Why Buccaneers Shouldn't Pick This Player in First Round of 2026 NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of needs on defense. They've worked to fill some of them by signing linebacker Alex Anzalone, defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson and edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad in free agency, but there's still plenty of work to do.

Despite that work, though, the Bucs also lost wideout Mike Evans to the San Francisco 49ers. Evans is a big-bodied X receiver that the Bucs don't have now that he's gone, as their other three wideouts are all spacefinders that operate best out of the slot. With that in mind, the Buccaneers could use to replace him and find a similar player, and ESPN's Mel Kiper thinks he has the perfect fit in his latest mock draft.

It isn't a wideout, though, but instead a tight end — Kiper has the Bucs taking Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq with the No. 15 pick. Here's what he had to say about it:

"For the first time since he was drafted in 2014, Mike Evans won't be suiting up for the Buccaneers. The veteran receiver signed with the 49ers, and though Tampa Bay still has Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr. and Jalen McMillan, it is going to miss Evans' 6-foot-5 size downfield and in the red zone.

Sadiq could fill some of that void. Defenses struggle to match up with him because of his big 6-3 frame and 4.39 speed, and he has the explosive traits to go up and get 50-50 balls. Sure, the Bucs re-signed tight end Cade Otton, but new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson ran 12 personnel (two tight ends) 38.2% of the time in Atlanta last season, second most in the NFL."

That all sounds appealing, and there is a lot to like about Sadiq and his game — he caught eight touchdowns last year at Oregon, after all. But should the Bucs really spend a top pick on another offensive player? Almost certainly not.

Buccaneers should not pursue Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq

Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) looks on before the game against the James Madison Dukes | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers cannot afford to pick the best player available in this upcoming draft. They addressed some needs on defense in free agency, but due to how little depth they have on the defensive side of the ball, they need to double up on all of these positions.

Muhammad is not the premier edge rusher the Bucs need, so they'll have to draft another one. In a similar vein, Anzalone will start at linebacker in Tampa Bay — but franchise legend Lavonte David strangely still hasn't decided whether or not he's going to play football in 2026, so the Bucs might desperately need another off-ball linebacker. There's a good argument that even if he does return, his significant drop-off in lateral speed should make the Bucs draft his replacement anyway.

With all that in mind, Sadiq would be a luxury pick the Bucs cannot afford. They already went wide receiver in Round 1 last year by drafting Emeka Egbuka, and although Egbuka shows some promise, the defense suffered greatly last year. Licht and the Bucs likely don't want to make the same mistake, so Tampa Bay will almost certainly go with a defensive pick this year.

Finally, Tampa Bay paid tight end Cade Otton $30 million on a new extension this offseason. The Bucs would almost certainly not draft Sadiq with the money they put into Otton, so doing so would make even less sense.

The Bucs need a superstar to change their grim outlook on the 2026 season in the NFL Draft. Just don't expect it to be Sadiq.

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