What the NFL Draft Told Us About Todd Bowles' Real Plan for the Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had what most are calling a successful NFL Draft, bringing in three potential starters — Missouri's Josiah Trotter and Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. and Keionte Scott — along with a haul of extremely athletic players who could develop into something special.

Four of the seven players the Buccaneers drafted came on the defensive side of the ball, though, and the Buccaneers got some help on defense just like many expected them to. Trotter, Bain and Scott, along with Clemson DT DeMonte Capehart, could all be big contributors in their rookie season, and all of them share a common archetype that could help Bucs head coach and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles quite a bit in 2026 and beyond.

Bowles mentioned that the NFL Combine that he wanted the Buccaneers to get bigger. Not only have they done that, but they've also gotten much more aggressive, and that's what Tampa Bay is looking for in its football team.

Buccaneers are getting bigger and aggressive to combat recent trends

Missouri Tigers linebacker Josiah Trotter (40) reacts during the first quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

All of the Buccaneers' defensive picks have something in common. Bain Jr. excelled in run defense at Miami, using his excellent strength and hand techniques to stifle runs in the backfield. Trotter was a great blitzer and Mizzou and has a knack for disrupting plays in between the tackles, and Scott had 13 TFLs at Miami while showcasing his excellent blitzing prowess alongside Bain. Finally, Capehart is a block eater at defensive tackle, and his exceptional strength saw him win plenty of reps and disrupt play designs at Clemson.

All of these players have good size, excellent athleticism and a knack for blitzing and run-stuffing. Tampa Bay's defense is set to be far more aggressive, especially when it comes to run-stuffing and blitzing, and that should help improve a Bowles defense that is already stout against the run. But this all helps against the passing game, too, because NFL teams are getting a lot bigger on offense and the Bucs are building the personnel to match.

NFL offenses are now using 12 and 13 personnel, adding extra tight ends, at an increasing rate. This allows teams to control defensive personnel by forcing them to add bigger players to counteract the tight ends, and offenses can now pass into this heavy formation to both their tight ends and regular receivers.

Now that the Bucs have gotten bigger on defense and have drafted players like Bain, Trotter and Scott who aren't afraid of contact and flying into the gap, Bowles can build a roster of starters that can hang with the biggest and strongest NFL offenses. Bowles has long been lauded for his defensive mind, and he's certainly on top of this new NFL trend — and when the Bucs play teams like this in the regular season, Bowles and general manager Jason Licht will know they're ready to take it on.

While there were more defensive players drafted than offensive players, that doesn't mean this rule just applies to the defensive side of the ball. Georgia State wideout Ted Hurst, taken in the third round, is a big-bodied receiver who the Buccaneers hope can be a physical X wideout. Guard Billy Schrauth and tight end Bauer Sharp also display good size and strength, and they both build up solid, athletic depth for Tampa Bay in an effort to make the offense bigger, too.

The NFL is constantly evolving, and the Buccaneers need to play with an edge that they simply didn't have last year. With this draft class, the Bucs solve both, getting bigger and faster to play against bigger sets and acquiring physical players who aren't afraid of contact to add some aggression to the roster.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google