2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Profile

Team Needs: CB, LB, Edge, Safety

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the playoffs in 2024 behind stellar play from Baker Mayfield and solid coaching. They have one of the most competitive rosters in all of football and have been for the last four years.  

The NFL draft will be a launching point for the Buccaneers as they begin a quest to make it back to the playoffs and start a run at being a championship contender.   

Possible Targets

Jalon Walker – Linebacker, Georgia

Jaylon Reed – Safety, Penn State

Fentrell Cypress – Cornerback, Florida State

The defense in Tampa is very young and talented and they could look to keep that trend going by targeting contributors throughout the draft. Their defense wasn’t bad but it does have some holes and aging players at key spots. With a class like this one, they can come out sterling if they navigate the board correctly.   

Lavonte David is a solid linebacker but he is getting older. Replacing him with a versatile young backer would be ideal on day one.

Jalon Walker is one of the best athletes in the draft class. He can play all over the field and fill a plethora of roles in a defense. At just 21 years-old, he hasn’t even touched his prime and is still growing into his physical maturity. Tampa will be able to get Walker on the field early on and also have a player to plug in once David moves on.  

The Bucs need to strengthen their backend as they have been surviving off of serviceable players. Outside of Jamel Dean and Antoine Winfield Jr., they don’t have much in the department of top end talent in their secondary.

They should target Jaylon Reed out of Penn State and Fentrell Cypress out of Florida State on the last two days of the draft. Both players offer tremendous upside without paying the cost of early draft picks.  

Reed is a natural strong safety with good coverage ability in space. He packs a punch in the run game and can take tight ends out of the game with his smooth feet in man coverage. His ability would offer the Bucs an instant upgrade over current safety Jordan Whitehead. 

Cypress is as good as any player in this draft class at the cornerback position. He displays easy movement skills and smooth hips when mirroring receivers in coverage.

He can play in the nickel position but seems most comfortable outside the numbers. With his frame and skillset, Cypress could end up being a perennial Pro Bowl cornerback at the next level. 

Championships are won in April and Tampa Bay has the chance to get closer to one with a strong draft.

They have a luxury that not many teams have, which is not having to jump around the board to fill their needs. If they navigate this class correctly, they could find themselves right back on the big stage.