Getty LSU edge rusher/outside linebacker Harold Perkins Jr.
It might take some time for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to solve the problem that is their lack of star power at edge rusher/outside linebacker.
How much time? ESPN’s Matt Miller thinks about one year. He has the Buccaneers projected to select LSU’s Harold Perkins at No. 12 overall in his latest 2025 NFL mock draft released on July 2.
“Perkins was misused at linebacker last season, but he will move back to edge rusher in new defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s scheme this year,” Miller wrote. “And we could see him use his great speed to eclipse his 13 career sacks this season alone. That might entice the Buccaneers, who are looking for a defensive end to break out and emerge as a true threat to opposing offenses. Veteran Shaquil Barrett is gone in free agency, and Tampa Bay’s 27.3% pressure rate ranked 24th in the league last season, so adding to this group could be a frontline need come next offseason.”
Were the Buccaneers to select Perkins, it would be the fifth consecutive year they’ve selected a pass-rushing specialist — 2023 third-round pick YaYa Diaby led Tampa Bay with 7.5 sacks in 2023.
Perkins is Undersized but Dominant Defender
Perkins, a New Orleans native, is only 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds but has dominated the highest level of college competition the last two seasons.
Through his first two seasons, Perkins is a two-time All-SEC pick at two different positions — outside linebacker in 2022 and inside linebacker in 2023 — and has 147 career tackles, 26 TFL, 13.0 sacks, 9 pass deflections, 7 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions.
Perkins was named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-American Team on July 1.
“I think (Perkins) has done a phenomenal job buying into what we want to do. I think you can use Harold in a variety of different ways, I think we have to start him somewhere and get him really good at that but he’s so explosive,” LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker told 247Sports. “He’s got an innate ability to turn the edge so we’re going to find out what he does best and utilize his skillsets. That’s something we’ve always done with this scheme, find a way to get our best players to do what they do best.”
Buccaneers Need to Put Pressure on Quarterbacks
While the Buccaneers have continued to draft edge rushers year after year, very few of them have worked out recently.
While Diaby led the team with 7.5 sacks in 2023, it’s a very small sample size so the future with him is unknown.
Two players who the Buccaneers spent high draft picks on who haven’t panned out in recent years are 2021 first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and 2022 second-round pick (No. 33 overall) Logan Hall. Hall has just 3.0 sacks through his first two seasons and Tryon-Shoyinka has 13.0 sacks through three seasons.
The Buccaneers declined the fifth-year option on Tryon-Shoyinka’s contract in the offseason and his name has been thrown about as a possible trade candidate.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put Tryon-Shoyinka on his list of players teams should consider trading before training camp.
“With Shaquil Barrett now in Miami, the Buccaneers aren’t exactly loaded on the edge behind Tryon-Shoyinka and (YaYa) Diaby,” Davenport wrote. “But the team did add veteran Randy Gregory in free agency, who is essentially (production-wise) an older version of Tryon-Shoyinka. The team has already declined Tryon-Shoyinka’s fifth-year option, so 2024 is a contract year. There’s at least a chance that there’s a team out there who believes their defense is a better fit — that they can ‘fix’ Tryon-Shoyinka. If the offer is appealing enough, perhaps the Buccaneers should let them.”