Tampa Bay Buccaneers First Round 2024 NFL Draft Projected Picks

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are more than half way through the 2023 season and some publications have an eye towards draft.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the thick of it in the race for the NFC South title. However, that hasn't stopped some pundits from turning their attention to the NFL Draft in 2024. 

At the moment, there is a wide range where the Bucs could be selecting come April. A division win and they're automatically in the playoffs and picking as low as 19. A bad end to the season and they could find themselves in the top 10.  

The Buccaneers made an effort to get younger this past offseason adding 13 rookies to their initial roster. While there shouldn't be an influx that large come the next year's draft there are multiple ways Tampa Bay could decide to go building their roster come April.

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Depending on how Baker Mayfield finishes the season the Bucs may be set at the position for another year and opt out of taking a quarterback high. Allowing them to focus on other needs. This compilation of mock drafts around the league sees the Buccaneers doing just foregoing quarterback for other positions. 

Here are the most recent mock drafts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

CBS

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

This WR class is insanely deep, so Nabers lasting until the No. 12 pick feels like stealing.

NBC

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State

The Bucs have a dynamic duo on the interior of their defensive line in Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, but they need a young edge rusher alongside them to maximize the unit.

Verse has heavyweight fighter hands that throw tackles off balance and since transferring to Florida State from Albany two years ago, he’s not only held up against tough competition but thrived.

Pro Football Network

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State

Tampa Bay will also likely look to figure out their long-term quarterback situation this offseason. For now, the team has struggled to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season and needs some help on that side of the ball.

Chop Robinson‘s athleticism and length would be a boost to a Buccaneers’ front desperate for it. They need to find a long-term answer there with players like Shaq Barrett aging out.

Pro Football Focus

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

LAIATU LATU, EDGE, UCLA

The Buccaneers could entertain picking a quarterback if they end up with a top-10 selection. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. would be the most likely next signal-caller off the board. He’s also from Tampa Bay, so it would be a homecoming if they went that direction.

But right now, the Buccaneers' defensive line unit ranks in the bottom 10 in sacks, total pressures, and pass-rush win percentage. Their defense has been disappointing this season, and fixing that starts up front. Latu has been the most productive pass-rusher in the country over the past two seasons, notching pash-rush win percentages above 20% in each of those campaigns.

Fan Nation NFL Draft

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

The Bucs will have plenty of big questions to answer in the offseason with their roster, so this pick could go in a million different directions. Quarterback is the big wild card, but with four off the board already, Tampa Bay might just stick to the "best player available" strategy in this scenario and grab a dynamic playmaker in Bowers.

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The 33rd team

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

Brock Bowers is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the 2024 Draft class. Bowers also plays one of the least valuable positions in the NFL and has battled injuries for most of the season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in an interesting spot at the quarterback position, but with Mike Evans expected to leave in free agency, the best “offensive” player available should be at the top of the list for Tampa Bay.

You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.

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