Discover Tampa Bay's top rookie defensive talents. From versatile playmakers to sack artists, these three drafted players are shaping the Buccaneers' future.
With the 2026 NFL draft right around the corner, Roundtable will be highlighting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' best additions from last year's class, on both offense and defense.
In this "Best 3" closer-look are my rankings of Tampa Bay's defensive additions from last year's draft.
The rankings are based on Class of 2025 player's on-field production, pick value and projection going forward.
3. CB Benjamin Morrison (2nd Round)
Morrison dealt with injuries throughout his rookie campaign, limiting him to just 10 games played.
After his return, Morrison filled in for Zyon McCollum, who went down with a hip injury in Week 15.
From that point on, Morrison and former Bucs CB1 Jamel Dean took on the outside defensive back responsibilities.
At Notre Dame, Morrison was a mobile corner, moving in and out of the slot and outside, while earning team captain honors.
However, in his last season with the Irish, Morrison missed 10 games due to a hip injury. If Morrison can stay healthy, he projects as a big piece of Tampa's defense going forward, especially after Dean's departure.
2. DE Elijah Roberts (5th Round)
Roberts had a do-it-all type rookie season for Tampa Bay, recording two sacks, two tackles for loss and five quarterback hits to go along with three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
Unlike Morrison, Roberts was available in all 17 games, making nine starts.
In early November, Roberts accumulated his first career sack, bringing down New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on a crucial third-down red-zone stop and forcing a field-goal attempt.
With the additions of veteran defensive lineman like Al-Quadin Muhammad, A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Roberts should be able to learn and feed off their experience.
1. CB Jacob Parrish (Kansas State)
After Morrison was taken in the second round, Parrish followed in the third, outplaying his rookie defensive back counterpart.
Parrish took snaps at linebacker, safety, corner and nickel, displaying his athleticism and pursuit.
He appeared in all 17 games, shuffling in-and-out of those four positions and accumulating 76 total tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defensed, seven tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and two sacks.
For head coach Todd Bowles, who loves swiss army knives in his defense, Parrish fits the mold, providing the ability to blitz the quarterback and cover speedy slot receivers.
Outside of Tampa's first round pick, Emeka Egbuka, who Fox Sports recently named the top player in the overall class, Parrish was by far the most productive and consistent rookie.
Going into his second season, it will be interesting to see if Bowles continues to play him at multiple positions or singles in on a specific role.
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