Tampa Bay Buccaneers mock draft: Best and worst-case scenarios for Baker Mayfield in 2024 NFL Draft

Baker Mayfield took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by storm in 2023. Few anticipated that he would have such an impact on a team that was set to decline, but he led them to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, beating the heavily favored Eagles in the wildcard round.

It was a season that made minds up in Tampa, and Mayfield was brought back and brought back to stay. He's the team’s new leader and will expect to be handed additional support in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The main areas of concern for the Bucs are on the offensive line and coming off the edge. Ryan Jensen’s retirement was not a shock. Injuries kept him out for much of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but he was one of the best centers the Bucs have had ever had.

Replacing him will be vital if the team is to make another run at the post-season. There's no way around that, as it’s such a vital position, and they will select Jensen’s replacement in either the first or second round.

It entirely depends on how the cards fall above them on which order those two choices will fall. If an outstanding edge rusher falls to them, they will go in that direction; if not, they will focus on the O-Line.

The Bucs want to get a bit stronger in the interior as well. They need to sure up against the run and could target physically imposing playmakers at both DT and LB later on in the draft.

Getting Mike Evans to return on a multi-year contract is big for Mayfield and the Bucs’ offense, and it means they don’t necessarily need to prioritize receivers this year.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2024 NFL mock draft scenarios

Buccaneers mock draft: Best-case scenario

Buccaneers' high draft selections are as follows

The Sportskeeda 7-round Mock Draft simulator has given us a scenario where the Bucs are able to trade down in the first round, securing value picks later and still get their primary target on the offensive line.

Jackson Powers-Johnson is a Swiss army knife of a lineman, able to play at guard, tackle or center. He's best at center and will be the ideal player to replace the retiring Jensen.

Jensen not really featuring for two years has been a problem, but Powers-Johnson is a player with an incredibly high game-IQ. He's a smart center and is athletically gifted enough to adjust to either run or pass plays.

You won’t find him caught cold on the line, and his presence will likely help Baker Mayfield avoid injury, especially when you factor in the QB’s fearless gunslinger style.

Addressing the pass rushing need comes next, and Adisa Isaac is the man to do that. Losing Shaq Barrett sees a hole in both experience and production that needs to be filled. Isaac’s hands are phenomenally quick, which is so important in his position.

Citing his fascination with juggling as a youngster, Isaac can send offensive linemen cross-eyed with his hand speed, and he can produce moves that create separation between him and his direct opponent.

He’s a little more raw than the polished pass rushers in this class like Verse, Robinson and Trice, but he's only going to improve, helping the Bucs out long-term.

With their third and fourth picks, Tampa Bay solidify their interior defensive line, selecting Edgerrin Cooper out of Texas A&M and Mehki Wingo from LSU.

Cooper, a linebacker, is quick off the snap and can be effective in the pass rush, while Wingo is a powerhouse with a lightning first-step.

Ndamukong Suh had a great time with the Buccaneers, but he hasn’t yet been fully replaced. Wingo won’t have a better landing spot that the Buccaneers with Vita Vea still there to help him through games and to ensure that he develops at the defensive tackle position properly.

This is a draft that gives the Buccaneers immediate solutions and future starters and will ideally allow for the team to be in a position to get a better offense in the 2025 draft.

Here's the class in full:

· Jackson Powers-Johnson, OC, Oregon

· Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Penn State

· Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M

· Mehki Wingo, DT, LSU

· Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida

· Renardo Green, CB, Florida State

· Christian Mahogany, OG, Boston College

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Buccaneers mock draft: Worst-case scenario

Buccaneers' worst-case scenario draft picks

In what can be seen as the worst-case scenario, the Bucs simply focus in areas that aren’t needed. Securing Mike Evans to a long-term deal and drafting Troy Franklin and Roman Wilson with your first two picks makes no sense.

You could just about make a case for going with a receiver in the first-round if the Bucs could get their hands on one of the big three, but that simply isn’t the case.

There are no guarantees with either Franklin or Wilson and in ignoring the center position, the team is set up to fail. Kiran Amegadjie is a good lineman, but being taken here, there's a limitation in quality. He won’t be a game-changing starter right away.

Kingsley Eguakun is the center chosen in this Sportskeeda 7-round Mock Draft simulation. But this is far too late in the draft to find a player capable of being ready immediately.

After missing Jensen for so long, the Bucs can’t go into a third straight season with uncertainty at this key position. Eguakun could develop into a good NFL center. But the Bucs don’t have time to wait, nor do they have the ability to let him learn on the job with Mayfield only on a three-year deal.

In this scenario, the Buccaneers make mistakes with trades and lose the chance to bring in immediate NFL-ready players. It would be unwise for them to follow this draft pattern.

The class is as follows:

· Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon

· Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan

· Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale

· Brandon Dorlus, EDGE, Oregon

· Kingsley Eguakun, OC, Florida

· Patrick McMorris, S, California

· Frank Gore Jr., RB, Southern Miss