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UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger is moving up several NFL Draft big boards including the Buccaneers / via UCLA Football

2025 Buccaneers Dream Mock Draft

April 8, 2025

Hey Buccaneers fans, the NFL Draft is just over two weeks away. Prospects are in the process of meeting with teams and teams are in the process of finalizing their big board. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the pool of candidates is beginning to take shape.

However, this mock draft is not about what the Bucs want. It’s more about what they need. Where they might have pause with certain athletic profiles of the specifics of how a player might fit into the locker room, I as an evaluator can look at players just on the football field and how they will fit with the rest of the roster.

After spending countless hours watching film on dozens and dozens of prospects, I have formed my own opinions on these players. Based on that and my knowledge of the Bucs and their roster, I have come to my own conclusions as to what the team should do. This mock draft is not predictive, but rather my own personal Buccaneers dream mock draft.

19) Jahdae Barron, Defensive Back, Texas

This is one of my favorite players in the entire draft and someone I view as a top ten overall talent. So to get him at pick 19 would be an absolute steal for the Bucs. Beyond that, his versatility to play outside corner, nickel as well as safety make him a player who can fill a lot of needs for the team.

Barron is excellent in zone coverage. His overall awareness is fantastic and he has the athletic ability and ball skills to make big plays. This is one of the best defenders and one of the smartest overall players in the draft.

And while some may shy away from his lack of size, I have seen enough of Barron to know that he plays a lot bigger than his listed 5’11 and 194 lbs. This is a very physical run defender who hangs his hat on stopping the run. It doesn’t matter where you want to play him in the secondary or what you ask him to do, Barron can get the job done.

53) Carson Schwesinger, Linebacker, UCLA

While many mock drafts have the Bucs taking a defensive back such as Xavier Watts or Shavon Revel (both of whom I would love in this spot) by taking Barron in the first round they don’t have the need to take a defensive back here. Instead, it allows them to address their biggest needs in linebacker. And as luck would have it, my second ranked linebacker is still on the board in Schwesinger.

The first thing that stands out with Schwesinger is his ability in coverage. He is very light on his feet and shows natural instincts and awareness in zone coverage. Where covering the middle of the field was a weakness for this team last year, it’s easy to believe that it would be a strength moving forward with this pick.

I also see a natural feel for the game when Schwesinger is attacking forward. He picks through traffic very well and cuts through the line of scrimmage to make plays in the backfield. He reminds me a lot of Lavonte David as a guy who had a nontraditional college pathway (having joined UCLA as a walk-on), but stole the show when he got his opportunity on the big stage.

84) Josaiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan

The Buccaneers brass has preached about getting a pass rush with just four rushers and I agree that it is very important. So if I’m not getting a pass rusher early in the draft, Stewart is my favorite day two option. If he wasn’t just 6’1 then I believe he would be in first round conversations based on his tape.

If you watched him play you wouldn’t guess that Stewart is undersized. He is a physical and feisty run defender who doesn’t get pushed around comparatively to other edge prospects. He reminds me a lot of Shaq Barrett in the way that he is on the shorter side but plays bigger than you’d expect.

Another way that these two players are similar is their pass rush ability. Stewart is a speed rusher who can win around the edge with agility, but also has a few good moves in his back pocket to keep opponents on their heels. Putting pressure on the quarterback is the main attraction here.

121) Jamaree Caldwell, Nose Tackle, Oregon

Jason Licht loves to build in the trenches. This could not be more clear by the way he’s invested his top draft pick in the offensive or defensive line in six of the last seven drafts. Trench play is the identity of this football team.

So with the chance to add quality depth at this point in the draft, it’s hard to pass up a guy like Caldwell. At 6’2 and 330 he brings the size and power to anchor the middle of the defense. His presence on the field would immediately improve the Buccaneers run defense.

However, I also see some pass rush upside here. Despite logging zero sacks last season, Caldwell did have 6.5 two years ago when he played at Houston. A new role in a new defense may have asked him to do different things, but I still see flashes on tape that make me believe he has some untapped potential in this area.

157) Zah Frazier, Cornerback, UTSA

Very much in the mold of Zyon McCollum a few years ago, Frazier is a tall athletic corner with starting caliber upside. The game looks almost effortless for him at times and is most always in a good position to make a play.

What’s even better is that Frazier isn’t extremely raw as a prospect. He had six interceptions last season and nine passes defended. This is a legitimate talent who isn’t far off from contributing at the NFL level.

There are obviously level of competition questions here. The game looks easy when you play against inferior opponents. However, I believe if Frazier had played at a big name school then we would be talking about him as a top 50 prospect in the draft.

235) Nick Martin, Linebacker, Oklahoma State

There historically aren’t many linebackers who played in the NFL that are under 6’0 tall. It’s a bigger, stronger, faster type of league and players that small at a position this physical don’t typically hold up. That’s a big part of why these players slide in the draft.

For example, Nakobe Dean won the Butkus award in 2021 and was an All American linebacker on a national championship winning team. He slid all the way to the third round. I believe this will be the same for Martin, who is a less decorated player and will likely fall even further in the draft.

Based on ability, Martin is one of the best linebackers in the draft. He is very fast, very physical and plays with natural instincts. He also has decent coverage ability, particularly in man to man, and has the tools to do everything that Todd Bowles could ask of him.