stestansfield'S MOCK DRAFT
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Bucs trade out of round 1-Donovon Ezeruaku

  • stestansfield DRAFTING FOR THE
    Buccaneers
Draft Selections
Donovan Ezeiruaku Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (TB)
Donovan Ezeiruaku
DE-EDGE Boston College
Xavier Watts Head Shot
PICK: 53 RND: 2 (TB)
Xavier Watts
S Notre Dame
Chris Paul Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 84 RND: 3 (TB)
Chris Paul Jr.
LB Ole Miss
Jaylin Noel Head Shot
PICK: 121 RND: 4 (TB)
Jaylin Noel
WR Iowa State
Mello Dotson Head Shot
PICK: 153 RND: 5 (TB)
Mello Dotson
CB Kansas
Jonah Monheim Head Shot
PICK: 157 RND: 5 (TB)
Jonah Monheim
C USC
Jay Higgins Head Shot
PICK: 235 RND: 7 (TB)
Jay Higgins
LB Iowa
Draft Picks Received
Donovan Ezeiruaku Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (CIN)
Donovan Ezeiruaku
DE-EDGE Boston College
Mello Dotson Head Shot
PICK: 153 RND: 5 (CIN)
Mello Dotson
CB Kansas
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (CIN)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Nic Scourton Head Shot
PICK: 19 RND: 1 (CIN)
Nic Scourton
DE-EDGE Texas A&M
Players Gained
Head Shot
Greg Newsome II
CB
Draft Grade — Buccaneers
Overall B
ValueB- NeedB- TradesA+ FutureB-
The Buccaneers let Higgins fall and pounced. Final grade: B.

Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Buccaneers were there to profit. Jay Higgins, the No. 183 name on the board, should have been long gone before the 235th pick. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.

The phones were where this weekend was really won. They are betting Ezeiruaku proves the room right and everyone else wrong. Leaving interior defensive lineman unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.

The Greg Newsome II deal gives the class an established piece to lean on.

Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Pick Analysis
Pick49 Rnd2 Donovan Ezeiruaku
Donovan Ezeiruaku at pick No. 49 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The roster fit checks out.
Pick53 Rnd2 Xavier Watts
A reasonable price with a little left over, Xavier Watts in Round 2, Pick 21. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Pick84 Rnd3 Chris Paul Jr.
No edge and no loss on Chris Paul Jr. in slot 84; it is a wash and a sensible one. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Pick121 Rnd4 Jaylin Noel
Steal is underselling it; Jaylin Noel at the Round 4 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick153 Rnd5 Mello Dotson
A cornerback of that caliber at the 153rd pick is the definition of value, full stop. It fills a real need, too.
Pick157 Rnd5 Jonah Monheim
Jonah Monheim in the 157th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick235 Rnd7 Jay Higgins
The board fumbled Jay Higgins all the way to pick 235, and they scooped it up. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.