With the 2024 NFL Draft spectacle just a few weeks away, speculation rises. Free agency acquisitions along with Combine, Pro Day and Senior Bowl debuts by prospects have shifted mock drafts. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed key fixtures Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Lavonte David, tagged Antoine Winfield Jr. and signed external free agents Jordan Whitehead and Randy Gregory. Here is a rundown of predictions for the Bucs in the first round across various outlets:
NFL.com
- Pick: OG Troy Fautanu, Washington
- Comments: Fautanu could go earlier because he has the skills to play left tackle in the NFL. If available here, the Bucs should jump at the chance to select him. They've recently taken linemen with the plan to change their positions, so a move to guard or center seems possible in this scenario -- with a chance of Fautanu taking the left tackle spot if Tristan Wirfs leaves via free agency after the season.
CBS Sports
- Pick: OT Graham Barton, Duke
- Comments: Tampa Bay gets an experienced tackle who made 38 starts at Duke. Barton has experience at both tackle and center.
The Draft Network
- Pick: Edge Laiatu Latu, UCLA
- Comments: Shaq Barrett was released and joined the Miami Dolphins this offseason. Laiatu Latu is the most polished and refined pass rusher in the class. His ability to win with an array of maneuvers is what coaches will love the most.
PFF
- Pick: CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
- Comments: The Buccaneers traded cornerback Carlton Davis to the Detroit Lions at the beginning of the 2024 league year and now have a bit of a void opposite Jamel Dean, so Wiggins would immediately step in as a long, smooth athlete at cornerback. We'll hear about Wiggins' slender frame in the pre-draft process — he weighed in at 173 pounds at the NFL scouting combine — but he battled well with Florida State wide receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, who are both big, physical players.
Sports Illustrated
- Pick: IOL Graham Barton, Duke (Bucs trade back six spots with KC to No. 32)
- Comments: After moving back six spots and adding another third-round pick, the Bucs are still able to land a player they likely would have taken at their original spot. Barton can play all five positions up front, and with Tampa Bay needing upgrades at both center and left guard, he'd be an ideal pick who could try his hand at either spot and start from Day 1.
