Bucs Gameday

Multiple Buccaneers players make CBS Sports' 2025 top 100

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be loaded with talent in 2025.
A general view of Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmets against the Kansas City Chiefs.
A general view of Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmets against the Kansas City Chiefs. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

In this story:


The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won their division four years in a row and have two playoff wins to their name in that span, and you don't do that without having some serious talent.

Most of that talent is homegrown, too, as general manager Jason Licht has done an excellent job drafting Buccaneers and bringing on undrafted free agents. 20 of the team's 22 starters on offense and defense during Week 1 were players Licht either drafted or signed as an undrafted free agent, and Licht also brought the entire starting offense back in 2025. And luckily for the Bucs, a lot of those players like drafted have turned out to be some of the NFL's very best.

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco released his list of the NFL's top 100 players for 2025, and five Buccaneers made the list — and of those five, four of them were players that Licht himself drafted. Bucs featured in the ranking include left tackle Tristan Wirfs (20), quarterback Baker Mayfield (57), wide receiver Mike Evans (82), safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (89) and running back Bucky Irving (94).

READ MORE: Could Bucs QB Baker Mayfield regress this upcoming season?

The Bucs have one more player than they did in last year's rankings, with Prisco axing linebacker Lavonte David from this year's rankings and then adding Irving and Mayfield. The Bucs also have the most players of any NFC South team on the list, beating out the Falcons (3), Saints (0) and Panthers (0).

The Bucs have had lots of talent, but they still need to figure out how to put the complete picture together. The team went 9-8 in 2024 and 10-7 in 2025 after digging itself into midseason holes and then having to climb out of them, and head coach Todd Bowles would prefer to definitively win the NFC South in 2025. His coaching, along with new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard's debut as a playcaller, will go a long way to either accomplishing that goal or failing entirely — but it's hard to say the Bucs don't have the talent to get it done.


READ MORE: PFF ranks Buccaneers linebacker outside Top 20 in latest rankings

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 offseason.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Antoine Winfield Jr. must bounce back for Buccaneers

• Buccaneers star playmakers endorse new OC Josh Grizzard

• Former Buccaneers star Antonio Brown wanted for attempted murder

• Buccaneers third-year linebacker ready to make presence known


Published
River Wells
RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.

Share on XFollow @riverhwells