The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lots of different needs at lots of different positions — it’s just 1 particular spot where they’re being told they’re worse off than any team in the NFL.
Just more than 1 week out from the NFL draft, Pro Football Focus singled out the Buccaneers as the team that needs an influx of talent at edge rushers worse than the other 31 teams.
“There are plenty of teams in search of a quality edge rusher in the draft to serve as a running mate to an already established veteran like Montez Sweat in Chicago and George Karlaftis in Kansas City,” PFF’s Daire Carragher wrote. “The Indianapolis Colts are another team with a need on the edge, but similarly, with blossoming star Laiatu Latu on hand, they are already halfway there. The Buccaneers have been very active in free agency to bolster their front seven in preparation for life without Lavonte David, but Al-Quadin Muhammad’s one-year deal doesn’t erase this position from the top of Tampa Bay’s shopping list. The Buccaneers got just 15 sacks from edge rushers last season (tied 27th), and over half of those came from Yaya Diaby, whose contract expires at the end of next season.”
Mock Draft Roundup Has Bucs Leaning Edge Rusher
One look at the mock draft roundup presented by the team’s official website shows the Buccaneers are heavily favored to draft an edge rusher in the 1st round.
Out of the 6 mock drafts presented on Monday, 5 of them had Tampa Bay selecting an edge rusher with the No. 23 overall pick in the 1st round — 2 mock drafts predicted Miami’s Akheem Mesidor, 2 predicted Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, and 1 predicted Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell.
“The overarching consensus in this week’s compilation of mocks is that Tampa Bay will take an edge in the first round to bolster the pass rush,” Buccaneers.com’s Brianna Dix wrote.
YaYa Diaby Called NFL’s ‘Most Underpaid Player’
Diaby’s numbers over his 1st 3 seasons — 19.0 total sacks — show a player who could very well command up to $20 million per year in free agency after playing out a 4-year, $5.46 million rookie contract with Tampa Bay.
It’s also why he’s an incredible value for the Buccaneers in the final year of his deal, with Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon putting Diaby on his list of the NFL’s “Most Underpaid Players” in 2026.
“The 2023 third-round pick has generally remained under the national radar while compiling 19 sacks and 47 quarterback hits in three pro seasons,” Gagnon wrote. “He’ll still count just $3.9 million against the Bucs’ cap in a walk year this fall.”
Diaby led the Buccaneers with 7.5 sacks as a rookie in 2023, saw a slight dip in his play due to nagging injuries with 4.5 sacks in 2024, but bounced back in 2025 with 7.0 sacks
One thing Diaby hasn’t done in his 1st 3 NFL seasons is miss a game — he’s played in 51 consecutive regular-season games, including 41 consecutive starts dating back to when he took the starting spot from former 1st round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka as a rookie in 2023.
According to NextGen Stats, when Diaby gets 1-on-1 blocking, he’s been one of the NFL’s very best — he ranked 6th in the NFL with 51 QB pressures when blocked 1-on-1 in 2025.
Buccaneers Urged to Target ‘Biggest Need’ in 1st Round