B-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Larceny in pick 126 lands the Buccaneers a B-, Lane and all.
by ELROY2K ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. Ja'Kobi Lane at the 126th pick is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did. More right than wrong, and a B- to match.
With cornerback, edge rusher and other spots unsolved, spending premium capital on linebacker is the choice that costs them. They punted on cornerback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 15th pick they get a three-down second-level presence at a price that makes it sweeter. Need was not the driver here.
A straight-up fair deal on Eli Stowers at pick No. 46, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending No. 77 on Jacob Rodriguez with cornerback, edge rusher and other spots unsolved.
They will replay Ja'Kobi Lane at pick 126 for years; that is how good the value is. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
By-the-book stuff, Kage Casey at the Round 5 slot squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid a round early for Zane Durant in the 168th overall pick, more than the board wanted. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They took Pat Coogan at par in Round 6, Pick 14, which is nothing to complain about. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reach on Luke Altmyer in slot 229; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.