Bucs Nation
The Bucs buff up their defensive line depth with their 5th round pick.
The Buccaneers continued their focus on the front seven on early Day by picking SMU’s Elijah Roberts at 157th overall in the 5th round.
Roberts is a tweener type who simply knows how to get after the quarterback, but he projects best as a base end with his hand in the dirt for Todd Bowles’s scheme. That said, he’s familiarity with playing stand-up linebacker could afford Bowles some opportunities to unleash his dastardly creativity.
The Bucs desperately needed another body with some juice on the defensive line with Logan Hall on the final year of his deal, William Gholston possibly retiring, and very little NFL talent behind them. Roberts should definitely provide that, though it might a transition as he finds his footing in a more permanent role.
Let’s look at the team’s 2025 fifth pick in more detail.
Roberts originally came to the University of Miami as a highly touted 4-star recruit but played sparingly for the Hurricanes over three seasons. Playing 20 games and starting just one, Roberts went for a starting opportunity at Southern Methodist instead and took over for the Mustangs.
He proceeded to lead all players in the country in QB pressures over 2023 and 2024 (131 total) to go along with 23.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles. His sacks easily led the team, and he earned second-team All-AAC in 2023 and honorable mention All-AAC last year despite playing through a broken hand.
Roberts was a team captain in 2024 and attended the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Roberts’s game is one predicated on power and savvy since he’s an average, albeit quite large, athlete (6-foot-3, 285 pounds with 33 5/8” arms). RAS scored him as a squarely middle-of-the-road tester, but it’s enough to carve out a role in the pros.
Speed (4.78 40-yard dash, 2.78 20-yard split, 1.67 10-yard split) and explosives (31.5” vertical, 9-foot-8 broad) were all good, while agility wasn’t great in the shuttle (4.78) but the tape shows someone with serviceable lateral agility to get by linemen with his moves.
Overall, it continued the Bucs’ trend this year of generally valuing the tape, rather than pure athleticism (Jacob Parrish not withstanding). No one will call any of these picks bad athletes, but it’s clear the Bucs have faith in the production and other intangibles.
Roberts is a versatile workhorse who rocks blockers with heavy hands and thunderous contact (evidenced by his 4 forced fumbles). He’s a well-balanced player who basically never ended up on the turf, which is always a great sign for someone who’s so direct and violent with his game.
He’s shown a nice assortment of moves beyond a bull rush, including a swipe and cross-chop. He busts out a nice inside counter but needs to continue developing that area, and he can keep refining his pass rush...
