The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have long made it a staple of their draft to go defense in the first-round, as before 2024, the franchise had gone defense in five of the previous six seasons in the first round.

But the last two drafts, the Buccaneers have changed up that process, going offense with Graham Barton in 2024, and then Emeka Egbuka in 2025.

Given the defensive needs for Todd Bowles’ unit, it does feel like the Buccaneers could look to add a pass rusher to their ranks in the first-round.

However, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., in his latest mock, has the offensive trend continuing, with Tampa Bay adding Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq.

“There’s a chance we see more two-tight-end sets in Tampa Bay with coordinator Zac Robinson’s offense coming to town and the loss of receiver Mike Evans in free agency,” Kiper Jr. wrote. “So, I’m not sweating the Cade Otton re-signing as a major deterrent to the Bucs looking at Sadiq as an option in the middle of Round 1. He had 560 receiving yards last season, and a lot of that came after the catch.”

More: Did ESPN give Ravens ideal draft selection?

Do Buccaneers need TE upgrade?

Well, Cade Otton posted 572 yards and a touchdown, so the Buccaneers, especially with Mike Evans moving on, might want to add some more firepower for Baker Mayfield.

But can the Buccaneers afford to go offense and not address their pass rush? I’m not sure.

Yaya Diaby led the way with 7.0 sacks last season, and Haason Reddick, the player Tampa thought was going to be the difference maker, posted just 2.5 sacks from 13 games. So it is clear the Buccaneers need to get more bite from their pass rush.

Yes, Sadiq has the potential to be a unicorn at the tight end position, but do the Bucs really need that this season? 

Well, when you draft the best player available, the decision could be rather easy.

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