Mel Kiper Issues Final Mock Draft, Has Bucs Taking Kenyon Sadiq
April 15th, 2026
Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq.
Ol’ helmet hair Mel Kiper, the living grandaddy of NFL draft coverage, has changed course this season and issued his final two-round mock draft early.
The drama is over for those who hang on Kiper’s every word.
Kiper says the Bucs will take Oregon athletic freak tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 15 overall. “Weapons equal winning,” Kiper said on ESPN TV. He believes Sadiq is “a scoreboard changer” and would deliver the greatest impact for the Buccaneers in Year 1 among available players — in addition to having just turned 21 years old.
Kiper also painted Sadiq as the prototypical player profile for Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht: super smart, in love with football and a great young man that would “wow people over” in predraft interviews.
Might Sadiq go earlier? Kiper said the intel he got in recent weeks was that Sadiq going No. 9 to the Chiefs is too soon, but he thinks the Ravens could be in play for Sadiq at No. 14 overall.
April 15th, 2026 at 10:46 am
eh, its ok…i wont be mad, but i KNOW Ioane would deliver the greatest impact!!!
April 15th, 2026 at 10:50 am
Sadiq on LAR … that offense would be unstoppable.
Forget 34-7 points … easily 56 on Bowles.
Chiefs or LAR … he’s not making it to the Bucs.
April 15th, 2026 at 10:52 am
I’m just not in this TE “camp”. There are way too many other needs, IMO.
When we had all those healthy “weapons” together last season, however few games that was, how did we fare?!
April 15th, 2026 at 11:01 am
He’ll never make it to #15. Then watch him ball out with someone else!
April 15th, 2026 at 11:02 am
Weapons for Winn…err Baker! If he’s at the top of the Bucs board so be it.
April 15th, 2026 at 11:05 am
We’ve heard this before
.
As the team added DeSean Jackson in free agency
Then drafted OJ Howard and Chris Godwin in the draft
They added them to ME, Hump, Can Brate
All of the so- call experts had the Bucs making the playoffs
They stunk the field, went 5-11, then fired the coaching staff
They fired everyone except the Mastermind of the (Weapons For Winston)
No sane person would listen to this garbage
April 15th, 2026 at 11:06 am
“””Cam Brate””
April 15th, 2026 at 11:09 am
Tom-Brady-hand-puppet Jason Licht will trade down for an interior offensive lineman – that is just who he is –
April 15th, 2026 at 11:11 am
We just resigned our starting TE to 10 million a year and our defense was fluffy soft last year, makes perfect sense to draft a TE in the first round??? Build from the trenches outward! DT/DL
April 15th, 2026 at 11:21 am
It’d definitely be a Lickt move. Safe.
April 15th, 2026 at 11:30 am
Joe, still agree getting a standout game changer with first pick makes sense to me. As I mentioned and has been stated the Bucs defense has way , way to many holes for 1 guy to make a difference. Yes draft an edge guy. However, the Bucs don’t draft well with those guys. Let’s say they do, then you have a problem needing 2 corners and 2 LBs. The defense just needs to much for 1 guy right now. If available you may as make the Offense top shelf and try to get an average defense on the field.
April 15th, 2026 at 11:31 am
Well, if Kiper predicted it, it almost certainly won’t happen. His record on draft mocks is beyond abysmal.
April 15th, 2026 at 11:37 am
Can see it, unless Ioane is there at #15.
April 15th, 2026 at 11:43 am
Im all about this. Either him or the Penn State guard. We have like 6 edge rushers already, including some young ones on rookie deals. I say load up on offense and hope the young kids develop on defense. Whats the worst that can happen, we go 6-11 and Todd gets fired? We would have a ready made offense for the next coach
April 15th, 2026 at 11:49 am
Any offensive pick in the first round would upset me.
Although, if it’s a QB, I would be too shocked to be immediately upset.
April 15th, 2026 at 11:52 am
kiper on the bucs payroll trying to hype siddiq for a trade down scenario for licht
April 15th, 2026 at 11:53 am
Btw, Mel Kiper has never accurately predicted a Buccaneers first round pick.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:01 pm
Co-Z Coolman Says:
“Im all about this. Either him or the Penn State guard. We have like 6 edge rushers already, including some young ones on rookie deals. I say load up on offense and hope the young kids develop on defense. Whats the worst that can happen, we go 6-11 and Todd gets fired? We would have a ready made offense for the next coach”
We already have a ready-made offense.
I get the impression that you are willing to lose this year just to be rid of Bowles?
On your point about the number of edge rushers on the team, two of them will be on the practice squad, 1-2 of them will not make the final roster. That brings us down to 2-3 edge rushers that will stick.
And none of those are exactly sack artists.
On the topic of Todd Bowles, people say they don’t like him because his defense is not good. I would counter that point with “if you don’t give him high round talent, you cannot expect the defense to be good.”
April 15th, 2026 at 12:05 pm
I mentioned in another thread a nightmare draft scenario would be Love going to the Saints then the Bucs passing on Sadiq and he goes to the Panthers. That would be very painful and we *better* load up on defense if it happens…
April 15th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
lol give Otten a 10m 3 yr contract and draft a te? Draft Delp in the 3/4 rd. C J Allen just ran a 4.47 at his UGA pro day.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:18 pm
Wow! 4.47 at his size is excellent.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
C.J Allen was running a 4.40- 4.45 when he was All State RB in Georgia
He ran for over 1,600 yards during his senior season
And he was an All American Linebacker
The swelling must be gone from his knee
April 15th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Remember OJ Howard
Remember Vernon Hargreaves
Remember Joe Hardon shoyinka
Remember calijah Kancey
Lots of misses for old licht house
Get it right this year draft a hurricane
Bain jr. Is Sapp 2.0
If he’s gone get Mesidor
TE my ass
April 15th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
oh look!!!!
another year Mel is wrong by a mile lol
GO BUCS!!!!
April 15th, 2026 at 12:42 pm
I’m split on this one
April 15th, 2026 at 1:25 pm
If Sadiq falls to bucs and we draft him, this should cement how clueless and out of touch your so called ROH GM is. To pay top dollar to your glass ceiling TE, instead of using the money to hunt down some top shelf FAs (not just guys who wanted to retire in FL), while the probability to land Sadiq are as high as they seem to be….just stamp this canned ham “grade A fool” and put him in the same lens as Bowles
April 15th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
Hop they get Him and Boston.
April 15th, 2026 at 1:50 pm
Isn’t kiper less accurate than munch? I realize that’s impossible.
April 15th, 2026 at 2:42 pm
I’m super happy Mel mocked this overrated TE to us. He’s never right so that means we will go with a defensive player. Thanks Mel. Also I’m pretty sure he and most of the other so called experts ranted on and on back when Detroit took Gibbs high in the first round clearly demonstrating they have no idea what they are talking about.
April 15th, 2026 at 2:44 pm
” Bucs defense has way , way to many holes for 1 guy to make a difference.” is NOT a reason not to use the early draft picks on defense this year. Twisted logic. There’s no guarantee Sadiq is generational talent. Lots of fast guys don’t make it. It’s not a track meet. We need to start filling up the holes one shovel full at a time. Wait until next year is not an option.
April 15th, 2026 at 3:11 pm
I feel like at the end of each season. Us fans are upset and feel let down by the defense. I can understand getting beat for contested ball or the QB making a great throw at a crucial spot in the game. But this defense just looks confused and defeated at the end of each year. We head into each new season speculating about a breakout defensive player either a pass rusher or a fully healthy Corner. If this team doesn’t address defense in a meaningful way. Then what are we even doing? This team has become one of those teams on the cusp of playoffs. But even if they made it they’d be trounced in the first game. Then back to drafting in the mid to late teens or early twenties every draft. We are stuck in mediocrity.
April 15th, 2026 at 3:27 pm
Oj part 2
April 15th, 2026 at 3:28 pm
Nick with post of the day
April 15th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
Licht won’t draft another TE in the 1st Round after OJ Howard flamed out.
Culp could be a poor man’s Sadiq if we give him a chance.
We’ll go CB, Edge, or ILB in Rd 1.
April 15th, 2026 at 3:54 pm
This would be a huge mistake. I do not see Licht doing this at all. We have so many needs on defense. Trade back if the value isn’t there for your team.
-David
April 15th, 2026 at 7:53 pm
Trade down and draft his Teammate Pregnon!
April 15th, 2026 at 8:36 pm
Erik with UniqueModernArt.com Says:
April 15th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
Licht won’t draft another TE in the 1st Round after OJ Howard flamed out.
———–
OJ was on pace to have over 1000 yards and 10 TDs in his second season before he got hurt. Then when he came back, started to look like himself, he got another major injury.
Having multiple major injuries isn’t ‘flaming out’.
April 16th, 2026 at 3:40 pm
Hope not.
Offense will not be the problem
April 16th, 2026 at 4:59 pm
Extraordinary physical ability, natural seam stretcher, usually finds a soft spot in zone, determined blocker, and picks up some yards after catch on screens.
But, his natural athleticism has left his route running and blocking skills very underdeveloped.
Trade back target first round as a project with a high floor, but not the certain ceiling needed to make him a top 15 pick.
If he has the character to accept instruction and do the work needed to justify a top 15 pick, why hasn’t it already happened?
Well, he is only 20. But, this could be O.J. Howard 2 unless he really loves football and has the humility and desire to do the work to improve.
And, does Tampa have the right guy to develop him?
Is Gronk in town and looking for a protege project?