NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Buccaneers' first-round pick at No. 19

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have the 19th pick in the NFL draft for the second time in three years. 

In 2023, they took DT Calijah Kancey. This year, they’ve been linked to the following players.

LB Jihaad Campbell | Alabama

The Buccaneers haven’t fielded a top-10 defense since 2022, Todd Bowles’ first year as head coach. To that end, Fox Sports’ Kyle Stackpole suggests the team add the talented linebacker in his latest mock draft.

Stackpole calls Tampa Bay the “perfect landing spot” for Campbell, believing he would benefit from playing alongside linebacker Lavonte David, a 13-year veteran and the team’s longest-tenured player.

At 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds, Campbell is two inches taller and 11 pounds heavier than David and is considered by many to be the best inside linebacker in the draft.  Campbell had 119 tackles (55 solo), five sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception last season while earning a first-team All-SEC nomination.

Unfortunately, ESPN’s Jordan Reid reported Campbell required surgery for a torn labrum after the NFL Scouting Combine. While he could compete in the 40-yard dash (4.52) and broad jump (10 feet, seven inches), his availability for the start of the 2025 regular season remains uncertain.

CB Jahdae Barron | Texas

Per Josh Liskiewitz of Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks produced a 34.2 passer rating when targeting Barron's coverage in 2024, lower than if they threw it into the ground on every play (39.6).

That’s quite a stat but not surprising for a prospect of Barron’s caliber. PFF ranks the 5-foot-11,195 pound prospect as the second-best cornerback in the draft behind Heisman winner Travis Hunter of Colorado, calling him “a starting-caliber pro at safety, wide cornerback or nickel defender.”