (three as a freshman!). His production took a leap in the playoffs, with five sacks in four games against future NFL talents. Bain will benefit from the Bucs defense which will allow him to attack from multiple alignments, moving inside and outside to hunt for mismatches.
Round 2 – Pick 46
LB Josiah Trotter (MIZZ) – Value Grade – C
Depending on how the board fell, there were certainly other prospects to be preferred over Trotter. Corners like D’Angelo Ponds and Avieon Terrell could have been nice editions, as well as a tight end like Eli Stowers. One could certainly argue that Trotter was a similar caliber prospect to Anthony Hill Jr., who would be a better coverage linebacker, or CJ Allen, who has a higher floor as a run defender but a much lower ceiling against the pass.
The immediate consensus reaction to this pick was certainly not optimistic. However it’s important to remember that Trotter will likely not have as heavy a workload in coverage as his role will put him closer to the line of scrimmage, while Alex Anzalone takes on the more coverage heavy role.
It’s also important to remember that Trotter is only 21 years old, and he got better as the season went on. After giving up 156 yards on 14 catches (15 targets) in the first seven weeks, he only gave up 96 yards on 14 catches (18 targets) over the last seven weeks.
Trotter certainly has the tools and instincts to be an above average run defender and elite blitzer at the bare minimum. His current coverage skills leave much to be desired, but he showed great improvement throughout the year at Mizzou. He plays with a ton of energy, and his brains will take him far. How much he improves in coverage as a pro will be a major concern. The Bucs certainly have a history of drafting lackluster coverage prospects at linebacker, but free agent addition Alex Anzalone ought to take the bulk of the load over the middle of the field, and the Trotter and Anzalone duo is an immediate upgrade over the 36 year old Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis combination. IF (a big if), Trotter can prove himself as even semi-reliable in pass coverage, he will figure into the long term plans of the franchise in a big way.
Round 3 – Pick 84
WR Ted Hurst (GST) – Value Grade – B+
“While there isn’t a ton of tape on Hurst, having played two seasons at Division II Valdosta state and two seasons at Georgia State in the Sun Belt, Hurst was a great tester. His height, broad jump and 40-yard dash all placed above the 90th percentile (6’3”, 11’3”, 4.42s). Certainly more of a Jack of All Trades receiver, rather than a Master of One, Hurst is at least proficient in the various categories. Above average speed, agility, route running, run after the catch, and ball tracking. He struggles with contested catches and press coverage, as his lighter frame (206lbs), lacks the functional strength to get off the line against handsy corners.”
Consider this an “Exacto!” Out of the four wide receivers in RBLRs written pre-draft coverage, Hurst was graded as a 3rd round pick, which is exactly where he fell for Tampa Bay. Hurst is already getting reps as the X receiver in the Bucs Rookie Camp which opened this weekend, and he’ll compete for the X Role (though likely WR3 by Targets) against Jalen McMillan in training camp. The Bucs have a wealth of young and talented receivers after this pick, as after Chris Godwin (30 years old), they have Emeka Egbuka (23), Tez Johnson (23), Kam Johnson (24) (though the Johnsons will likely be kick/punt returners and Gadget receivers), Jalen McMillan (24), and now Ted Hurst (21).
Hurst will have quite the hill to climb adjusting to competition in the NFL from the Sun Belt conference, especially taking on a potentially outsized role in the offense. He’s got elite separation speed and his routes are crisp as routes get. In other words, he’s got the tools to succeed in the NFL, especially developing in such a deep room, with a team that has excelled at developing WRs in recent years.
Round 4 – Pick 116
DB Keionte Scott (UM) – Value Grade – A+
This pick rivals the Rueben Bain Jr. pick both in terms of value, and the amount of times fans will say “hell yeah” whenever they think about him or his highlights. Scott is a hybrid defensive back who primarily played nickel in college. In the NFL, he’ll likely take the same role, but the Bucs coaching staff has already hinted at Scott being used as a Dime defensive back/linebacker hybrid. Which would be awesome. Much like Nickel defenses becoming Base Defenses (4-2-5 and 3-3-5, specifically), the next logical evolution of modern football will be the rise of Dime defense packages outside of obvious passing situations (3rd and long). Keionte Scott can be the guy
Scott is a hard hitting DB, who plays with a rarely matched level of intensity. While he’s lackluster in zone coverage, he manages to stick with receivers really well in man coverage. He logged 13 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two recovered, and he took both of his interceptions back for touchdowns. The do-it-all, electric prospect joins a very competitive DB room now, with Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith likely to start at the safety spots, Benjamin Morrison and Zyon McCollum as the outside corners, and Jacob Parrish fitting in at Nickel. Will Parrish compete for an outside job? Will Tykee move back down to Nickel, and allow Scott to move to safety? Any way you slice it, the Bucs made a great move adding such a versatile player to an already flexible group.
Round 5 – Pick 155
DT Demonte Capehart (CLEM) – Value Grade – B-
Capehart played on a very crowded roster (by NFL Draft selections), that grossly underperformed in a weak ACC last season, and honestly in the last few seasons. He played alongside Peter Woods, one of the top interior linemen in the draft, and TJ Parker, an edge rusher who went near the top of the second. All-in-All, not many stats to go around on the defensive front. Capehart only logged three sacks in the six seasons he appeared at Clemson. Luckily, in the NFL Draft, and especially on Day 3, picks are made for traits rather than production. Capehart measured at 6’5” and 315lbs, and still ran a 4.85 second 40-yard dash and made it 33.5 inches off the ground on his vertical jump. For comparison, Caleb Banks, a first round pick from Florida, stood an inch taller and 12 pounds heavier, but only ran a 5.04 second 40-yard dash, and only a 32 inch vertical jump.
Capehart brings size and otherworldly athleticism to a wholly replenished room. While he enters the league with limited pass rush ability, his size and technique in the run game could eventually dictate rushing attack plans for opposing offenses. Pairing Capehart with Vea on early downs could create quite the blockade against the run in the near future. With the starters essentially locked in with Diaby-Kancey-Vea-Robinson-Bain jr. as the front 5, having a healthy slew of backups like Elijah Roberts and Demonte Capehart (both 5th round picks) as well as Elijah Simmons as versatile backups ought to make for a much better defensive line than they’ve had in quite some time.
Round 5 – Pick 160
OL Billy Schrauth (ND) – Value Grade – B+
“Schrauth’s career at Notre Dame was unfortunately shortened due to lower body injuries, which kept him out of 11 games between the last two years. His ceiling could be a lot higher than what he showed on tape, but it’s hard to make that judgement on such limited tape. He’s a great pass protector but seems limited in creating push, which limits his fit as potential Buc, but Jason Licht has been complementary of the Notre Dame football program in the past and has drafted successfully from their offensive lineman room before, most recently with Robert Hainsey.”
Schrauth has the typical pedigree of the offensive lineman: midwestern, cornfed farmboy. The fact that he attended Notre Dame just adds to the mythos. Consider this a second “Exacto!”
In all seriousness, Schrauth very likely would go on day 2 of the draft had he stayed healthy in college. The injuries are certainly a concern, between the ankle sprain that resulted in a foot surgery and the MCL injury that limited him late in 2025. Pass protection is his calling card, allowing just 16 pressures and three sacks in three seasons, with just 2 pressures in seven games in 2025. While he doesn’t look great in the run game on tape, the O-line as a unit certainly didn’t suffer as a result, rushing for a total of 8000 yards in the last three years thanks to a combination of Audric Estime and Jeremiyah Love.
Schrauth should compete for the top interior backup position along with Elijah Klein and Dan Feeney, which one could imagine he would win. The interior of the offensive line was not exactly impressive last season with either player in the lineup.
Round 6 – Pick 185
TE Bauer Sharp (LSU) – Value Grade – D+
This pick is a bit of a headscratcher for multiple reasons.
- Bauer Sharp was a consensus Undrafted Free Agent
- The Bucs traded up to get him
Ok sure, the likelihood of getting value out of a sixth or seventh round pick is slim. Only six out of eleven players drafted in the last two rounds since the Super Bowl in 2020 are on the Bucs roster, and two of the remaining five didn’t play a single snap. However, Sharp had better be guaranteed a roster spot, because this pick gets an F- otherwise.
Sharp is another “traits” pick. His straight line speed won’t knock your socks off, but for a tight end it’s more than impressive. His hands are not elite, but he seeks contact as a run-blocker. He could stand to put weight on, but his usage as a wildcat QB is intriguing as well. As it stands, he’s competing for the fourth tight end spot on the roster, but you can figure that Otton and Kieft are really the only two safe players.
All things equal, this draft gets an A- grade. The Bucs got EXTREMELY lucky with Rueben Bain Jr., who will be an early front runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year, reached for a player they really liked in round 2, but got great value with every other pick outside of a questionable (but likely inconsequential) trade up in round 6. Jason Licht again flexes his middle-round muscles, and the Bucs can wash their hands of an otherwise disappointing offseason.
