B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Buccaneers a B.
by stestansfield ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
Priorities are a choice, and the Buccaneers made a strange one, taking Jacob Rodriguez at linebacker in the Round 3 slot with quarterback and running back crying out for the pick instead. No fireworks, but a solid B.
They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Getting Daniels where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
Interior defensive lineman is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it. They squeezed a little extra out of every move they made.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 28th pick they get a sticky cover corner at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
CJ Allen in the 38th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Gabe Jacas in pick No. 46 is fair value, right on his grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the 77th overall pick on Jacob Rodriguez with quarterback and running back unsolved.
They took Michael Trigg at par in pick 116, which is nothing to complain about. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
CJ Daniels in slot 155 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They read the board right and Zxavian Harris was the payoff at Round 5, Pick 27. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No edge and no loss on Kobe Baynes in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Robert Spears-Jennings. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.