Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison (20) celebrates after an interception in the first quarter against the Boston College Eagles. Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Three-round Buccaneers 2025 mock draft: Bucs land Notre Dame lockdown CB

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Jan 30, 2025 1:49 PM ET

It's that time of year again.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't make it as far as they wanted to, flaming out in the Wild Card round against the Washington Commanders despite winning the NFC South for four years in a row. Now, the Bucs need to do what they can to improve their team — and a lot of that improvement needs to come on the defensive side of the ball.

Using Pro Football Focus' Mock Draft Simulator, we went ahead and did a three-round mock, taking a defensive position of need in each round. Here's what we came up with:

Round 1, Pick 19: CB Benjamin Morrison. Notre Dame

Morrison is a match made in heaven for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He can do it all, showcasing elite shutdown skills with great length and has fluid movement in zone — he's especially built for Cover 3 zone , which Todd Bowles happens to love. If Morrison is still here come Draft Day, it may be tough for the Bucs to pass him up.

Round 2, Pick 51: LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA

The Buccaneers are in desperate need for a linebacker with K.J. Britt potentially out the door and Lavonte David year to year, and Carson Schwesinger could well be the answer. He's only a one-year college starter, so that's something to be weary of, but he's a solid coverage linebacker — what the Buccaneers need — and he's very instinctual in pursuing the football and getting downhill. He's also played teams, so he can be a contributor in Tampa Bay right away.

Round 3, Pick 83: OLB Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina

There weren't a ton of great options here for edge rusher at this point in our mock, and the Bucs have struggled with developing raw talent at edge rusher. But it remains quite the need, and Kaimon Rucker has a lot of upside. Rucker is fast and uses finesse well in his game, but he's had injury troubles and is a bit undersized for his position. The Bucs need some sort of firepower at this position, so they could take a chance on Rucker and hope to develop him well.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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