The 2026 NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh next April, a city where the Bucs found success this preseason with a last-second field goal to defeat the Steelers. Before next April, though, there will be plenty of speculation and buildup for the team and who they may add to the roster through the draft.
PFF’s Trevor Sikkema recently released the latest 2026 NFL mock draft of the cycle. Within it, the Bucs were attached to Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker. The ACC defender started the year as a top ten pick and started slow, but ended the season on a really good stretch.
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Sikkema explains the pick, writing, “The Bucs would love to get their hands on linebacker Sonny Styles from Ohio State if he falls to them, but he didn’t in this scenario — and he’s likely the only first-round linebacker they’d consider. They also have a major need for a true one-on-one pass-rush winner off the edge. It hasn’t been the best year for Parker, but at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, with run-defense and pass-rush grades above 76.0 and a 15.4% pass-rush win rate, Tampa Bay will take that kind of all-around player.”
Parker opposite Yaya Diaby would be a nice pairing with youth on the side of the Bucs edge rushing for the first time in a long time.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs land dominant ACC defender in latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft