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Aug 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht watches the action against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Worst Case Scenario for Buccaneers in First Round of NFL Draft

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI | Last updated Apr 10, 2026 10:21 PM ET

The NFL Draft is no sure thing — usually, it's quite the opposite. Teams have a far greater chance of drafting a bust than they do a superstar, and they're far more likely to reach on a player than get a steal. It's a hard thing to navigate, and the best general managers in the NFL are the ones who can do so consistently well.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht has done that in the past, shaping a roster that helped build a Super Bowl winner in 2020 with the Buccaneers. But he hasn't had a player he's drafted after that make a Pro Bowl since then, and there have been some concerns with the quality of Tampa Bay's depth in recent years. Licht has to nail this draft to ensure the Buccaneers have a good future, so the pressure is certainly on heading into it.

We've already gone over what we think the best-case scenario for the Buccaneers would be, but now we're looking at the other side of the scale. Here's what we think Tampa Bay's worst-case scenario would be for the first round on draft night:

Draft a skill position player

Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

There have been some rumors floating around that the Buccaneers might be in on Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. While he certainly could add a dimension that the offense is now missing with the departure of Mike Evans to the San Francisco 49ers, Sadiq — or any skill position player — would simply be a bad idea.

The Buccaneers have way too many issues on defense to think about drafting a skill position in the first round. Tampa Bay needs depth on its front seven desperately, and it could also use another outside corner with the departure of Jamel Dean and a starting edge rusher and off-ball linebacker. If Tampa Bay truly wants to compete in 2026, it must bolster the defensive side of the ball, as the team would likely fail to win enough games if it loaded up on offense in hopes that the defense would be good enough.

If the Bucs go offense, an interior offensive lineman (such as Vega Ioane, should he fall) would be acceptable. But a skill position player like Sadiq or, even worse, another first-round wideout, would be a very ill-advised move.

Trade up

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There are a lot of fantastic players in the upper half of the draft that will be gone when the Buccaneers pick. If Jason Licht really wants a player, it would make sense to trade up and get someone, be it cornerback Mansoor Delane, linebacker Sonny Styles or anyone else projected to go before No. 15.

That would be a bad idea, though, and it's largely because of our last point. Trading up with cost picks, and any pick Licht would give up would be one more pick he couldn't use on shoring up the defense. There isn't anyone truly worth leaping up the board for as far as positional value goes, and there isn't a generational prospect at edge rusher that could immediately improve Tampa Bay's fortunes.

The Buccaneers would do well to stay put, or perhaps even trade down in this draft. Trade up, and Jason Licht would make his job to fill as many of Tampa Bay's roster holes as he can that much harder in 2026.