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The biggest hole on the Buccaneers roster is at inside linebacker. While Bucs legend Lavonte David has signed on for a 14th season in Tampa Bay, his retirement is imminent, and there are no other established linebackers on the roster. The Bucs must draft the future of the position this year.
These are the scenarios the Bucs face at the inside linebacker position in the 2025 NFL Draft:
It would be hard to argue that Alabama's Jihaad Campbell is the best inside linebacker prospect in this year's draft. Campbell is a superb athlete with an impressive resume at Alabama. He can do just about anything that's needed from an NFL linebacker: tackle, cover and rush the passer.
Campbell does not have Lavonte David's instincts (who does?), but he would be a drastic improvement over K.J. Britt, who was an assignment-sound linebacker but simply lacked the athleticism needed to start in Tampa Bay. Campbell will have no such problems and would be an immediate upgrade to the center of the Bucs' defense.
UCLA's Carson Schwesinger is looking more and more like the second best off-ball linebacker in this year's draft class. While his athleticism is not in the special range, his instincts and processing speed are, which makes him appear to play much faster. The former walk-on
The recent shortage of starting-caliber NFL linebackers could make Schwesinger a hot commodity on Day 2 of the draft. The Bucs might be in a position to trade up to acquire him if they have their hearts set on an heir to Lavonte David. Having him fall to them at pick 53 would be a huge win for a Tampa Bay team looking to build the future at the linebacker position.
On Day 3 of the draft, the Bucs tend to select out of two categories: excellent football players with hard ceilings on their athletic potential and impressive athletes who are still figuring things out on the field. Cal's Teddye Buchanan falls into the latter category.
Buchanan is fast, agile, and explosive. He can blitz and cover, though he will often find himself out of position to make a stop in run defense. At minimum, Buchanan would contribute immediately on special teams, but he has the upside to possibly start for the Bucs down the line.
Georgia hybrid LB Jalon Walker is one of the buzzier prospects in this year's draft thanks to his obvious athleticism and less obvious positional fit. The Bucs need both inside and outside linebackers, and while Walker has done the roles of both in his hybrid role with the Bulldogs, it is unclear whether he can actually play at either position in the NFL.
At 6'1" and 243 pounds, he is near-prototypical for an off-ball linebacker but definitely small for an edge defender. He lacks the ideal range of an off-ball linebacker and the bend of a consistent edge rusher. The gaps in his game raise more questions than his physical traits are able to answer.
While Todd Bowles certainly has no qualms blitzing his linebackers, the problems the Bucs had at inside linebacker next to Lavonte David last season stemmed from every other aspect of the position. Walker has such specific traits and skills that he would not address Tampa Bay's needs at any linebacker position.
Quite simply, the Bucs cannot afford to leave the 2025 draft without a linebacker. Lavonte David is in his mid-30s, and the presumptive starter next to him is 2023 fifth-round pick SirVocea Dennis, who has never started a game in the NFL. The Bucs signed Anthony Walker from the Dolphins, but he is at best a spot starter and little more than a player swap for K.J. Britt, who left Tampa Bay to join Miami.
If nothing else, Tampa Bay just needs more options at the linebacker position. Linebackers in today's NFL often need years to develop into good or even reliable starters. A first-round selection or even top-end athletic traits are no guarantee that a linebacker will have a good NFL career, so the Bucs should not feel pressured to use their first pick on a linebacker, regardless of the need.
The Bucs just need to add more talent at inside linebacker. Value can be found throughout the draft, as David's Hall-of-Fame resume proved after his selection in the second round of the 2012 draft.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: What are the Bucs draft plans for the inside linebacker position?
Continue reading...
These are the scenarios the Bucs face at the inside linebacker position in the 2025 NFL Draft:
Best case scenario: Drafting Jihaad Campbell in the first round
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It would be hard to argue that Alabama's Jihaad Campbell is the best inside linebacker prospect in this year's draft. Campbell is a superb athlete with an impressive resume at Alabama. He can do just about anything that's needed from an NFL linebacker: tackle, cover and rush the passer.
Campbell does not have Lavonte David's instincts (who does?), but he would be a drastic improvement over K.J. Britt, who was an assignment-sound linebacker but simply lacked the athleticism needed to start in Tampa Bay. Campbell will have no such problems and would be an immediate upgrade to the center of the Bucs' defense.
The "value" pick: Carson Schwesinger falling to Tampa Bay in the second round
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UCLA's Carson Schwesinger is looking more and more like the second best off-ball linebacker in this year's draft class. While his athleticism is not in the special range, his instincts and processing speed are, which makes him appear to play much faster. The former walk-on
The recent shortage of starting-caliber NFL linebackers could make Schwesinger a hot commodity on Day 2 of the draft. The Bucs might be in a position to trade up to acquire him if they have their hearts set on an heir to Lavonte David. Having him fall to them at pick 53 would be a huge win for a Tampa Bay team looking to build the future at the linebacker position.
The "sleeper" pick: Teddye Buchanan
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On Day 3 of the draft, the Bucs tend to select out of two categories: excellent football players with hard ceilings on their athletic potential and impressive athletes who are still figuring things out on the field. Cal's Teddye Buchanan falls into the latter category.
Buchanan is fast, agile, and explosive. He can blitz and cover, though he will often find himself out of position to make a stop in run defense. At minimum, Buchanan would contribute immediately on special teams, but he has the upside to possibly start for the Bucs down the line.
The popular pick that does not fit: Jalon Walker
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Georgia hybrid LB Jalon Walker is one of the buzzier prospects in this year's draft thanks to his obvious athleticism and less obvious positional fit. The Bucs need both inside and outside linebackers, and while Walker has done the roles of both in his hybrid role with the Bulldogs, it is unclear whether he can actually play at either position in the NFL.
At 6'1" and 243 pounds, he is near-prototypical for an off-ball linebacker but definitely small for an edge defender. He lacks the ideal range of an off-ball linebacker and the bend of a consistent edge rusher. The gaps in his game raise more questions than his physical traits are able to answer.
While Todd Bowles certainly has no qualms blitzing his linebackers, the problems the Bucs had at inside linebacker next to Lavonte David last season stemmed from every other aspect of the position. Walker has such specific traits and skills that he would not address Tampa Bay's needs at any linebacker position.
Worst case scenario: Not drafting a linebacker at all
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Quite simply, the Bucs cannot afford to leave the 2025 draft without a linebacker. Lavonte David is in his mid-30s, and the presumptive starter next to him is 2023 fifth-round pick SirVocea Dennis, who has never started a game in the NFL. The Bucs signed Anthony Walker from the Dolphins, but he is at best a spot starter and little more than a player swap for K.J. Britt, who left Tampa Bay to join Miami.
If nothing else, Tampa Bay just needs more options at the linebacker position. Linebackers in today's NFL often need years to develop into good or even reliable starters. A first-round selection or even top-end athletic traits are no guarantee that a linebacker will have a good NFL career, so the Bucs should not feel pressured to use their first pick on a linebacker, regardless of the need.
The Bucs just need to add more talent at inside linebacker. Value can be found throughout the draft, as David's Hall-of-Fame resume proved after his selection in the second round of the 2012 draft.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: What are the Bucs draft plans for the inside linebacker position?
Continue reading...
