The 2026 NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh next April, a city where the Buccaneers will be for a week for joint practices and a preseason game in August. Before those events, though, there will be plenty of speculation and buildup for the team and who they may add to the roster through the draft.
ESPN’s Matt Miller dropped the latest 2026 NFL mock draft of the Summer recently. Within it, the Bucs were once again attached to a position in which the team has had a glaring need for over a year now: edge rusher. While the linebacker class in 2026 is looking like one of the better ones in recent memory, edge rushers are always hard to pass up.
Miller gave the Bucs someone who started their career in their home state of Florida, in former Seminole edge rusher, Patrick Payton. He writes, “Payton has been on scouts’ radar since 2022, flashing as a freshman at Florida State before compiling seven sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2023. He struggled along with the rest of the Seminoles in 2024, with his sack total falling to four. He’ll look to regain his first-round status at LSU in 2025. If he does, Payton would be an intriguing fit for the Buccaneers, as his quickness and speed off the edge would be an ideal match to the power that defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey possess.”
Adding someone like Payton, who has shown consistent growth year over year in college, is perfect for the Bucs. While he may not be a guy they can rely on in a big way from day one, he is someone who could thrive in the roation alongside Yaya Diaby.