Buccaneers land Browns linebacker in PFF’s 2021 redraft

“The Buccaneers had Devin White with Lavonte David in their linebacker room at the time of this draft, but as we now know, that was not for the long haul. They have since been searching for a long-term answer at linebacker.”

At the time, linebacker didn’t feel like a pressing need. White was fresh off his breakout playoff run, and David was still one of the league’s most reliable veterans. But hindsight changes everything. White’s up-and-down play and eventual departure left Tampa Bay looking for a long-term replacement. Suddenly, a player like Owusu-Koramoah feels like he would have been a strong fit.

“JOK posted single-season PFF WAR marks of 0.25 in 2023 and 0.25 in 2021, good for sixth best and 12th best at the position. He also earned a 76.0 PFF overall grade in three of his four seasons, as well as a 91.7 PFF run-defense grade in 2024", according to PFF.

The numbers back up why PFF made the switch. Owusu-Koramoah has quietly been one of the better young linebackers in the league when healthy. His consistency in run defense especially stands out, an area where Tampa Bay has looked shaky at times since David began to age out of his prime. Adding JOK next to David could have given the Bucs a seamless transition at linebacker.

The Risk and reward of a redraft

“Owusu-Koramoah is set to miss all of 2025 with a neck injury, which does cloud his projection moving forward ", said PFF.

That’s the catch, though. While Owusu-Koramoah’s highs have been impressive, the injury bug is real. He’s missing this entire season, which makes his long-term value more uncertain. Compare that to Tryon-Shoyinka, who hasn’t developed into a star pass rusher but has stayed available and contributed as a steady rotational piece. For a team built on depth during its Super Bowl window, that availability still mattered.

In the big picture, this redraft shows the thin line front offices walk between chasing upside and filling needs. With JOK, the Buccaneers might have had one of the league’s most exciting linebacker duos for a few years, but they also would have inherited his durability questions. With Tryon-Shoyinka, Tampa Bay stayed safer but left fans wondering what could have been.

Either way, the redraft is a reminder of how one decision can reshape a roster years later. For the Buccaneers, linebacker remains a work in progress, and Owusu-Koramoah represents both the opportunity and the risk that comes with every draft pick.