The mock draft phase of the 2025 NFL offseason has officially commenced with the Super Bowl in the rearview. The NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is just a week away and the spectacle itself is quickly approaching. Speculation from pundits has monopolized headlines regarding each NFL club's needs and potential fits from this year's draft class. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are slotted to pick 19th overall in the first round and here are predications as to who could come off the board in the first round:
NFL.com
- Dan Parr, NFL.com (Feb.13)
- Pick: Edge Mike Green, Marshall
- Comments: You can never have enough good pass rushers. I can hear Todd Bowles saying that as the Bucs select the 2024 FBS leader in sacks.
CBS Sports
- Mike Renner, CBS Sports (Feb.11)
- Pick: LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
- Comments: Jihaad Campbell is jumbo off-ball linebacker who's perfect for Todd Bowles' scheme. He can blitz like an edge rusher, which is the perfect skill to have for one of the NFL's blitz-heaviest defensive coordinators.
The Draft Network
- Daniel Harms, The Draft Network (Feb.16)
- Pick: CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
- Comments: Benjamin Morrison missed most of the 2024 college football season with a hip injury and has been out of sight, out of mind to many. But he's the type of lockdown outside corner with great instincts and ball skills Todd Bowles can leave on an Island while he's blitzing the ever-loving crap out of the opposing quarterback. The Buccaneers need starting talent there and Morrison brings that.
PFF
- Jordan Plocher, Pro Football Focus (Feb.17)
- Pick: CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
- Comments: The Buccaneers played Cover 3 on 43.5% of pass plays in 2024, and Morrison has excelled playing the deep third in Cover 3 while also proving himself as a good man-coverage defender. With experience playing both outside and in the slot at Notre Dame, Morrison posted impressive PFF coverage grades of 84.6 and 82.2 in his last two fully healthy seasons.
The Athletic
- Nick Baumgardner (Feb.10)
- Pick: S Malaki Starks, Georgia
- Comments: There's going to be a pretty wide range for Starks, not only because he's primarily a safety (though he's capable of playing slot or corner), but also because his junior year wasn't quite as outstanding as his sophomore year. Either way, putting Starks in a Todd Bowles defense would be an incredible fit. Great value at this spot, too.
