B-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No fireworks, just a tidy B- for the Buccaneers.
by stestansfield ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 0 steals
· 1 reaches
The weekend has a hole in the middle of it named tight end, a need the Buccaneers walked right past.
Every board in the league had Jacas lower, and that gap is the story. A small leak at the table, if not a fatal one. The roster is better shaped than it was, with interior defensive lineman chief among the fixes.
It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
Good work on the whole, with tight end the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a sticky cover corner. A real need, handled.
They paid a round early for Gabe Jacas in pick No. 46, more than the board wanted. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
No drama and no debate, Domonique Orange went about where he belonged in Round 3, Pick 13. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid sticker price for Bishop Fitzgerald in pick 116, and that is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
No edge and no loss on Beau Stephens in slot 155; it is a wash and a sensible one. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They did well to land Red Murdock in No. 195, just ahead of his grade. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Nothing to complain about; Lander Barton went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Alan Herron at the 248th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.