A-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Hood should have been long gone. The Buccaneers pounced, and earned a A-.
by alexokf ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 12 steals
· 0 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Colton Hood slide, and the Buccaneers were the ones holding the card at Round 7, Pick 27. Highway robbery. Add it all up and it grades out a clean A-.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it. Spending an early pick on linebacker with quarterback and running back open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
Bottom line, with Sonny Styles leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 28 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker at a price that makes it sweeter.
A edge rusher of that caliber at No. 39 is the definition of value, full stop. The roster fit checks out.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Olaivavega Ioane reach Round 2, Pick 14 and blink. They did not. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Jacob Rodriguez adds a linebacker and leaves quarterback and running back untouched.
Taking Jermod McCoy in the Round 4 slot is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Kenyon Sadiq in the 116th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They robbed the room for Kayden McDonald here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jordyn Tyson at the 167th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Akheem Mesidor at No. 195 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Lee Hunter in the 229th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Somehow Colton Hood was still sitting there in slot 243, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Chase Bisontis at the 248th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.