Three First-Round Surprises
April 22nd, 2026
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
It’s 25 hours from the NFL Draft and the hallways are buzzing at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.
Near the ping-pong table, Sage of Tampa Bay Sports Ira Kaufman and one of the Joes are enjoying iced tea, watching baseball and preparing the celebratory shot glasses for when the Bucs draft an edge rusher in Round 1 tomorrow night.
In the soundproof safe room, the other Joe is negotiating with the football gods to not let the Bucs draft an edge rusher in the first round, convinced the player’s potential would be destroyed by Todd Bowles and defensive coaches.
In the company kitchen, alongside the screaming room, Joe’s team of interns is baking mass quantities of chocolate products in preparation for three days of draft obsession.
What a time to be alive!
What has everyone’s attention is a fresh report this afternoon from Tom Pelissero on The Rich Eisen Show. The NFL Network insider talked about what he’s been hearing on the street after Eisen asked him to state players that would be drafted earlier than expected.
Pelissero pounced on three names.
The first was Dillon Thieneman, the University of Oregon safety. “He was looked at as a fringe first-round pick; I think he’s a top-20 pick. I think he may go much higher than that.”
Then Pelissero moved to another Florida Gators defensive tackle Caleb Banks. He explained that an updated medical report on Banks’ aggravated foot injury is very positive and people within league circles are impressed. “I think there’s a good chance Caleb Banks ends up being a top-20 pick, which you would not have said before,” Pelissero said.
And the shocker came next.
Pelissero said league suits and scouts have been impressed by University of Miami QB Carson Beck and Pelissero can’t rule out him being a late first-round pick. And Peilissero said he’s very confident Beck is at worst a Round 2 pick.
Joe is very intrigued. Does the rising-stock report on Thieneman and Banks mean they could land in the top-14? Or give the Bucs a more likely potential trade-down option with their No. 15 overall pick?
Could Beck being in demand be just enough to push the right inside linebacker to the Bucs at No. 46 overall.
April 22nd, 2026 at 7:10 pm
Joe, tell us true: Do players really move a lot just days before the draft? or, Do media outlets catch up to ratings that the teams had all along?
April 22nd, 2026 at 7:11 pm
As long as everybody’s stock is rising that isn’t a LB, edge rusher or DT… I’m all for it. Rise, rice, rise all you WRs, OTs, safeties and as many QBs as possible
I even take a rising RB or two to push down a linebacker we want.
Go Bucs!
April 22nd, 2026 at 7:11 pm
What it also could mean is potentially Styles or Bain dropping in our laps.
April 22nd, 2026 at 7:15 pm
Caleb Banks said he will be ready in June
But he was ready before, then reinjured his foot during the combine
But his talent level is high, his upside is worth the risk
April 22nd, 2026 at 7:23 pm
Joe is starting to run out of material
April 22nd, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Tomorrow is my 32nd anniversary…just my luck it fallson draft day this year. We’re celebrating early, so hoping I can sneak pay attention by the time things start.
April 22nd, 2026 at 7:34 pm
Trade the 15 to the falcons for James Pearce.
April 22nd, 2026 at 7:37 pm
Panthers getting Dillon Thieneman and he will be the new Luke keuchly who bullies our offense twice a year lfg
April 22nd, 2026 at 8:12 pm
I think Chris Johnson might move up in the draft
April 22nd, 2026 at 8:14 pm
No, short of a video of Laremy Tunsil in a bong mask surfacing on Twitter two hours before the draft, there is no such thing as a “rising” or “falling” player.
Some team(s) might be very high on a player that the rest of the pack isn’t (like Al Davis picking Darrius Heyward-Bey in the first round). But there is no one that, a week out of the draft, rises from a third-round pick to a top-15 in the final days.
Exactly (thought you meant TV ratings at first LOL that was a curveball š ). Peter Schrager said as much when he floated his first schlock draft last week.
(FYI BSPN and the rest focus a LOT on players from the B1G and SEC because of eyeballs. For example, how much have heard about the Toledo defensive back? Hardly anything, right? There’s a reason for that. Eyeballs.)
April 22nd, 2026 at 8:19 pm
A big ol’ defensive tackle with a bum wheel is a very bad sign.
April 22nd, 2026 at 8:41 pm
Iāll be watching Pat McAfee draft show for the 4th ā¦ itās a lot of fun while being informative.
I donāt have a single player that the Bucs should take for the first time I can remember.
April 22nd, 2026 at 8:41 pm
daniel jeremiah has eagles trading up to the bucs for a tackle bucs get their 23rd pick and a 2nd and 3rd round pick forgot what last pick was possibly a 4th
April 22nd, 2026 at 8:41 pm
Yo joe,
I just seen Mel Kiper’s mock and they are on TV talking bout we taking a Tight End with the 15th overall pick…..
mannnnn heck no ….
defense , defense , defense
we just resigned otton, we dont need another tight end
and lets hope JL doesnt take a defensive BUST
April 22nd, 2026 at 8:43 pm
QB-desperate teams are always a threat to do something stupid and trade up. Maybe the Steelers at 21 may want to jump ahead of the Jets at 16 for Simpson or Beck?
Some smarter teams may want an OT and trade with Licht. Minnesota at 18 may want to jump Detroit at 17 for an OT or safety.
Some bored draft ‘experts’ are expecting lots of trades this year in round 1. We’ll see tomorrow!
April 22nd, 2026 at 9:16 pm
These guys actually get paid big bucks for this
And they be so far off
Only in America
April 22nd, 2026 at 9:17 pm
As you surmised in an earlier post, the Bucs most likely scenario for a trade down will involve a team looking for an offensive lineman – a tackle in particular. The two/three mentioned here are just last minute stabs in the dark and very unlikely to be worth a trade up to #15 for any team.
April 22nd, 2026 at 9:25 pm
My favorite sporting event each year! Good luck Jason Lichtā¦ be active, be aggressive! Get this fan base excited for whatās to come! Go Bucs!
April 22nd, 2026 at 9:43 pm
Stpetematt said – “What it also could mean is potentially Styles or Bain dropping in our laps.”
Absolutely delusional!
April 22nd, 2026 at 9:53 pm
A LB or Edge. We dont need a QB that will make Baker think he has to watch out. We have way more pressing needs. 5th or 6th rd. Cool.
April 22nd, 2026 at 9:53 pm
āWhat a time to be aliveā. I sure enjoyed that story.
April 22nd, 2026 at 10:06 pm
I think if Bain gets near 10 the Bucs will trade up and get him. He is the kind of player that D needs bad
April 22nd, 2026 at 11:13 pm
Lakeland Says:
April 22nd, 2026 at 7:15 pm
Caleb Banks said he will be ready in June
But he was ready before, then reinjured his foot during the combine
But his talent level is high, his upside is worth the risk
———–
I know it shouldn’t really matter… but it’s difficult to get past the Bucs history with 1st round picks from the Gators.
Still, seems like a solid pick – but defensive lineman rarely do much their rookie season, so it’s a more forward thinking pick for a regime that needs to win now.
If the Bucs could trade back, pick up an extra 2nd and still get him, I’d be for it.
April 23rd, 2026 at 1:32 am
Styles aināt dropping that far at #15. If at all.
April 23rd, 2026 at 1:48 am
Iām always dubious of āsurprise reportsā coming out of insider circles in the days and weeks leading up to the draft. This almost always is āsilly seasonā time. But we shall know within the next 24 hrs.
April 23rd, 2026 at 2:52 am
bruh i am so tired of JL drafting defensive BUSTS this guy is literally mr never trade a pick …
April 23rd, 2026 at 6:25 am
Since our illustrious Defenseive genus HC was less that truthful.about a Defenseive Cordinator i hope our Rock Star GM can have a draft that makes me forget we have the same leadership that gave us the 2025 season I mean even though the Bucs started out 6-2 we didnt exactly beat many teams up.
April 23rd, 2026 at 6:55 am
Better hit it big tonight Licht. The natives are getting restless with your never ending gaslighting. You and your lovely and talented sidekick bumbling Bowles’ jobs may depend on it.
April 23rd, 2026 at 7:46 am
Jacob Rodriguez will get picked tonight. He may not get past the Cowboys at 20. That being said, I think he would be reach at 15. Trade down Jason and either get him or Mesidor.
April 23rd, 2026 at 8:23 am
I can’t stand when people say things like, a guy is a “reach” at 15, but would be a great pick at 20.
Once these guys get on the field and start producing, no one cares if the guy was picked at 10 or 20.
April 23rd, 2026 at 10:06 am
I was rooting for Miami in the playoffs, but his accuracy didn’t look NFL ready at all. Like at all
April 23rd, 2026 at 10:57 am
Excited to watch old Gillianās Island reruns.
Watching this draft is as useful and productive as watching mold grow in the shower.
April 23rd, 2026 at 2:42 pm
Just like clockwork 3.28 out here whining. š š¤”. Itās gunna be ok. Canāt wait to see the work licht and co do this evening.
April 23rd, 2026 at 6:32 pm
Some say we need to trade up. Trade up with what? We dont have the capitol to trade up. We absolutely must trade down We need picks to fill all these holes we have.