Final Bucs Mock Draft: Tampa Bay rolls the dice in the first round in order to get the defense back on track

Round 2, No. 53 overall: Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo Rockets

A lot of people close to the team aren't ruling out the idea of Tampa Bay taking a defensive lineman in the first half of the draft, even with Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey leading the way. There's also Logan Hall: It looked like things were really starting to click for him last year and if he continues to develop then the Bucs defensive line will be in really good shape.

Still, he's in a contract year, Vea just turned 30, and Kancey has missed a lot of time in both the offseason/regular season with calf injuries. Alexander can not only bolster the rotation (none of those guys are playing 100% of defensive snaps), but he can provide both a short- and long-term solution in the trenches.

Alexander would help keep the Bucs' four-man pass rush fresh up front, which in theory would boost the personnel as a whole by having a more capable player on the field, as opposed to a Greg Gaines, Mike Greene, C.J. Brewer, etc. With all due respect, of course.

Honorable mentions: EDGE Oluwafemi Oladejo, CB Nohl Williams, S Xavier Watts

Round 3, No. 84 overall: Chris Paul, LB, Ole Miss Rebels

Paul is undersized for the position, but the Bucs have made it work for over a decade, now, with a guy named Lavonte David, so that's not a big deal, at the end of the day.

Paul plays with his hair on fire and is relentless in his pursuit of the ball. He's rangy and explosive, the latter is especially on display when he's blitzed, as he racked up 9.5 sacks and 26.0 tackles for loss during his time with the Razorbacks and Rebels.

He has the ability to spot-drop in coverage, although he's not a complete player in pass coverage. That's fine, though, as he'll have the space and time to be coached up behind LVD and SirVocea Dennis. In the short run, Paul can be a solid special teams/situational player until he develops the skills required to become either more of a full-time guy or a reliable rotational player.

Honorable mentions: EDGE Jack Sawyer, S Jaylen Reed

Round 4, No. 121 overall: David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas

The Bucs really like Walker and while he's undersized, that's not an issue for Bowles and Licht (see: Shaq Barrett and Haason Reddick). He'll also turn 25 in June, which is obviously not ideal due to the fact he's in his prime years, yet he'll hold first-year status in 2025 and will then turn 29 soon after his rookie deal is finished.

Regardless, none of that was an issue for Walker in college as he racked up an insane 82.5 tackles for loss and 39.0 sacks over his four years (he redshirted his first year then COVID-19 wiped out his 2020 season). The dude is a disruptor and has some polished pass rush moves that allows him to consistently get past his size/length issues and into opposing offense's backfields. I mean, the guy was voted the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons. That tells you all you need to know. 

The competition he faced in the FCS is definitely a talking point in terms of the level of difficulty his opponents provided, but he held his own at the Senior Bowl, which is composed of some of the nation's best players.

He's definitely more of a developmental player, but that's fine, as the Bucs look to have their top-4 rotation in place with Reddick, Yaya Diaby, Anthony Nelson, and Chris Braswell. Walker not only has two veterans in Reddick and Nelson to lean on, but Diaby has good experience and Braswell has a year under his belt. It's a good room for him to learn in and would certainly help him progress behind-the-scenes. 

Walker can also play the run and he can drop in coverage - something we all know Bowles likes to deploy due to his high blitz rate. 

Honorable mentions: S Malachi Moore, WR Tai Felton, T Cameron Williams

Round 5, No. 157 overall: Justin Walley, CB, Minnesota Golden Gophers

This may be a bit high for Walley, but the Bucs don't have a sixth-round pick and we aren't doing trades in this mock draft, so the pick makes sense in this specific context.

Walley isn't the most athletic corner and like Hairston, he doesn't have the prototypical size and length Bowles likes his corners to possess, but he has the speed and short area quickness/footwork, as well as ball production, to where taking a shot at No. 157 is a good idea. 

He plays physical and aggressive and showed he can play both man and zone in college. He also has the ability to play both inside and out, which is big considering the different looks Bowles deploys on defense.

Honorable mentions: CB Zah Frazier

Round 7, No. 235 overall: Ja'Corey Brooks, WR Louisville Cardinals

Look, at this point, it's all about tools, talent, and the ability to potentially develop players. Brooks won't be a special-teamer, which is something teams look for in the later rounds of the draft, but he provides enough promise as a vertical threat to where he could come in and challenge a guy like Trey Palmer for a bottom spot in the wide receiver room.

Brooks has a long, smooth stride that allows him to accelerate quickly and eat up ground, but he'll struggle against man coverage due to his smaller frame and lack of short-area ability. Still, the Josh Grizzard and the philosophy entrenched within the Bucs offense knows how to maximize receivers and their traits, which could certainly help Brooks "overcome" his seventh-round status and have a productive NFL career in the correct context.

Honorable mentions: Choose your pick of the litter

Final word

As expected, this final mock is defense-heavy and will likely look similar to what the Bucs actually do this weekend. In terms of strategy, not actual picks, obviously.

A draft like this not only builds solid depth, but a couple of the players will get the opportunity to push for starting jobs or vie for meaningful snaps, at minimum. That's a great spot to be in as the Bucs look to take the next step under Bowles in 2025.