B-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Stowers should have been long gone. The Buccaneers pounced, and earned a B-.
by AtrixAnthony ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Eli Stowers slide, and the Buccaneers were the ones holding the card at Round 3, Pick 13. Highway robbery. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want. The Lawrence pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. Job largely done: offensive lineman settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Nearly every premium pick went to that side of the ball.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get the heartbeat of the defense. More want than need.
They liked Malachi Lawrence enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 46. A need, and now a little less of one.
You do not let a tight end like Eli Stowers reach Round 3, Pick 13 and blink. They did not. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at pick No. 116 is the definition of value, full stop. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They took Beau Stephens at par in No. 156, which is nothing to complain about. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Aaron Anderson is a better player than the 195th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They did well to land Jadon Canady in the 229th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.