The 2024 NFL Draft is April 25-27 in Detroit. Here is the first-round order, per Tankathon.
The Bucs surprised nearly everyone outside of Tampa Bay by holding on to NFC South bragging rights last season. Most predicted the team would decline after quarterback Tom Brady’s retirement, but the Bucs improved in 2023 under Baker Mayfield, a 2024 free agent. They finished the season 9-8 and advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs, where they lost to the Lions.
For Tampa to build on its surprising run, here are three players it should target in next month’s draft.
2023 record: 9-8 | First-round pick: No. 26 | Team needs: OL, LB, CB
Potential first-round draft picks: Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL, Oregon; Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri; Payton Wilson, LB, NC State
Tampa Bay’s offensive line has been among the league’s worst for the past couple of seasons, but this year’s strong class of linemen gives the Bucs options to improve the unit, even with them picking near the end of Round 1. NFL Media analyst Charles Davis named Powers-Johnson as his pick for the Bucs in the first round of his most recent mock draft.
Per Pro Football Focus, Powers-Johnson had the second-best run-block grade among 281 interior offensive linemen with at least 296 run-block snaps. Last season, the Bucs ranked last in rushing for the second consecutive year. Their running backs averaged a paltry 3.4 yards per attempt.
Powers-Johnson would also give the Bucs quarterback in 2024, whether that’s Mayfield or somebody else, a clean pocket to throw out of. PFF data shows Powers-Johnson somehow only allowed one pressure in 512 pass-rush opportunities last season.
One of his best highlights came against Stanford, when he had the year’s most outstanding “John Wick” impersonation, taking out two Cardinal defenders, lineman Anthony Franklin (No. 94) at the start of the play and linebacker Tristan Sinclair (No. 8) to end it.