Bucs Nation
The Bucs have done an excellent job at continuing to build their wide receiver room into the latter year’s of Mike Evans’ career. They managed to pair him with Chris Godwin for the better part of the last decade and have since also drafted Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, and Tez Johnson. But if there’s anything that this season has shown in regards to the Bucs offense it’s that Evans and Godwin aren’t going to be around forever and the amount of time taken away from those two this year has essentially forced Tampa Bay to experience that future a bit sooner than expected.
Egbuka, McMillan, and Johnson is a nice foundation for the future of that room, and it also helps that tight end Cade Otton has emerged as a trustworthy target for Baker Mayfield. However, Otton has been good for a nice security blanket, but getting some real juice at the tight end position could really take this offense to a new place.
Enter Field Yates’ latest mock draft where he has the Bucs selecting Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq with the 19th overall pick. Sadiq is arguably the top player at his position in this upcoming class and he’s coming off his best year where he earned First-Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten TE of the Year honors.
Here’s what Yates had to say about the pairing:
“With tight end Cade Otton slated to became a free agent in March, the Bucs are potentially thin at the position. Sadiq is one of best prospects in this class in terms of athletic ability, and he has been great after the catch at Oregon. Scouts have questions about Sadiq’s length, but he’s extremely versatile and can make an impact in an NFL offense. He has 40 catches for 490 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025. With aging offensive playmakers in Mike Evans (32) and Chris Godwin Jr. (30 in February), the future of Tampa Bay’s offense could be built around Jalen McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Bucky Irving and Sadiq.”
As a true junior this season, Sadiq has caught 40 passes for 490 yards and eight touchdowns, all of which are career highs. His sophomore campaign saw him catch 24 passes for 308 yards and two scores. As a freshman, he caught one touchdown on only five receptions.
At 6’3 and 245, Sadiq is a prototypical, modern day H-Back tight end that can line up all over the offense. He has the athleticism to be isolated on the outside, used as a wing near the line of scrimmage, or in the slot to mismatch against linebackers. The Bucs have been at the forefront of some of the NFL’s best offensive seasons in recent years and a talent like Sadiq is all but a perfect fit to be utilized by their excellent offensive staff.
So how would you all feel about Sadiq being the Bucs’ first-round pick this season? Yay or nay?
