Christmas morning for football fanatics is nearly here. The 2026 NFL Draft commences next week on Thursday, April 23. 257 prospects will hear their names called at the draft, fulfilling their dreams. Each club is finalizing draft boards as the combine, Pro Days and top-30 visits have provided detailed evaluations for team personnel and scouts. The overarching consensus in this week’s compilation of mocks is that Tampa Bay will take an edge in the first round to bolster the pass rush. Here is what pundits are saying:<\/p>\n
\n NFL.com<\/p>\n
Rhett Lewis, NFL.com (Apr.7)<\/a><\/p>\n Pick: Edge Akheem Mesidor, Miami Chad Reuter, NFL.com (Apr.3) \u2013 Five-Round Mock<\/a><\/p>\n Pick: Edge Akheem Mesidor, Miami \n CBS Sports<\/p>\n Zachary Pereles, CBS Sports (Apr.12)<\/a><\/p>\n Pick: IOL Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State \n The Draft Network<\/p>\n Jaime Eisner, The Draft Network (Apr.6)<\/a><\/p>\n Pick: Edge Cashius Howell, Texas A&M \n PFF<\/p>\n
\nComments: “The Bucs haven’t had a player hit the eight-sack mark since Shaq Barrett registered 10 in 2021. Mesidor is an absolute force to be reckoned with off the edge and should provide a big time pass-rush presence in Tampa.”<\/p>\n
\nComments: “Mesidor stays in state to fill a pass-rushing void for the Bucs. His age (he will be 25 when the season begins) shouldn’t concern general manager Jason Licht, because Tampa needs polished players to contend for a Super Bowl in 2026.”
\nOther Bucs picks: LB Jacob Rodriguez (second round), CB Davison Igbinosun (third round), WR Ja’Kobi Lane (fourth round) and DT Kaleb Proctor (fifth round).<\/p>\n
\nComments: “GM Jason Licht has shown a willingness to invest in offensive linemen early in the draft, using two first-round picks and two second-round picks at the position since 2020. All four are still starting for Tampa Bay. Now, he adds the top interior lineman in the draft; Olaivavega Ioane would start at left guard from Day 1 and bring some nastiness to the position.”<\/p>\n
\nComments: “Cashius Howell has escaped some\u2014some\u2014of the arm-length backlash that Bain Jr. has received. But like Bain, the production can’t be ignored. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need more juice in the pass-rushing department and they turn to Howell with this pick. He’s incredibly explosive off the snap, plays with a high motor, and has proven he can produce double-digit sacks at the college level.”<\/p>\n