Discover why one analyst ranks the Buccaneers' 2026 draft class among the league's elite, highlighting standout picks from Miami and Missouri.
Whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a good draft in 2026 won’t be fully known for a few years, but right now, at least one analyst likes what sees.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked how all 32 teams did in the draft, and the Bucs came in at No. 6.
Brugler highlighted two draft picks in particular, and both came from the University of Miami.
One of them, Rueben Bain Jr., was Tampa's first-round pick. As Brugler pointed out, Tampa didn't think Bain, who had 20.5 sacks over three seasons at Miami, would fall to No. 15, since he was projected to go in the top 10 and maybe even the top five.
General manager Jason Licht confirmed Friday that the Bucs didn't expect to have a shot at Bain without trading up.
But he fell, and the Bucs took advantate.
"Even if he doesn’t become a Pro Bowl-level player," Brugler wrote. "Bain has a high floor as an NFL starter."
The second player Brugler highlighted was their fourth-round pick, who played on the same unit as Bain.
With the loss of Jamel Dean to free agency, the Bucs, by head coach/defensive coordinator Todd Bowles' admission, needed a cornerback, and got one with Miami's Keionte Scott in the fourth round (pick 116).
Scott had the best year of his college career in 2025, allowing a QB passer rating against of 69.9, per Pro Football Focus. The average is over 90.
At 6-feet and 192 pounds, Scott is best suited as a nickel, and Brugler described him as a "linebacker in a cornerback's body.
"I am eager to see how Todd Bowles uses his skill set," Brugler wrote. "It will be tough to keep Scott — and his competitive energy — off the field
Aside from the Miami guys, the Bucs drafted five other players. In the second round, Tampa drafted Missouri's Josiah Trotter, a first-team all-SEC linebacker known for stuffing the run. Trotter only had two healthy seasons of college football, but the fact that his dad was an All-Pro and his brother has a Super Bowl ring makes up for that relative lack of experience.
In the third round, the Bucs completed their receivers room by drafting Ted Hurst from Georgia State. Hurst put up almost 2,000 receiving yards over the last two seasons, scoring 15 touchdowns and catching 127 passes. Although Hurst didn't get many chances to prove himself against big-time competition at Georgia State, he further proved himself at the Senior Bowl, to the point where ESPN's Booger McFarland complimented Hurst's performance right after he got drafted.
In the fifth round, the Bucs addressed their interior defensive line by drafting Demonte Capehart, a 6-foot-5, 313-pounder out of Clemson.
Tampa had another fifth-round pick, and used it to address their lack of depth at guard by taking Notre Dame's Billy Schrauth.
With their last pick, Tampa enhanced its tight ends room with LSU's Bauer Sharp.
As always, Tampa came into this draft looking for player who fit the "I Am That Man" philosophy."
"Throughout the whole draft, the energy and the pride that all of these guys show on the field is [important]. That's really where all of that 'I Am That Man' stuff starts," Licht said Saturday. "It's a football character thing, but really when you watch them, you want to be able to feel their energy, feel their passion for the game.
"I think that's something we always try to knock out of the park but feel pretty good about with this class."
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