TAMPA, Fla. -- The 2025 NFL draft began Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scheduled to make six picks of the draft's 257, beginning with the No. 19 selection on Day 1. Follow here for all of the Bucs' picks in the three-day event.
Analysis of every pick | Updated depth chart
Round 1, No. 19 overall: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
My take: The Bucs just re-signed Chris Godwin to a three-year deal worth $66 million, and general manager Jason Licht said Thursday that Godwin is on schedule in his recovery from his ankle injury. So if they're primarily lining up in three-receiver sets, who's the odd man out? That, plus having just six picks, makes this feel like a luxury pick when they had more pressing needs at edge rusher and cornerback. Make no mistake about it, though -- Egbuka is worthy of a top-20 pick, and this could become a really smart pick should Godwin have a setback, and considering Mike Evans is entering the final year of his contract.
Key stat: Egbuka's 205 career receptions were the most in Ohio State history and his 2,868 career receiving yards rank second all time behind Michael Jenkins (2,898 yards) and ahead of David Boston (2,855 yards), Gary Williams (2,792 yards) and Cris Carter (2,725).
Ties to the team to know: Bucs wide receivers coach Brian McClendon recruited Egbuka in high school, and Egbuka played against last year's third-round draft pick, Jalen McMillan, in 7-on-7 when they were in high school.
Round 2, No. 53: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
My take: Morrison is talented. His highest completion percentage that he gave up in college was 38.5%. But like starting cornerback Jamel Dean, who missed nine games over the last two seasons, injuries are a concern. Morrison had hip surgery in October (he also had a hip injury in high school) and arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in 2024. He's also a bit tight in his transitions, but his ability fills a huge need for the Bucs, if he can stay healthy.
Key stat: Coach Todd Bowles said "I want ballhawks" after the team had only seven interceptions this past season. Morrison had nine interceptions in two seasons, with 19 pass breakups in that span. Even more impressive, he did not allow a touchdown in 159 coverage snaps in 2024. The Bucs allowed 27 touchdowns last season -- 19th in the NFL.
Round 3, No. 84: Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State
My take: The Bucs channeled 2019 by doubling up on cornerbacks. Like Morrison, Parrish was primarily an outside corner in college. But at 5-9, he'll move inside at this next level where he'll compete with Christian Izien for the starting nickelback job, as the expectation is that Tykee Smith, last year's third-round pick and starting nickel, moves to strong safety.
Key stat: Parrish clocked a time of 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine -- the fourth-fastest among defensive backs in 2025, and he reached as high as 23.84 mph, according NFL Next Gen Stats. He also has Bowles' coveted ball skills, with 19 pass breakups since 2023 and five career interceptions.
Round 4, No. 121: David Walker, Edge, Central Arkansas
My take: The Bucs needed to keep adding to this group with Haason Reddick on a one-year "prove-it" deal and last year's second-round pick, Chris Braswell, still an unknown commodity. The three-time FCS AP All-American led the FCS with 23 tackles for loss last season and 10.5 sacks. At 6-foot-1 and 263-pounds, length is a concern but he's got an explosive bull rush with a very powerful lower body.
Round 5, No. 157: Elijah Roberts, DL, SMU
My take: The Bucs see the 6-foot-5, 285-pound Roberts, who ran an impressive 4.78 40-yard dash at the combine as a potential edge player and a defensive lineman they can move around. He's a power rusher with 17.5 sacks, 23.5 tackles for a loss and four forced fumbles over the last two seasons. Roberts also had an edge pressure percentage of 14.2%, just behind second-round draft pick and FBS sack leader Mike Greene at 15.4%.
Round 7, No. 235: Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon
My take:The knock on Johnson is his size, at 5-foot-10 and 154 pounds, and he ran a 4.51 at the NFL combine. But he looks much quicker on tape and was a highly productive player in college. He lined up in the slot on 74% of his routes in 2024 and he can be a factor in the Bucs' screen game. He had 86 receptions in 2023 and 83 in 2024 -- the top two seasons in Oregon history in terms of receptions. Prior to that, he had 1,598 rec yards in 2021-22 at Troy, the most in the Sun Belt in that span.