Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq.
One fun thing about the NFL draft is the drama and intrigue and the suspense that goes along with it.
Who is drafting whom? And when? Who might be available when the Bucs are on the clock? And would the Bucs trade the pick?
It’s far, far, far more fun and suspenseful than a ping-pong movie, isn’t it, Ira?
So Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht has drafted the obvious (Tristan Wirfs and America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston) and thrown people curveballs (Mike Evans, Vita Vea and Emeka Egbuka).
Now Joe writing recently about drafting a tight end in the first round, and even on Twitter, gets some folks fully triggered. One dude was positively enraged at Joe and wanted federal authorities to shut this site down over the suggestion the Bucs may draft a tight end at No. 15. Very likely the angriest Twitter Joe ever received.
Look, Joe is all for Keyon Sadiq, the freak tight end from Oregon. But Joe has always leaned toward getting an inside linebacker at No. 15 and maybe Baylor tight end Michael Trigg, a Tampa native, on the second day of the draft.
So what might Licht do?
Well, the key inside linebacker, Sonny Styles, is unlikely to be on the board when the Bucs pick. The next best inside linebacker is either C.J. Allen or Anthony Hill, from Georgia and Texas, respectively. But both might be a little bit of a reach at No. 15. Maybe more than a reach.
Licht doesn’t seem to be the kind of guy to reach for players in the first round.
Joe’s research shows that when Zac Robinson, the Bucs’ new offensive coordinator, was in Atlanta, he used two-tight end sets a lot. In fact, last year, per Sharp Football Analysis, the Dixie Chicks used two or more tight ends on 45.7 percent of offensive plays in 2025, fifth-most in the NFL.
So it seems those who think Sadiq might be the Bucs’ pick, it sort of makes sense. Would Joe like to see Devin Culp used more? Sure, but if you are comparing Sadiq and Culp, come on.
And Payne Durham is strictly an in-line tight end. If he was a downfield threat, we would have seen it by now in Durham’s three Bucs seasons.
So those in the national media who have been schlocking Sadiq to the Bucs might be onto something.
The past 4 drafts have given the NFL Elite Tight Ends:
– Trey McBride (2022)
– Sam LaPorta (2023)
– Brock Bowers (2024)
– Colston Loveland (2025)
– Tyler Warren (2025)
Will Kenyon Sadiq keep the trend in 2026?
— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) March 24, 2026