B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Buccaneers a B.
by alexokf ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Buccaneers did exactly that with Aidan Hubbard in the Round 7 slot. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. It is not that Perkins Jr. is a bad player; it is that the Buccaneers had louder needs to answer first. Landing Durant that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 31st overall pick they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece, and a steal at that. Need was not the driver here.
Emmanuel Pregnon in No. 47 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Tacario Davis in pick No. 113 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending Round 4, Pick 16 on Harold Perkins Jr. with quarterback and running back unsolved.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Jack Endries in the 125th pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jeff Caldwell in the Round 5 slot, miles early. The roster fit checks out.
Zane Durant at the 195th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Robert Spears-Jennings in No. 229, and that is fine. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A real head-scratcher, Aidan Hubbard in the Round 7 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.