C+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A weekend that raised as many questions as it answered. The Buccaneers get a C+.
by alexokf ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
Nobody else had Kamran James anywhere near pick 229. The Buccaneers did, by 119 spots, and that gap is the whole story. A mixed bag that lands at C+.
Hill Jr. at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. The Hill Jr. pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at interior defensive lineman, tight end and other spots. For all the activity, interior defensive lineman went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The verdict is a shrug for now, with the swing picks left to write the real ending.
Pick-by-Pick
They talked themselves into Akheem Mesidor at pick 15, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A straight-up fair deal on Jacob Rodriguez at pick No. 46, value and slot in agreement. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Anthony Hill Jr. adds a linebacker and leaves interior defensive lineman, tight end and other spots untouched.
Ja'Kobi Lane at slot 116 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. A need, and now a little less of one.
A quiet steal in No. 155: Hezekiah Masses for less than the market said. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A tidy bit of business in Round 6, Pick 14, where Matt Gulbin graded well above the range. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached into another round for Kamran James, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.