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 11:32 am
Beer is good.
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