LSU linebacker Devin White has become the favorite of four of our analysts below. It makes sense considering the departure of Kwon Alexander in free agency, leaving a presumed hole at inside linebacker for the Bucs. White is without question the best linebacker in this year's draft class given his 4.42 speed and playmaking ability on tape. Natural fit, right?
Some analysts disagreed though, saying the Bucs prioritize an edge rusher and tapping Mississippi State's Montez Sweat for the job. It's worth noting, all of the drafts that have Sweat to the Bucs at fifth overall are either on or before March 15 while Sweat and others were still riding the high of his stellar Combine performance.
These later mocks seem to be favorite White, instead, for whatever reason. Owners meetings are taking place this week in Phoenix, Ariz. and should provide further insight into the thought process of both General Manager Jason Licht and Head Coach Bruce Arians. Maybe that will shift the mocks even more.
Take a look below at who the NFL experts are picking as we approach the one month mark to the draft.
View photos of Lance Zierlein's latest mock draft.
1 - Arizona Cardinals - Kyler Murray - QB
2 - San Francisco 49ers - Nick Rosa - Edge
3 - New York Jets - Josh Allen - Edge
6 - New York Giants - Quinnen Williams - DT
5 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Devin White - LB
19 - Tennessee Titans - D.K. Metcalf - WR
7 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Jawaan Taylor - OT
8 - Carolina Panthers - Montez Sweat - Edge
9 - Buffalo Bills - Andre Dillard - OT
10 - Denver Broncos - T.J. Hockenson - TE
11 - Cincinnati Bengals - Devin Bush - LB
14 - Atlanta Falcons - Ed Oliver - DT
13 - New York Giants - Dwayne Haskins - QB
4 - Oakland Raiders - Rashan Gary - Edge
15 - Washington Redskins - Greedy Williams - CB
18 - Minnesota Vikings - Jonah Williams - OL
32 - New England Patriots - Drew Lock - QB
12 - Green Bay Packers - Cody Ford - OT
19 - Tennessee Titans - Noah Fant - TE
20 - Pittsburgh Steelers - Byron Murphy - CB
21 - Seattle Seahawks - Brian Burns - Edge
29 - Kansas City Chiefs - Garrett Bradbury - C
22 - Philadelphia Eagles - Greg Little - OT
15 - Washington Redskins - Clelin Ferrell - Edge
25 - Philadelphia Eagles - Josh Jacobs - RB
27 - Oakland Raiders - Dexter Lawrence - DT
27 - Oakland Raiders - Dalton Risner - OL
28 - Los Angeles Chargers - Kaleb McGAry - OT
16 - Detroit Lions - Deandre Baker - CB
26 - Indianapolis Colts - A.J. Brown - WR
17 - Miami Dolphins - Christian Wilkins - DT
32 - New England Patriots - Jeffery Simmons - DT
NFL.com
Lance Zierlein (March 21) – LB Devin White, LSU
Zierlein: "Montez Sweat could easily be the pick in this spot, but the Bucs may look to play it safe after the news of Sweat's heart condition. White gives the Bucs a speedy hitter in the middle of the defense."
Bucky Brooks (March 19) - LB Devin White, LSU
Brooks: "The sideline-to-sideline playmaker is a perfect fit for Todd Bowles' attack-style defense."
Charles Davis (March 15) – DE Montez Sweat, Mississippi St.
Davis: "A leader at ILB (like LSU's Devin White) makes sense here, but head coach Bruce Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles believe that speed and pressure drive a defense. Sweat provides both (his 4.41 40-yard dash at the combine was a modern record for a defensive lineman)."
ESPN.com
Todd McShay (March 6) – DE Montez Sweat, Mississippi St.
McShay: "If you set a combine record for the fastest 40-yard dash for a defensive lineman (4.41 seconds, at 260 pounds), you're going to make some money. Sweat has a ton of upside, and Tampa Bay badly needs difference-makers on defense. But there's also a very real possibility that the Bucs trade back with a team looking for a quarterback, and taking the best available offensive lineman -- perhaps Jawaan Taylor -- makes sense in that scenario."
CBSSports.com
Ryan Wilson (March 17) – DT Quinnen Williams, Alabama
Wilson: "Williams is a monster. He dominated just about every snap during the 2018 season and he came to the combine and dominated there too. He blazed a 4.83 40-yard dash, which only confirms what we already knew: His physical abilities are off the charts, and he's not only a legit top-5 talent, he has an argument as the top-overall pick. Yes, the Buccaneers drafted Vita Vea a year ago but Gerald McCoy is 31 years old and will count roughly $13 million against the cap in each of the next three years."
Chris Trapasso (March 17) – LB Devin White, LSU
Trapasso: "With Kwon Alexander gone, the Buccaneers have to get more athletic in their linebacker group. With White, they get a supremely gifted athlete."
R.J. White (March 13) – TRADE with Detroit, DE Brian Burns, Florida State
White: "Buccaneers get No. 8, 43 for No. 5, 70. The Bucs should feel comfortable moving down a few spots if someone wants to jump for a QB, as the value really isn't on the board for them if Bosa and Allen go in the top four as expected. Here they jump up nearly a full round on Day 2 and still land an edge rusher who had a great combine for Todd Bowles' defense."
SB Nation
Dan Kadar (March 25) – LB Devin White, LSU
Kadar: "Sure, the Buccaneers added Deone Bucannon in free agency, but he hasn't been a very productive player since the 2015 season. With Kwon Alexander gone, the Buccaneers need talent at linebacker. White is a player with few flaws, especially when he can work in space and locate the football. He's a strong tackler and has outstanding instincts."
PewterReport.com
Scott Reynolds (March 17) – DE Josh Allen, Kentucky
Reynolds: "PewterReport.com was the first to feature LSU inside linebacker Devin White going to Tampa Bay with the fifth overall draft pick in our initial 2019 Bucs' Six-Round Mock Draft and also had White going to the Bucs at No. 10 in a trade down scenario with Denver in our second Bucs mock draft. That could very well still happen, as Tampa Bay needs help at inside linebacker after losing Kwon Alexander to San Francisco in free agency.
But let's mix it up and illustrate a scenario where one of the top draft prospects falls to Tampa Bay at No. 5. If Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray goes No. 1 overall to Arizona and another team, such as Miami, Denver or the New York Giants trade into the top 4 to select Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins, one of the top three defenders – Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa, Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams or Kentucky edge rusher Josh Allen would be available for the Bucs at No. 5.
In this case it's Allen, who would be an ideal fit as weakside outside linebacker in Todd Bowles' 3-4 base defensive scheme. Allen would be the perfect heir apparent to Jason Pierre-Paul, who turned 30 on January 1, and a player that could come in and be an impactful situational player as a rookie without the pressure of playing every down as he transitions to the NFL in his first season."
