Over a hundred mock draft analysis pieces, dozens of scouting reports, and more full-first-round mock drafts later, we have arrived at the week of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Despite us just highlighting so many of the exercises that we just mentioned, but whats one more? We have one final Mock Draft Monday to work through. For this one, it is a blend of what positions we think the Bucs will go after, but also which players we think they should pick for those positions. As an added twist, we throw in a trade that, while it is unlikely to happen, it highlights that anything is possible during this week.
Without further delay, here is our final Bucs’ Mock Draft Monday of the 2026 NFL Draft cycle.
Trade between the Bucs and the Cardinals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers receive: 34th and 104th overall picks in 2026 and a 1st Round Pick in 2027
Arizona Cardinals receive: 15th overall pick in 2026
This is a trade that may not be feasible for Bucs GM Jason Licht, but it is one that Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort could be desperate enough to make. The Cardinals’ general manager is in a win-now moment for himself. He has hired his second head coach of his tenure, the team is starting over, and owner Michael Bidwell needs to see something in 2026. Starting over with a franchise quarterback achieves that longer leash for him, and if he mortgages the future for the potential replacement for him, it is not his problem.
Because of the moment he finds himself, the Bucs could capitalize on that and load up on picks in 2026, but also get a potential Top-5 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft as well.
Round 2, Pick 34: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
There are not many linebackers I enjoyed watching more leading up to the NFL Draft, or during the college football season, than Jacob Rodriguez. He was the leader of the Red Raiders’ defense that made a run to the College Football Playoff, and without his play, they may not have sniffed that moment. That is why his becoming the new leader in the middle of the Bucs defense, to replace a franchise legend, makes too much sense. Rodriguez has the range and playmaking ability that they are missing in the retirement of Lavonte David, and he is someone that Jason Licht will look at and just smile when he is on the board for them.
Round 2, Pick 46: D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana
The Bucs need to fix their secondary. Antoine Winfield Jr. getting healthy and a second-year of Tykee Smith at safety will help matters. However, the cornerback position needs some work as they are now down Jamel Dean, and an injured Zyon McCollum is attempting to bounce back from a rough 2025 season. I believe D’Angelo Ponds is a top cornerback prospect in this class, and if he were two inches taller, he would be a top 10 player in this class overall. Give him to Todd Bowles, let him make plays and be physical on the outside, and then watch this defense turn itself around.
Round 3, Pick 77: Romello Height, Edge, Texas Tech
The Bucs still need some juice at the edge rusher position, and Yaya Diaby needs a tag team partner. Romello Height is the forgotten piece in the Texas Tech edge rushers in 2025, but he shouldn’t be. He can be explosive off the edge, he sets a tone, and he gets after the quarterback and the ball in a vicious way that Jason Licht has talked about needing. Allowing Height to stand up on the edge and work opposite Diaby is a situation he should be able to find some success in, and a more improved secondary will help too.
Round 4, Pick 104 (via Ari): Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor
Cade Otton is back in a big way with a big contract, but why not add some dynamic playmaking to the tight end group? Michael Trigg is not a great blocker, but he has a wide receiver-like catch radius. He can be used as a big slot option, in-line as they see fit, and just a more impressive big body to have in redzone situations. Baker Mayfield has shown he can utilize athletic-style tight ends, so why not give him one?
Round 4, Pick 116: Kage Casey, OT, Boise State
Injuries seem bound to happen to the Bucs every single season. They need more insurance than just Justin Skule, and someone like Casey has the size to develop behind the likes of Luke Goedecke and Tristan Wirfs. He makes for a good “break in case of emergency” situation for the team.
Round 5, Pick 155: Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB, TCU
We gave them some help at linebacker early on with Jacob Rodriguez, but now time for some depth to be added. Kaleb Elarms-Orr is a throwback-style linebacker and is someone who can be used both on defense and on special teams. The SirVocea Dennis experiment has been an abysmal failure, and the team should be ready to move on. Elarms-Orr does that for them.
Round 6, Pick 195: Bishop Fitzgerald, S, USC
Bishop Fitzgerald doesn’t have a fit per se in this defense, but he finds the ball time and again, and that is something this defense needs. They need more players who can do that for this defense, and we have also seen the secondary go through a vast amount of injuries as well. Fitzgerald gives them depth and dynamic playmaking, both of which this defense needs more of to avoid another late-season collapse.
Round 7, Pick 229: J. Michael Sturdivant, WR, Florida
One final piece to the offense is J. Michael Sturdivant, who did not have the 2025 season he had hoped for, but he remains a fun piece in the offense. He can stretch the field, work the middle of it, and once again prove some depth with some special teams potential as well. He is worth a flyer in Round 7 for the Bucs as they have shown keeping their options open at wide receiver is an approach they have.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Final Mock Draft Monday picks for the Bucs in the 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by Andrew Harbaugh, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
