Bucs Will Draft Defense, Defense On Day 2
If you wanted Tampa Bay to address its defense in the 2025 NFL Draft, I’ve got some good news for you – it’s coming.
The selection of Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round, which was a surprise to many, including Pewter Report, means one thing. The Bucs are likely done addressing the offensive side of the ball, especially with only five picks left in the draft.
Todd Bowles’ side of the ball needs some attention, especially in the secondary and inside linebacker, and possibly in the trenches with a defensive tackle and an edge rusher. The safe bet on Day 2 is Tampa Bay coming away with at least one cornerback, and don’t rule out the Bucs doubling up at the position, either. The Bucs could use an outside cornerback to compete with Jamel Dean to start opposite Zyon McCollum and a nickelback to play in the slot with Tykee Smith’s expected move to strong safety. Or the Bucs could draft a safety on Day 2 and decide to keep Smith at nickelback.
Depending on which players are available in rounds 2-3, the Bucs could also draft an inside linebacker to compete with SirVocea Dennis in 2025 and possibly replace Lavonte David in 2026. Adding a defensive tackle to eventually replace Logan Hall, who is entering a contract year, is certainly a possibility. While the Bucs have high hopes that Haason Reddick returns to form as a double-digit sacker and that Chris Braswell takes a big step in his development now that Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has departed, don’t rule out the Bucs adding another edge rusher.
Bucs OLBs coach Larry Foote and head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
But the fact that the team passed on the likes of edge rushers Donovan Ezeiruaku, Mike Green and James Pearce Jr. in the first round to draft a wide receiver shows the amount of confidence Bowles has in Larry Foote coaching the outside linebackers room this year. Foote coached the edge rushers from 2019-21 when Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul were Pro Bowlers and helped the team win Super Bowl LV in 2020. He’ll be expected to get Reddick back on track and level up both Braswell and Yaya Diaby.
That’s not a bad strategy, as I am a true believer in Foote’s ability to coach edge rushers. But with Reddick turning 31 in September, getting one more young, quality edge rusher for depth and to help with the pass rush rotation still makes a lot of sense before the 2025 NFL Draft concludes. There are some in the organization that still believe Jose Ramirez, a sixth-rounder in 2023, can still turn into a player. I’ll believe it when I see it, as Ramirez has spent his first two seasons on Tampa Bay’s practice squad. While I’m hopeful Braswell really turns into a pass rushing threat we haven’t seen enough evidence to support that notion just yet.
Before we talk Day 2 defensive prospects, let me analyze why the Bucs made Egbuka the pick at No. 19.
Selection Of Emeka Egbuka Makes Sense For The Future – And The Present
Bucs general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles were scarred – not scared, but scarred – by last year’s four-game losing streak in the middle of the season when Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were injured during the 41-31 loss to Baltimore on Monday Night Football. Godwin was out for the year due to a dislocated ankle injury he suffered in that game, and Evans missed the next three games with a severe hamstring injury. An offense that was averaging 30 points per game up to that point saw a decrease in scoring from 31 points versus the Ravens to 26 points the next week against the Falcons to 24 points in Kansas City versus the Chiefs and then just 20 points against the 49ers.
With Evans turning 32 in training camp and Godwin at age 29 coming off a serious ankle injury – and there is no assurance he’ll be ready for the season opener, let alone training camp – adding another starting-caliber receiver makes sense for now and in the future. Yes, there will come a day when Evans retires – sooner rather than later – and this may be Godwin’s last contract in Tampa Bay as he’ll be 32 when he hits free agency again in 2028.
“We felt this was a pick for the future, but also for the present,” Licht said. “You saw what happened last year – we had some injuries and the coaches did a great job with what we had, but adding another great receiver…Todd has said all along, I think he told you guys back in March, ‘A good offense can help a defense.’ It’s about scoring points. It’s exciting to add him to the mix.
“We’ve got ‘J-Mac’ (Jalen McMillan) and [Emeka] now for the future, but also the present, and then, still, we have an elite room with Chris and Mike. Chris is still on track, we’re still shooting for Week 1 with him. This had nothing to do, really, with Chris’s injury rehab right now; this had everything to do with [the fact that] he was a player that Todd and I, and our staffs – obviously, we had a lot of meetings – but Todd and I, at the end of the day, we had some players and said, ‘If this player is here, we’re going to take him and we’re going to be happy with him.’”
Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: USA Today
The more I think about this pick the more sense it makes. Think back to the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV victory in 2020. Yes, the team had Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in NFL history under center, but what was Brady’s super power? It wasn’t his arm, and it certainly wasn’t his athleticism.
It Brady’s ability to diagnose a defense pre-snap and know where the ball was going to go before the play started. Brady scanned the field and found the best matchup based upon the look he was given. Then he decided whether the ball was going to Evans, a future Hall of Fame receiver, Godwin, a 1,000-yard stud, future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski, or a receiver with some questionable character, but with Hall of Fame stats in Antonio Brown.
Good defenses can double up and take away two receivers. Just ask Brady, who didn’t have Gronkowski or Brown to throw to in his final year in Tampa Bay as the offense’s scoring output plummeted from 30 points per game in 2020-21 to just 18 points per game in 2022.
Great defenses can even take away three weapons in the passing game. But there is no defense that can truly eliminate four elite pass-catchers, and that’s what the Bucs had in Brady’s first two seasons in red and pewter.
With Evans, Godwin, Ebuka and Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay’s receiving quartet isn’t as potent yet as the foursome that featured Gronkowski and Bryant back in 2020 and 2021. But adding a talent like Ebuka certainly gives Baker Mayfield a much more credible receiving threat than Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer, Ryan Miller or Rakim Jarrett.
And Ebuka’s addition will keep McMillan on his toes so he doesn’t fall into a sophomore slump by thinking he’s “arrived” after scoring eight touchdowns during his rookie season. Throw in the fact that Josh Grizzard is a rookie play-caller and giving him one more weapon at his disposal should only aid in his successful development as a play-caller.
Why Emeka Egbuka Instead Of Matthew Golden?
The selection of Emeka Egbuka was made because of the Ohio State’s impeccable character as well as his ability. The Bucs apparently met with him at the NFL Scouting Combine, but didn’t even bother to bring Egbuka in for an official 30 visit because his character was so clean the team didn’t even need to.
But the Bucs did bring in Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden for an official 30 visit after having a formal interview with him at the Combine. Golden was the fastest receiver in this year’s draft class, running a 4.29 at the Combine. General manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles obviously preferred Egbuka more because the team passed on Golden, who went a few picks later to Green Bay.
Egbuka isn’t nearly as fast, running a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash, and has drawn comparisons to Chris Godwin. The Ohio State standout comes to Tampa Bay with plenty of polish and professionalism, and should be able to hit the ground running following his contribution to the Buckeyes winning a national championship. It will be interesting to see if the Bucs drafted the right wide receiver in the first round and ultimately time will tell.
Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: USA Today
Egbuka was a relatively safe pick for Bucs general manager Jason Licht, who has had success drafting wide receivers over his 12 years at the helm with the likes of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and even Day 3 pick Scotty Miller, who helped the team win a Super Bowl. Licht has had some first-round busts in cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and tight end O.J. Howard, and some players that ultimately didn’t pan out in outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and even inside linebacker Devin White, whose first two seasons in Tampa Bay were promising, but his final three years were a disaster. Egbuka may or may not rise to Godwin’s level in red and pewter, but he’s got a floor high enough to where he likely won’t be a bust.
Keep in mind that Ohio State has produced a ton of talented wide receivers that have had very successful NFL careers, including Hall of Famer Cris Carter, Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, and most recently Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr. Egbuka finished his Buckeyes career with the most catches in school history (205) over his career and finished with the second-most career receiving yards (2,868 yards) – ahead of those Ohio State legends.
Which Defensive Players Could The Bucs Target On Day 2?
Tampa Bay is interested in a few defensive players that fell out of the first round, including Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. and Ole Miss Trey Amos. Those players had appeared in the first round of some mock drafts. It’s unclear if any of those three would slide down to No. 53, or if general manager Jason Licht would have to make a move up to select one as Tampa Bay doesn’t pick until the 20th selection in the second round.
Other Day 2 cornerbacks that the Bucs could be interested in include Kansas State’s Jacob Parrish, who is likely a nickelback at the next level, and California ballhawk Nohl Williams, who led the nation with seven interceptions in 2024, including a pick-six off Miami’s Cam Ward. The team brought both players in for official 30 visits along with Revel, Amos and Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas, who is also a Day 2 cornerback. Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison and Kansas’ Cobee Bryant could be third-round selections and both had formal interviews with Tampa Bay at the NFL Scouting Combine.
California CB Nohl Williams – Photo by: USA Today
In addition to Ezeiruaku, who figures to be gone early in the second round, there are a couple of edge rushers the Bucs are interested in on Day 2. UCLA’s Oluwafemi Oladejo had both an official 30 visit as well as a formal Combine interview. Coming off a great week at the Senior Bowl where he had two sacks, Oladejo will likely be a second-round pick due to his athleticism, upside and high character.
Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton is also a heck of a pass rusher and also came to Tampa Bay for an official 30 visit. Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmielan and Central Arkansas’ David Walker also had formal interviews in Indianapolis and could be Day 3 targets.
There could be a linebacker targeted on Day 2 as UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger, South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr., Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa and Georgia’s Smael Mondon are candidates to be selected in the second or third round. Knight, Bassa and Mondon all had formal interviews in Indy, as did Oklahoma State’s Nickolas Martin and Kobe King. At safety, Notre Dame’s ballhawk Xavier Watts and Virginia’s Jonas Sanker had formal interviews at the Combine, in addition to Jaylen Reed.
If Tampa Bay wanted to add a defensive tackle on Day 2, Toledo’s Darius Alexander came in for a 30 visit as well as having a formal Combine interview. Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott and Texas A&M’s Shemar Turner also visited Tampa Bay prior to the draft.
Join Pewter Report’s LIVE 3-Day Bucs Draft Show – April 24-26
Pewter Report is back for Day 2 of our LIVE 3-Day Bucs Draft Show from One Buccaneer Place on April 24-26 – presented by Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. Tampa Bay fans are encouraged to watch nearly 20 hours of wall-to-wall draft coverage from the Pewter Report staff streamed on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel, which has over 18,000 subscribers.
Here are the remaining show times for Pewter Report’s LIVE 3-Day Draft Show, which will also be streamed on PewterReport.com in addition to Pewter Report’s X and Facebook accounts – @PewterReport.
Friday, April 25 – 6:00 pm ET / Day 2 starts at 7:00 pm ET
Saturday, April 26 – 11:00 am ET / Day 3 starts at noon ET
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and GM Jason Licht – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers
Nobody covers the Bucs draft like Pewter Report, and we published our fifth and final Pewter Report 2025 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft prior to the start of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The entire Pewter Report staff will be on hand to preview and discuss each Tampa Bay draft pick, offering insight and analysis found nowhere else – in addition to answering questions from fans and reading their comments from the chat on-air.
The Pewter Report staff will also be offering live reaction from interviews with general manager Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay’s draft picks following their selections.