What About A Defensive Tackle?
April 3rd, 2026
Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald.
Joe has been looking at a lot of credible folks who do schlock drafts. That may seem like an oxymoron but there are some schlockers, even if they are forced to change their schlocks nearly as often as their underwear, try to put thought, reason and research into them.
Weird, Joe knows, credibility.
So many have the Bucs taking Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. And Joe gets it. He’s a dynamic playmaker at a position the Bucs don’t have a dynamic playmaker at. A guy who can also play slot and at times, wide out.
In other words, Sadiq is versatile which is a nightmare for defensive coordinators.
You could argue that the Bucs are one fast, stretch-the-field tight end away from an explosive offense. The Bucs are maybe four or five players away from having a suffocating defense.
So Joe gets the logic here.
Now Bucs coach Todd Bowles said at the owners meetings earlier this week that the Bucs need to draft or sign at least one corner, maybe two. Joe doesn’t disagree.
But a position that may be way overlooked is defensive tackle.
There may be a sect of fans that are frustrated with Calijah Kancey because of his injuries. The Bucs love Kancey but they have also come to realize until he proves otherwise, Kancey is a walking injury waiting to happen.
Notice you haven’t heard anything about Kancey getting a fifth-year extension? Joe isn’t saying he won’t but that May 1 decision is certainly a backburner item right now.
And let’s be real: Vita Vea is no pup. He’s 31. What’s his shelf life? And, oh yeah, Vea is in a contract year.
So by next February, the Bucs could be down two starting defensive tackles.
Currently, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network has the first defensive tackle coming off the board to be Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald to the Patriots at No. 31. So this is not a great draft for elite defensive tackles.
Jeremiah stressed that McDonald is strictly a run-stopping tackle.
McDonald has excellent size and strength for the DT position. He’s at his best against the run. He can press out blocks and disengage with violent torque. He’s very firm and stout, collecting tackles from guard to guard. He doesn’t offer much impact as a lateral chase player. As a pass rusher, he flashes some pocket push but lacks twitch and polish to consistently win. He’s more of a steady force than a dynamic playmaker. Overall, McDonald will provide value on run downs, but he needs to develop a better plan of attack as a pass rusher.
Hey, it’s not stupid to build up beef in the trenches. But it sounds like if the Bucs were interested in McDonald or other defensive tackles, those guys would be targets for the Bucs after a trade down.
Kayden McDonald is one of the safest draft picks you can make as an NFL GM. This is what he did to one of the best OL’s in College Football⬇️ https://t.co/aO6Kq1UHnu pic.twitter.com/2rZN4lLNdz
— LandonTengwall (@LandonTengwall) February 20, 2026
April 3rd, 2026 at 4:03 am
See DT being a need, but it appears that even though there aren’t really any top-notch game wreckers in this draft, there are some really solid DT’s to choose from in rounds 3-6 that can help pad the depth & hopefully be coached up by West & Co.
April 3rd, 2026 at 4:20 am
@FIBoy84
There are later round guys, and if the draft goes that way, the Buc will have to live with it. But, I have been watching film on these guys, and none bring the difference making play that McDaniels brings.
Hunter is disruptive and second best, but he doesn’t shut things down and control the line of scrimmage the way McDaniels does. And, those other guys just look like roster fillers compared to McDaniels.
He looks like the Bucs best hope for a difference maker this year because of the way that he improves the performance of the other player around him and behind him.
April 3rd, 2026 at 4:43 am
I know your heart’s not in it using our #15 pick for a NT/DT, but still, thank you for at least showing this as an option.
We lost Logan Hall AND Greg Gaines this off-season. We replaced DT Hall with DT A’Shawn Robinson (6’3″ & 320 lbs), but we’ve yet to replace NT/DT Gaines. It’s critical that we do so because Vea can’t man all 1100 or so def snaps the Bucs will have this season all by himself. Vita had his best years (2022-2024) with 19 sacks, 47 pressures, 25 TFLs. 3 FF & 116 tackles (70 solo) in 45 games when he averaged a tad over 600 def snaps per season. Last season we over-used him (763 def snaps) IMO and it showed at times on the field. He’s a huge beast, but he needs to be kept fresh to perform at peak efficiency.
And THAT’S where Ohio State’s NT/DT Kayden McDonald (6’2″ & 326 lbs) can help us. He’s young (only 21) but he had a very good 2025 season (14 games – 65 tackles – 3 sacks – 9 TFLs – 2 FFs) against some quality competition. Admittedly better right now as a run defender, but he’s got the size & strength to develop a better pass rush. NFL dot com rates him as the top DT at 6.39 (meaning that he’s eventually be a PLUS starter).
April 3rd, 2026 at 4:44 am
There are some very good beastly NF/DT prospects after McDonald but more than likely it’ll take a Rnd 1 pick to grab one. McDonald SHOULD be there when we pick at #15. And with our Rnd 2 pick (#46) there SHOULD be a quality ILB still there (hopefully Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr, but Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriquez or a couple others could do nicely). And with our Rnd 3 we can hopefully grab a quality CB.
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:11 am
A later round option i like is carolina’s Nick Barrett, probably a 5th.
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:41 am
this position needs to get younger wouldn’t be a bad pick