Bucs Nation
The thermostat is back as the NFL Scouting Combine proceeds.
It’s time to gather around and dust off the thermometer, Bucs Nation. The draft needs temperature check returns once again!
The Buccaneers enter 2025 in a relatively stable position with good cap flexibility, a healthy boon of young talent, few priority free agents, and a decently positioned first-round pick. However, the defensive side of the ball is on much shakier ground than the offensive side and as such demands reinforcements when it comes to both starters and depth.
Free agency, which opens in less than 2 weeks, will cause some potentially significant ebb and flow in these initial temp checks, but it’s always wise to identify a baseline upon which to operate. You can’t assume a certain free agent will be available or willing to come aboard, and as such a team can exert much more control over their draft prep process.
Let’s get into it.
Temperature: Cool
Baker Mayfield will enter the final year of his contract in 2026 but he may expect an extension after this upcoming campaign if he continues his borderline top-10 play. If that happens, however, you can expect the Bucs will take care of him.
So as of now, any signal-caller discussions in Tampa Bay will be focused on backups. Kyle Trask is a free agent after 4 years of straight chillin’ on the bench, and nobody knows exactly how good of a player he is. You’d think bringing him back as QB2 would be fairly inexpensive, but he might want to go somewhere with more opportunity if such a place exists.
The team also has Michael Pratt as a practice squad guy, who they reportedly wanted to draft last year before they eventually signed him from Green Bay. They might just straight-up replace Trask with him as the primary backstop.
Regardless, it seems like a position that will likely take low priority in the draft. Another late Day 3 waiver like Max Brosmer from Minnesota might be intriguing.
Temperature: Cold
Bucky Irving emerged as a revelation in 2024, showcasing possible superstar potential as he eventually evolved into an offensive centerpiece. His future is enticing, though we’ll see how losing a top-tier offensive coordinator like Liam Coen affects that trajectory.
Regardless, the 22-year-old Irving will be the unquestioned No. 1, with Rachaad White serving as an upper-tier change-of-pace option (a role in which he’s better-suited). Sean Tucker also flared to life here and there in a way that should have the Bucs feeling great about their top 3 options in the backfield.
White is in the last year of his deal and probably won’t stick around if Irving continues to ascend, so that may create a hole for next season but likely won’t force the team’s hand too much for now.
Drafting anyone here seems pretty unlikely unless it’s a late Day 3 name for something like kick returns.
Temperature: Warm
The Bucs receiving room has...
