The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are nine days away from making their selections in the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. With this being our second-to-last team-specific mock draft of the season, it will be a “what we would do” mock draft. We wanted to share some different picks after weeks of seeing the same thing over and over again.
Just because we are avoiding the usual suspects we see with the team doesn’t mean the Bucs won’t end up adding anyone of significance as the defense works its way back to being a dominant presence.
To make sure that happens, we made a trade to start this mock draft, sending the Bucs out of the first round in a massive deal. We have them acquiring edge rusher Jonah Elliss, the 108th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, as well as 2027 first and second-round picks from the Denver Broncos.
To get this package, the Bucs are trading away the 15th overall pick in 2026 and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
In making that trade, we land a difference maker for the defense, as well as some other key players:
The defense gets the revamp they desperately need with the edge rusher getting some juice from the Ellis pick. He and Yaya Diaby would make for a fun duo that the team can create some more pressure with. Beyond them, they also add Ponds to create a more physical presence at cornerback after the departure of Jamel Dean, and Kyle Louis at linebacker after Lavonte David retired.
The offense benefits from the additions of Tanner Koziol as a more athletic receiving option at tight end, as well as Kaden Wetjen to add some depth at wide receiver.
All in all, it is a fun mock with a big trade to mix things up before next week, and we settle into what could be a quiet mock draft for the team.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Mock Draft Monday: The NFL Draft is closing in on the Bucs
Reporting by Andrew Harbaugh, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
