Things have not gone according to plan for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so far this season. 

The Bucs stumbled out of the gate to a dreadful 0-4 start, unexpectedly looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield, fresh after signing a three-year, $165 million contract extension right before the season, looked nothing like the franchise QB he was paid to be. 

Even worse, Mayfield suffered a dislocated thumb in his throwing hand late in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, forcing the team to turn to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels until he can return. 

The offensive line, which was supposed to be the team’s biggest strength, has been anything but and has given up the most sacks in the league through four weeks. 

First-round pick Rueben Bain Jr., whose dominant play in the offseason had expectations for his rookie season through the roof, fell flat in his first two games before missing the next two with injuries. 

Head coach Todd Bowles’ days in Tampa appeared numbered. The horrible start to this season, coupled with last year’s 2-7 collapse down the stretch, looked like something Bowles would not survive. 

The Bucs were a train wreck through four weeks and appeared to be on their way to one of the first picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. 

Tampa was able to possibly save its season with a huge 24-16 road upset of the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. 

Daniels became the first undrafted rookie QB to win a game for a team that was previously winless. The Bucs got a career night from running back Bucky Irving, a big game from wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, and forced three turnovers to help silence the Cowboys’ lethal offense. 

Now Tampa must prove that the first four games were a fluke, not the win against Dallas. 

Time will tell if they can, but the 1-4 Bucs still look like they will be picking near the top of next year’s draft. 

The Athletic recently released an early 2027 mock draft. The Bucs held the third pick and added the nation’s top pass rusher, Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons. 

If Tampa does find itself picking so close to the top of the draft, would Simmons be the right pick?

The Bucs just drafted Bain in the first round this year. Bain and YaYa Diaby, who is set to be a free agent in 2027, were supposed to give the team a lethal pass-rushing duo. Unfortunately, neither has recorded a sack thus far, and the Bucs as a team have only six sacks through five games. 

The pass rush desperately needs improvement, and the thought of pairing Simmons with Bain on the edge might be too tempting to pass up. 

Here is what The Athletic had to say about the pick:

“The most polished pass rusher in the class, Simmons is up to 18 pressures and 7.5 sacks over the college football season’s first month. The 6’3, 255-pounder is a three-down weapon with a deep bag of tricks.”

Adding Simmons would definitely be a pick worth getting excited about. 

Of course, if the Bucs are picking anywhere near the top of the draft, fans will be clamoring for the team to find any way it can to draft dynamic Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith, who is the best receiving prospect since Calvin Johnson, and may even be thought of more highly than Megatron was coming out of Georgia Tech. 

The idea of reuniting Smith with his former Buckeye teammate Egbuka in Tampa’s offense would be a dream come true.

However, in this mock, Smith was taken first overall by the Miami Dolphins. 

Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore went second to the Tennessee Titans. 

If that is the order of the top three picks, it is very possible Miami could take a QB. As could Tennessee, if the Titans decide to give up on Cam Ward. 

However, it would seem like Tampa would have to trade up for the chance to draft Smith. 

If the Bucs could pull it off, it would certainly help ease the pain of what would be a miserable season.