TAMPA, Fla. -- With the dust settling from free agency, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' attention shifts to the NFL draft, which gets underway April 25 in Detroit.
The Bucs have done extensive work looking into offensive linemen in this draft class, and for good reason -- they need to upgrade center and left guard, and it's a solid class for interior linemen. They invested in quarterback Baker Mayfield this offseason, so being able to protect him and open up lanes so the run game can complement the passing game will be vital for the upcoming season.
The Bucs also were left with a hole to fill at outside linebacker with the departure of Shaquil Barrett, who amassed 45 sacks in five seasons in Tampa Bay.
They signed outside linebacker Randy Gregory to a one-year deal worth $3 million, and $5 million with incentives, Wednesday. But Gregory, 31, had 3.5 sacks in 16 regular season games last year, and figures to be more of a rotational player, and doesn't prevent them from drafting that same position.
"I don't really expect to start or anything like that," Gregory said Thursday. "I don't go in with my mind made up about [that] stuff. I'm going to go in there every rep I have, and when I'm not in there, I'm going to try to help out the guys that are in there."
Here's a look at some players the Bucs have shown interest in for some of their remaining positional vacancies -- center, guard and outside linebacker -- including options for all three days of the draft, starting with Pick 26 in Round 1:
Center
With Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen officially retiring and center Robert Hainsey, who registered a 59.6% run block win rate (39th) and a 90.7% pass block win rate (35th), being the only center on the roster, this is a place that needs improvement. They did sign Ben Bredeson, who is capable of playing all three interior offensive line positions, but his arrival doesn't scream "starter," and this year's draft class is one of the better classes for interior linemen in recent memory.
There's Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, who did not allow a sack in 17 starts -- which speaks to not only his strength and physical ability, but his level of anticipation. He is considered the top center by two out of four of ESPN's draft analysts after winning the Rimington Trophy. He's got the strength and nastiness to pick up where Jensen left off, and he's a finisher.
There's also Duke's Graham Barton, who started the last three seasons at left tackle, but is likely a guard or center at the next level (he played 446 snaps at center in 2020) because of his arm length of 33 inches, and because he has a decent amount of lower body mass, which Hainsey lacks. He's 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds and allowed just three sacks over the last two seasons with just four pressures allowed in 2023. In 2,491 collegiate snaps, he gave up pressure on only 2.4% of snaps. He projects to be a late first-round pick.
Oklahoma's Andrew Raym started 29 games at center over the last three seasons in which he surrendered four sacks and 1.6% of pressures allowed on 2,067 snaps. He's 6-4 and 314 pounds, has been labeled as a better run blocker than pass protector and figures to be a Day 2 or Day 3 option as he didn't test particularly well at the scouting combine.
Wisconsin's Tanor Bortolini, likely another Day 2 or Day 3 pick, likely elevated himself at the combine, turning in a 4.28 shuttle time -- the third-best all-time for an offensive lineman. He started all 12 games at center last season for the Badgers, but prior to that, he played guard. He lacks ideal arm length at 31.5 inches, and had issues with inside bull rushes at times.
Then there's South Dakota State's Mason McCormick, who projects as a center or guard at the next level, and is likely a Day 3 prospect. He's 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds. He has more of an upright playing style and have some stiffness when moving laterally, but he's got a nasty demeanor with a powerful lower body and natural leverage. He's also very durable, starting 57 consecutive games for the run-heavy Jackrabbits.
Guard
In addition to Bredeson, the Bucs signed former Philadelphia Eagles guard Sua Opeta in free agency, which will upgrade their run game after moving on from Matt Feiler and Aaron Stinnie. But they'll want to create more competition here.
Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga could play tackle at the next level, which was his home in college for two seasons, but some talent evaluators see him as a guard because of his arm length at 33 1/8 inches. If Fuaga has a vulnerability at tackle, it's defending inside moves. Still, he allowed just one sack in 25 career starts, with 2.3% pressures allowed on 1,511 snaps at right tackle.
Washington's Troy Fautanu was a left tackle in college but projects more as a guard or center at the next level because of his height (just under 6-foot-4). His highlights are chock full of pancake blocks, but if there's one knock, it's that he can be overly aggressive in his pass sets.
ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller recently mocked Kansas State's Cooper Beebe as the Bucs' second-round pick (No. 57 overall) and Field Yates' mock that came out Wednesday also had them taking Beebe there. He played every position along the offensive line in college except for center and only surrendered three sacks in 48 starts. He was particularly strong against opponents' bull rushes and cleaned up his body composition at the combine, dropping from 335 pounds to 322.
Like Beebe, ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid said UConn's Christian Haynes is one of the interior lineman that will be ready to produce as a rookie, and he is projected as a Day 2 pick. Haynes started 49 consecutive games at right guard, and he allowed just five pressures and zero sacks over the past two seasons for the Huskies. During a Senior Bowl practice he frustrated LSU defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson so much during a one-on-one session that Jefferson pulled Haynes' helmet off and threw it to the ground, to which Haynes responded, "If you're scared, go to church!"
Outside linebacker
UCLA's Laiatu Latu, the 2023 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, registered 23.5 sacks in two seasons at UCLA -- the most of any player in the nation in that span -- after being sidelined for two years at Washington and undergoing neck fusion surgery. His 19.8% pressure percentage was also the best in that span. In 26 games, he notched five forced fumbles along with a fumble recovery and 33.5 tackles for a loss. His well-developed arsenal of pass-rush moves includes using bull rush, rip, speed and swim moves. Yates also projected the Bucs to go Latu in the first round.
Florida State's Jared Verse may have the most explosive first step of any edge rusher in this draft. He also had arguably one of the most dominant swipe moves in college football, generating six sacks in six games off this one move alone. In 25 games, he registered 18 sacks, 33.5 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson is also an option. He had a time of 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine with a 1.54 10-yard split. His production wasn't as impressive, as he had just 11.5 sacks with three forced fumbles and 25 tackles for a loss in 35 games. His ability to drop into coverage with ease would be a huge plus in Todd Bowles' system, though.
The Bucs got excellent value in the third round of last year with Yaya Diaby, who led the team with 7.5 sacks. This is where a player like Western Michigan's Marshawn Kneeland, who has a visit with the Bucs scheduled, can come into play. In 39 games, Kneeland had 13 sacks with 29 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles.
Another Day 2 option is Penn State edge rusher Adisa Isaac. He registered 14.5 sacks, 32 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 46 career games. Watching his tape, you'll see him use speed, a bull rush and rip moves to get to the quarterback. While he was primarily used as a pass rusher at Penn State, he's worked hard to improve as a run stopper, recording 21 run stops -- which are tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage on designed runs.