While Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix and I have taken turns presenting first-round mock drafts over the past two months, I'm going to take a different approach this week. The real 2025 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be trying to add instant-impact players, just as they have in the last couple years (Graham Barton, Tykee Smith, Jalen McMillan, Bucky Irving, Calijah Kancey, Cody Mauch, Yaya Diaby, etc.). This draft is important to the Buccaneers beyond just that first pick at number 19, so let's try to predict what the entirety of the seven rounds could yield for the team.
Yes, this is an All-Bucs draft, listing a possible selection at each of the six picks the team currently holds from Rounds 1-7. I'm not going to mock a full 257-pick draft, so instead I will be using various prospect projections to make sure I'm selecting players at realistic spots. It would be nice to give the Bucs, say, Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku in the first round and Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron in the second round, but that's not going to happen in real life.
The chances of hitting on pick 235 (Tampa Bay's seventh-round slot) is practically nil, but I have had a minor bit of success in this exercise in recent years. While I didn't hit on any of my All-Buc mock predictions last year, I did successfully predict guard Cody Mauch in the second round in 2023 and tight end Cade Otton in the fourth round in 2022. Crossing my fingers that I can get back on the board in 2025.
So without further ado, here is my All-Bucs, Only-Bucs mock draft for 2025.
Round One, 19th Overall: Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell
If you've already browsed ahead, you've seen that I went all defense on Days One and Two, which seems appropriate given both the relative difference between the performances of the Bucs' offense and defense in 2024 and the fact that the team is returning its entire starting offense in 2025. There are plenty of options for the Buccaneers on that side of the ball: the future of the linebacker position, depth at cornerback, another playmaker at the back end of the secondary, more edge rush juice, etc.
In the end, I started the draft with Alabama's Campbell, in part because I think there is a bigger gulf between Campbell and the number two off-ball linebacker (depending upon how you classify Jalon Walker, who I think should be an edge rusher) than at those other positions. There are a lot of pass rushers in this draft and plenty of cornerback depth, so I think we can address one of those two positions in the second round.
To be honest, if the aforementioned Jahdae Barron was available at pick 19, I'd have a very tough decision here. But Barron's stock seems to be very emphatically on the rise. The same can be said for Campbell, but I still see a very large number of mock drafts having him fall to the Buccaneers. I think this satisfies the criteria of being a realistic possibility.
Like running backs, off-ball linebackers aren't getting selected in the first round as often these days, but there are always exceptions. Remember, Jason Licht and the Buccaneers used the fifth-overall pick on LSU linebacker Devin White in 2019. And in this case, the player matches up so perfectly with perhaps the Bucs' biggest need that it's well worth a first-round investment.
As for Campbell, he's an exciting prospect in multiple ways. Like White before him, he promises to add value as a pass rusher at times, but he's also very good in coverage, which is something I think the Buccaneers will prioritize in rebuilding their linebacking corps over the next few years. He moves well both vertically and horizontally and reads the quarterback's eyes well.
Campbell ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash and at 6-3 and 235 pounds has great size for a linebacker in Todd Bowles' defense. While his tackling technique could use some refinement, that's something that can definitely be coached up, especially given that he's still only 21.
The signing of veteran linebacker Anthony Walker, who has tons of experience and also excels in pass coverage, plus the anticipated return of SirVocea Dennis means the Buccaneers wouldn't necessarily have to force their rookie into immediate action on defense. However, I expect that would be an open competition and Campbell would have a shot at being a Day One starter.
Round Two, 53rd Overall: CB Darien Porter, Iowa State
I'm going under the assumption that safeties Malaki Starks and Nick Emmanwori are going to be drafted in the first round. If either were to fall into the Bucs' range in the second round, that could be the choice, as there is enough cornerback depth to hit that in Round Three.
In this case, though, I think the value here is better at cornerback. My first target would be Kentucky's Maxwell Hairston, but I don't think he gets into the Bucs' range at 53, so I'll tab Iowa State's Porter instead. The Buccaneers re-signed Bryce Hall and snatched Kindle Vildor from the Lions, but I'm going to stick with my well-worn mantra of, "you can never have enough quality cornerback depth." We certainly saw that last year after Hall's injury in Week One. Licht did a sublime job rebuilding the Bucs' secondary through the 2018-20 drafts before the team's recent run of five straight playoff seasons. It might be time to start doing so again.
The scouting issue with Porter is that he only started at cornerback for one season during his six in college, and his reps on tape in man coverage are particularly slim. However, those scouts surely loved his performance at the Combine, where he rang up an Athleticism Score of 93, which was second among all cornerbacks in Indianapolis this year. The Bucs took a shot on Zyon McCollum in 2022 after he put up a record 99 Athleticism Score at his Combine; imagine having two such athletes patrolling the Bucs' secondary.
Like McCollum, Porter is very fast, as evidenced by his 4.30 40-time at the Combine. At 6-3 and 198 pounds, with 33-inch arms, the Iowa State product has the type of size and length that Bowles covets in his cornerbacks. He moves smoothly and can track speedsters deep, and he excels in zone coverage, which the Buccaneers played a very high percentage of in 2024.
Round Three, 84th Overall: S Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
The Bucs didn't pick up their second-year option on Jordan Whitehead, which creates a clear need on the safety depth chart. Tykee Smith or Christian Izien could step in as the full-time complement to star Antoine Winfield Jr., and Izien performed well in that role when he go a chance in 2024. However, they might prefer to have other assignments for one or both of those two, with one of them likely to be the starting slot corner.
If we think of Winfield as primarily a free safety, then the target in the third round here would likely be more of a strong safety type, and Penn State's Winston fits the bill. He is long (6-2, 215 with 32-inch arms) and capable of ranging all over the field. He's an incredibly reliable tackler who is at his best when playing downhill, which would make a good complement to Winfield.
In pass coverage, Winston has developing instincts plus the size to blanket opposing tight ends. On plays in front of him, he closes quickly and rarely misses a tackle. Scouts also like his approach to the game; the Buccaneers make an effort to find players who love the game of football, and Winston fits that mold.
Heading into the 2024 season at Penn State, it looked like Winston had a shot to cement himself as at least a mid-second round prospect. However, he partially tore an ACL in September and missed most of the season. He might still have teams willing to take him in the second round, but if he makes it to the third he could be a nice pickup for the Buccaneers.
Round Four, 121st Overall: WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Hey, some offense!
While I'm still seeing a few mock drafts give the Buccaneers a wide receiver in the first round, I think that's extremely unlikely. After the re-signing of Chris Godwin, the Bucs have a clear top three in Godwin, Mike Evans and the rising Jalen McMillan; if you draft a receiver in the first round either he's you're number four at best, or he displaces McMillan. Given how the 2024 third-round pick came on in the second half of last season, I don't think the Bucs are looking to do that. I don't think they'd use a Day Two pick on a receiver, either, given that they also still have Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer and Kameron Johnson.
However, there's room to add to that group on Day Four, particularly if it's a pass-catcher who is a little bit different from the other players in the room. Think back to 2019 – the Bucs had Evans and Godwin in their primes and didn't really have a glaring need for a pass-catcher, but they took a shot on Bowling Green speed merchant Scotty Miller in the sixth round. We all know how that worked out during the 2020 Super Bowl run.
Which brings me to Iowa State's Noel, a 5-10, 194-pound receiver who ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the Combine and earned an Athleticism Score of 91 that ranked third among all the receivers in Indy. Noel has quick feet plus the acceleration needed to separate on deep routes and he's also perfectly comfortable working the middle of the field. He showed off that last trait while playing largely out of the slot for the Cyclones, but he should be able to handle kicking out to the outside for however many snaps he might get in the Bucs' loaded offense.
Noel isn't all about Combine testing, either; he was very productive at Iowa State. He increased his production each of his four years in Ames, culminating in senior year totals of 80 receptions for 1,194 yards and eight touchdowns. Oh, and you know what else? He was the Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year. That's largely because he was a very good return man, too, most notably averaging 15.3 yards on 13 punt returns. He has very good vision and breakaway speed after catching the football. Even if there's no immediately substantive role for Noel in the offense in his rookie season, he still could contribute right away in the return game, where the Bucs have long been looking for a big-play spark.
I have no affiliation with or special affinity for Iowa State, but here I am with two 'Clones in my All-Bucs mock draft. It just worked out that way.
Round Five, 157th Overall: C Jake Majors, Texas
The Buccaneers have a rock-solid starting five on the offensive line after the re-signing of Ben Bredeson, but looking ahead on this unit is something that Licht has done in the past. That was the case in 2021 with Robert Hainsey in the third round and last year with Elijah Klein in the sixth round. So let's take a look at the overall O-Line depth chart as it stands now.
The team signed veteran Charlie Heck to be the swing tackle after the departure of Justin Skule, so it is probably set there. Klein impressed the coaching staff in his rookie year and is probably a good bet to be one of the interior-line reserves. After that, it's a mostly untested group consisting of Silas Dzansi, Luke Haggard, Raiqwon O'Neal, Garret Greenfield and Lorenz Mets. The re-signing of Sua Opeta does offer some veteran experience, but he's coming off a season-ending knee injury.
In particular, there's no obvious backup to center Graham Barton after Hainsey signed with Jacksonville last month. The Longhorns' Jake Majors could provide exactly that.
In terms of leadership qualities, football IQ and love of the game, Majors is just the type of player Licht's Buccaneers are looking for in the draft. At 6-3 and 306 pounds with shorter arms, he has the typical center's build and he's athletic enough to provide lead blocks on pulling plays. Majors is technically sound and adept at helping his quarterback read defensive intentions.
Round Seven, 235th Overall: RB Kalel Mullings, Michigan
The Buccaneers have every reason to be happy with their main trio of running backs in Bucky Irving, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, so they don't enter the draft with that position as a pressing need. However, the only other back on the roster is undrafted rookie D.J. Williams, who spent his rookie season on the practice squad. Last year, the Bucs took six running backs into training camp, so they are clearly going to be adding a couple more, whether through the veteran free agent market (a la Chase Edmonds) or the group of undrafted rookies (a la Tucker). If there happened to be a back they liked in the seventh round, though, this would be a perfectly reasonable way to add to that group.
Mullings wasn't supposed to be the Wolverines' lead back in 2024 but he eventually overtook Donovan Edwards and ended up with 185 carries for 948 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per tote. He didn't really factor into the passing game, with six catches on the season, but that's okay for the Buccaneers, because both White and Irving are very good coming out of the backfield and getting yards after the catch.
Rather, the 6-1, 226-pound Mullings is a big-bodied bruiser who could bring a different element to the Bucs' rushing attack. That's a description that would not fit Irving, White or Tucker. He's a physical, tackle-breaking runner between the tackles who actually has pretty nimble feet for a player of his size. Mullings originally came to Ann Arbor as highly-regarded linebacker prospect. He didn't start moving over to offense until the 2022 season and then made a full-time switch in 2023.
For a seventh-round pick to make the team and have a helmet on game day, he's going to need to contribute on special teams. As a former linebacker who moves well and seeks out contact, Mullings could easily be an option on coverage units. He also understands blocking schemes and is a willing pass protector, traits a rookie back would need to have a shot at seeing time on offense.
