Tampa Bay Buccaneers Appear to be Targeting Top Pass Rushers in NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently signed veteran edge rusher Randy Gregory after they let Shaq Barrett walk in free agency, looking to bolster the pass rush that the team desperately missed at moments in 2023. After being somewhat lackluster in getting into the opponents' backfield last season, the Buccaneers have already started to look for younger, more athletic players and will once again get the chance to potentially land one of the more elite collegiate draftees with their first-round pick, No. 26 overall.

With the 2024 NFL draft just under two weeks away, the Buccaneers have brought in and met with a number of prospects and it looks like they are paying extra close to pass rushers as Matt Miller points out in a recent ESPN piece about the latest news and questions as we approach the NFL draft.

“The Buccaneers were very active on the pro day circuit visiting with the top pass-rushers in the class. I spoke to a defensive line coach recently who noted that Tampa Bay has been doing a ton of work on Laiatu Latu, Chop Robinson (Penn State) and Darius Robinson (Missouri). The expectation is the team could target a defensive end with the No. 26 pick and then hit needs on the offensive line in Round 2 or with one of two selections in Round 3.”

Getting an elite, young, athletic pass rusher in this draft would likely do wonders for all levels of the Buccaneers’ defense. The secondary struggled last year and a portion of that struggle was due to opposing quarterbacks having all day in the pocket. If the Buccaneers can put it all together on both sides of the ball at all levels they should be able to build upon their Divisional round visit in the playoffs last season.

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