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With 2025 NFL training camps on the horizon, we’re starting to understand how 2025 NFL draft classes will impact each roster this season.
Let's look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, breaking down the most likely instant-impact rookies from each class, while also providing some insight into why certain early picks may not see the field.
Who are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookies?
- Emeka Egbuka (WR, Ohio State)
- Benjamin Morrison (CB, Notre Dame)
- Jacob Parrish (CB, Kansas State)
- David Walker (EDGE, Central Arkansas)
- Elijah Roberts (EDGE, SMU)
- Tez Johnson (WR, Oregon)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Class Grade:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers received a B+ draft grade from Sharp Football.
Which Buccaneers Rookies Will Make An Impact?
Tampa added to its already strong receiving corps with the selection of Emeka Egbuka (first round).
Egbuka saw the majority of his action in the slot at Ohio State, but he has a versatile skill set and will likely play a role similar to Chris Godwin, shifting between the slot and the outside.
Over his final two seasons at Ohio State, Egbuka had a catch rate 7% above expected based on route adjusted data.
Due to his reliable hands and crisp route technique, Egbuka should be able to make an immediate impact as the third option in the Bucs’ passing attack.
Benjamin Morrison (second round) was viewed as a potential first-round pick prior to a hip injury that ended his 2024 campaign.
When healthy, he was among the most dominant cornerbacks in the country, allowing a catch rate 50% below expected based on route adjusted data over the last two seasons.
Morrison’s production was particularly impressive given the rate at which Notre Dame played man coverage, which teams rely on at the college level.
During his final two seasons with the Irish, 52% of Morrison’s coverage snaps were in man coverage, on which he generated a spectacular 31% ball-hawk rate.
Morrison will likely compete with Zyon McCollum for a starting job. McCollum is in his final contract year, so Morrison should take on that role by 2026 at the latest.
Jacob Parrish (third round) will join Morrison on the depth chart at cornerback.
Parrish is more of a developmental prospect than Morrison, but Tampa will try to have him prepared to play as soon as possible due to the recent injury struggles of Jamel Dean.
If all goes well on the injury front, Parrish will be limited to special teams duty, but Dean has played in just 25 of 34 games over the last two years.
David Walker (fourth round) will have a chance to compete for a meaningful role on the edge due to the Bucs’ lack of depth at the position.
Walker is already 25 years old and will have to prove he can handle a quick transition from the FCS level where he generated 31 sacks over the last three seasons at Central Arkansas.
Todd Bowles almost exclusively has his pass-rushers lining up in a two-point stance on the edge, which will help ease Walker’s transition to the league as he played in a similar scheme in college.
Elijah Roberts (fifth round) also played on the edge in college but will likely be making a position change in Tampa.
The 292-pound Roberts and his 34-inch arms are ideal for playing defensive end in Bowles’ three-man fronts. It will be a transition for Roberts, however, who played standing up as a linebacker on the edge at SMU.
Tez Johnson (seventh round) joins Egbuka on the depth chart at receiver, though he has an uphill battle for a roster spot given the team’s depth.
Johnson’s best chance at sticking on the roster might be to earn the punt return duties.
Tampa’s greatest weakness in 2024 was its defense, so it makes sense that the team spent four of its first five selections on that side of the ball. With that in mind, the selection of Egbuka in the first round might seem misguided at first glance.
However, in a wide-open NFC, it makes sense to double down on the offensive side of the ball. The passing attack is the identity of this team, and Egbuka might be the piece they need to push this unit to a level that can compete with teams like Detroit and Philadelphia at the top of the conference.
A first-round rookie pass-rusher or cornerback was highly unlikely to be the piece that pushed the team over the top in the NFC, but, if everyone around him stays healthy, there’s a chance Egbuka could be that missing piece to the offense.
This analysis continues in the 2025 Football Preview
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