NFL Draft expert gives Buccaneers top grade for 2025 rookie class

One prominent draft analyst came away thoroughly impressed by what Jason Licht and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers accomplished during the NFL Draft.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Similar to how NFL teams view draft prospects through their own unique perspective each year, NFL draft analysts have their own subjective lenses on when assessing which NFL teams fared the best in the draft each year. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, if you will — which is important context to consider any time you find yourself getting too worked up over somebody else's opinion on how your favorite team performed in the NFL draft.

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With that being said, certain individual are more qualified than others when it comes to evaluating NFL prospects and how they might perform at the next level. Connor Rogers of NBC Sports is someone who deserves to be taken seriously when it comes to his draft analysis, as he's one of the few who spends the entire calendar year evaluating prospects.

On Monday, Rogers released his draft grades for each NFL team, and he came away extremely impressed by what Jason Licht and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did with their six selections. How impressed? Well, Rogers gave the Buccaneers A. Not only that, but the Bucs were the only team in the league to earn a grade that high.

In a more detailed breakdown of his grades, Rogers explained why he liked the Buccaneers' draft picks so much. But before Rogers even got into discussing any prospects, he felt compelled to kick it off with some praise for the man in charge. in Tampa Bay.

"Year after year Jason Licht not only shows off how to maintain a roster, but the importance of supplementing it across all three days of the NFL draft," Rogers wrote.

Rogers started off by digging into the Bucs' first two selections, Ohio State WR, Emeka Egbuka (19th) and Notre Dame CB, Benjamin Morrison (53rd).

Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison celebrates after a third quarter interception against the Clemson Tigers. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

"Emeka Egbuka was one of the safer offensive players in this draft and brings a youth movement to an already loaded wide receiver room. How Benjamin Morrison bounces back from hip surgery could determine how correct this grade looks, but his 2023 tape was first-round caliber."

Rogers was also extremely fond of Tampa Bay's third round selection, Kansas State CB Jacob Parrish, who the team selected in the 3rd round.

"Jacob Parrish was one of 'my guys' in this draft. He’s young, athletic, mirrors well in coverage and has a nose for the ball despite his lack of size."

The final prospect Rogers mentioned specifically was Central Arkansas edge rusher David Walker, whom the Bucs selected in the 4th round (121st overall).

"David Walker was in a different class than the FCS talent he dominated, but I think his fire hydrant build with flexibility and power will translate as a pure pass rusher."

Although it won't actually count for anything, Buccaneers fans can take some pride in knowing that one of the best draft analysts in the business has Tampa Bay's rookie class for 2025 firmly atop his rankings as the best in the NFL.

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