NFC South · 2026 Draft Class

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2026 NFL Draft Class

Every Buccaneers selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, the needs they entered the weekend with, and the trades that reshaped their board.

Compiled by the NFL Mock Draft Simulator research desk · Front office at the time: Jason Licht (GM), Todd Bowles (HC)

The class

Tampa Bay Buccaneers made 7 selections in the 2026 draft, opening with Rueben Bain Jr., a edge rusher out of Miami, at No. 15 overall.

The class skewed toward edge rusher. In total they drafted 7 different positions.

Going into the weekend our board had their priority needs listed as Edge Rusher, Linebacker, Tight End, Defensive Tackle, Cornerback. They addressed 5 of their 5 pre-draft needs directly: Edge Rusher, Linebacker, Tight End, Defensive Tackle, Cornerback.

Their best value relative to the consensus board was Keionte Scott at No. 116, 57 slots later than the industry board had him ranked (59).

Draft capital

Buccaneers draft capital broke down as 1 Day 1 pick, 2 on Day 2 and 4 on Day 3. 3 were slots they did not own when the weekend began, acquired by trade.

Pick by pick

Every Buccaneers selection, with where it landed against our consensus board and against their own pre-draft needs list.

• Round 1, No. 15: Buccaneers took Rueben Bain Jr., within 9 slots of his board ranking of 6. It was their single highest-priority need going in.
• Round 2, No. 46: Buccaneers took Josiah Trotter on Day 2, within 10 slots of his board ranking of 56. Linebacker was their No. 2 listed need.
• Round 3, No. 84: Buccaneers took Ted Hurst on Day 2, within 5 slots of his board ranking of 89. Wide Receiver was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 4, No. 116: Buccaneers took Keionte Scott on Day 3, a board-rank 59 player who waited 57 slots past his board ranking to get there.
• Round 5, No. 155: Buccaneers took DeMonte Capehart on Day 3, within 7 slots of his board ranking of 148.
• Round 5, No. 160: Buccaneers took Billy Schrauth on Day 3, a board-rank 122 player whom the rest of the league passed on across 38 slots of board value. Interior Offensive Line was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 6, No. 185: Buccaneers spent a late-round flier on Bauer Sharp, a board-rank 413 player. Tight End was their No. 3 listed need.

Pre-draft needs

Our needs assessment for the Buccaneers going into the 2026 draft, ordered by priority. This is the list the class above is measured against.

Draft-day trades

• With Green Bay Packers: sent No. 77 (R3); received No. 84 (R3), No. 160 (R5).
• With Las Vegas Raiders: sent No. 195 (R6), No. 229 (R7); received No. 185 (R6).

Related

• Round 1 results: every other pick made around the Buccaneers' first selection.
• Position rankings for the groups they drafted: Edge Rusher, Linebacker, Wide Receiver, Cornerback, Defensive Tackle, Interior Offensive Line, Tight End.
• The 2026 consensus big board: where every one of these players ranked before the draft.
• Every trade from the 2026 draft: the full ledger, including the Buccaneers' moves.
• Steals and reaches: which picks diverged most from the board, and what that gap means.
• The draft by the numbers: positional supply, school production and how draft capital was distributed.

More on the Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise hub carries the current front office and needs, plus every other class we cover.