NOTE: This article was originally published in April of 2023 and has been updated to the results of subsequent drafts.<\/p>\n
Tony Mayberry, Kwon Alexander and Dexter Jackson could soon have some company in Tampa Bay Buccaneers lore.<\/p>\n
Mayberry and Alexander are the two players the team has acquired with fourth-round draft pick who went on to make at least one Pro Bowl (three for Mayberry). Jackson was the MVP of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl XXXVII win over the Oakland Raiders at the end of the 2002 season.Those represent some of the best values Tampa Bay has uncovered in the fourth round through 49 NFL drafts, but they are far from the only players with that specific background to leave a lasting mark on the franchise.<\/p>\n
Ron Heller, Ron Hall and Bruce Hill were all fourth-round hits in the franchise’s first decade-plus. Craig Erickson, Horace Copeland, Alshermond Singleton and Jason Odom came along as valuable fourth-rounders in the 90s. The Aughts and early 2010s gave us Tanard Jackson, Mike Williams and Will Gholston. Even since Jason Licht took over as general manager in 2014, the fourth-round hits have kept coming, with the likes of Alexander, Jordan Whitehead, Anthony Nelson and Cade Otton.<\/p>\n
Otton, who plays almost every offensive snap and has had back-to-back 59-catch seasons, just signed a new multi-year deal with the Buccaneers. He was joined in the Bucs’ starting offensive lineup in 2024 by Oregon running back Bucky Irving, whose rookie season pretty easily the best one ever by a Buccaneers’ fourth-round pick. He led the team and all NFL rookie backs with 1,122 rushing yards and 1,514 yards from scrimmage while averaging a franchise record 5.4 yards per carry. He was one of the best in the entire NFL in gaining yards after contact, and even the Buccaneers were surprised by how well he fared running between the tackles. In fact, Licht made it clear at his annual pre-draft press conference that Irving wasn’t your typical fourth-rounder.<\/p>\n
“I’ll say this, if I would’ve known what Bucky was capable of, I probably would’ve taken him in the second round or first round,” said Licht.<\/p>\n
Irving’s second season was marred by injuries but the Buccaneers are expecting a rebound in 2026. Meanwhile, expectations are also high for last year’s fourth-round pick, outside linebacker David Walker, who was making a case for a big role in the edge rush rotation during offseason and training camp practices before a knee injury wiped out his rookie season. With better injury luck in 2026, Walker could be ready to emerge as a key defender for Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n
The Buccaneers would love to find another first or second-round value in the fourth round later this week, but even landing a player who makes a positive multi-season contribution \u2013 such as Nelson and Otton \u2013 would be a win at that part of the draft. It happens pretty frequently, as the list below of all the team’s previous fourth-round picks are listed below, followed by a round of notes.<\/p>\n
Here are the picks the Bucs currently own in the 2026 NFL Draft:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Round One, 15th Overall<\/p>\n
\u2022 Round Two, 46th Overall<\/p>\n
\u2022 Round Three, 77th Overall<\/p>\n
\u2022 Round Four, 116th Overall<\/p>\n
\u2022 Round Five, 155th Overall<\/p>\n
\u2022 Round Six, 195th Overall<\/p>\n
\u2022 Round Seven, 229th Overall<\/p>\n
When the Buccaneers first joined the league, the draft was 17 rounds long, but it was cut to 12the next year. It was then shortened to eight rounds in 1993 and then to its current seven-round format in 1994. Below, you will find the full list of every player the Buccaneers have taken in the fourth round in their drafts from 1976 through 2023, followed by some notes about that collection of players.<\/p>\n
2025 | Pick No. 121 | David Walker | OLB | Central Arkansas<\/p>\n
2024 | Pick No. 125 | Bucky Irving | RB | Oregon<\/p>\n
2022 | Pick No. 133 | Jake Camarda | P | Georgia<\/p>\n
2022 | Pick No. 106 | Cade Otton | TE | Washington<\/p>\n
2021 | Pick No. 129 | Jaelon Darden | WR | North Texas<\/p>\n
2019 | Pick No. 107 | Anthony Nelson | EDGE | Iowa<\/p>\n
2018 | Pick No. 117 | Jordan Whitehead | S | Pittsburgh<\/p>\n
2016 | Pick No. 108 | Ryan Smith | CB | North Carolina Central<\/p>\n
2015 | Pick No. 124 | Kwon Alexander | LB | LSU<\/p>\n
2013 | Pick No. 126 | Will Gholston | DE | Michigan State<\/p>\n
2013 | Pick No. 100 | Akeem Spence | DT | Illinois<\/p>\n
2011 | Pick No. 104 | Luke Stocker | TE | Tennessee<\/p>\n
2010 | Pick No. 101 | Mike Williams | WR | Syracuse<\/p>\n
2009 | Pick No. 117 | Kyle Moore | DE | USC<\/p>\n
2008 | Pick No. 115 | Dre Moore | DT | Maryland<\/p>\n
2007 | Pick No. 106 | Tanard Jackson | S | Syracuse<\/p>\n
2006 | Pick No. 122 | Alan Zemaitis | CB | Penn State<\/p>\n
2005 | Pick No. 107 | Dan Buenning | G | Wisconsin<\/p>\n
2004 | Pick No. 111 | Will Allen | S | Ohio State<\/p>\n
2003 | Pick No. 133 | Austin King | C | Northwestern<\/p>\n
2003 | Pick No. 130 | Lance Nimmo | T | West Virginia<\/p>\n
2002 | Pick No. 119 | Travis Stephens | RB | Tennessee<\/p>\n
2001 | Pick No. 117 | John Howell | S | Colorado State<\/p>\n
1999 | Pick No. 113 | Dexter Jackson | S | Florida State<\/p>\n
1998 | Pick No. 104 | Todd Washington | C | Virginia Tech<\/p>\n
1997 | Pick No. 128 | Alshermond Singleton | LB | Temple<\/p>\n
1996 | Pick No. 104 | Eric Austin | S | Jackson State<\/p>\n
1996 | Pick No. 96 | Jason Odom | T | Florida<\/p>\n
1995 | Pick No. 105 | Jerry Wilson | CB | Southern<\/p>\n
1993 | Pick No. 104 | Horace Copeland | WR | Miami (FL)<\/p>\n
1993 | Pick No. 91 | Rudy Harris | FB | Clemson<\/p>\n
1992 | Pick No. 86 | QB | Craig Erickson | Miami (FL)<\/p>\n
1991 | Pick No. 93 | Tony Covington | S | Virginia<\/p>\n
1990 | Pick No. 108 | Tony Mayberry | C | Wake Forest<\/p>\n
1990 | Pick No. 87 | Jesse Anderson | TE | Mississippi State<\/p>\n
1989 | Pick No. 90 | Anthony Florence | CB | Bethune-Cookman<\/p>\n
1988 | Pick No. 107 | Monte Robbins | P | Michigan<\/p>\n
1988 | Pick No. 86 | John Bruhin | G | Tennessee<\/p>\n
1988 | Pick No. 83 | Robert Goff | DT | Auburn<\/p>\n
1987 | Pick No. 106 | Bruce Hill | WR | Arizona State<\/p>\n
1987 | Pick No. 87 | Ron Hall | TE | Hawaii<\/p>\n
1987 | Pick No. 85 | Don Graham | LB | Penn State<\/p>\n
1986 | Pick No. 83 | Craig Swoope | S | Illinois<\/p>\n
1985 | Pick No. 92 | Mike Heaven | S | Illinois<\/p>\n
1984 | Pick No. 112 | Ron Heller | T | Penn State<\/p>\n
1984 | Pick No. 107 | Mishael Gunter | RB | Tulsa<\/p>\n
1983 | Pick No. 99 | Kelly Thomas | T | USC<\/p>\n
1982 | Pick No. 103 | Dave Barrett | RB | Houston<\/p>\n
1981 | Pick No. 89 | John Holt | CB | West Texas State<\/p>\n
1980 | Pick No. 102 | Larry Flowers | CB | Texas Tech<\/p>\n
1976 | Pick No. 124 | Everett Little | G | Houston<\/p>\n
1976 | Pick No. 121 | Richard Appleby | WR | Georgia<\/p>\n
– Of the Buccaneers’ 52 previous fourth-round picks, 42 played in at least one game for the team.(Walker will likely add to that total in 2026 after his year on I.R.) Of those 42, 34 made at least one start. Ten of those 34 started 50 or more games. Several of the 10 players who never saw (or haven’t yet seen) regular-season action for the Buccaneers were with the team for at least one season, either on the 53-man roster but inactive for every game or on injured reserve. Before Walker, the most recent examples of this were CB Alan Zemaitis in 2006 and C Austin King in 2003.<\/p>\n
– Two players picked by the Buccaneers in the fourth round made the Pro Bowl while with the team. C Tony Mayberry (1990) earned three straight selections from 1997-99. That stands as the most Pro Bowl selections by a center in franchise history. LB Kwon Alexander, a fourth-round pick in 2015, made the Pro Bowl in 2017.<\/p>\n
– Mayberry easily ranks as the most successful fourth-round selection in Buccaneers history so far. In addition to his Pro Bowl nods, he also ranks second in that group in games played (160) and first in games started (145). He played in every game during his 10-year NFL tenure, all with Tampa Bay, and started every game over the last nine seasons of that span. Mayberry ranks ninth in team annals among all players in games played and sixth in starts.<\/p>\n
– The other two fourth-round picks to make it to 100 games played for Tampa Bay are DL Will Gholston (2013) and TE Ron Hall (1987). From 2013-24, Gholston appeared in 186 games for the Bucs \u2013 ranking fifth in that category \u2013 and made 91 starts. His career totals include 432tackles, 20.5 sacks and 81 QB hits. He has played in more games for the Bucs than any other defensive lineman in team history. Hall saw action in 101 games for Tampa Bay, with 90 starts, recording 209 catches for 2,422 yards and 10 touchdowns. He ranks fourth on the team’s all-time receptions list among tight ends.<\/p>\n
– The Bucs have been on a bit of a roll in the fourth round since 2011. Of the 12 players they’veselected in the fourth round in that span, eight have played at least four seasons for the team, finishing out their rookie contracts at a minimum. Irving and Walker are still on their rookiecontracts. One exception is WR Jaelon Darden from the 2021 draft; Darden spent parts of two seasons as the team’s primary return man but was eventually released in December of 2022.<\/p>\n
– That run comes in stark contrast to the team’s fourth-round efforts from 2002 through 2009. The Bucs made nine fourth-round picks in that span and only two of them lasted at least four years in Tampa. Three of those nine \u2013 T Lance Nimmo (2003), C Austin King (2003) and CB Alan Zemaitis (2006) \u2013 never played a game for the Buccaneers. Another, RB Travis Stephens (2002), saw action in just one contest. The two exceptions were both safeties \u2013 Will Allen in 2004 and Tanard Jackson in 2007. Allen played 84 games for the Bucs with 26 starts while Jackson got into 56 games, starting them all.<\/p>\n
– When the Buccaneers selected Miami QB Craig Erickson in the fourth round in 1992 it was the second time he had heard his name called on draft weekend. The Philadelphia Eagles used a fifth-round selection on Erickson in the 1991 draft but the two sides failed to reach agreement on a contract while Erickson was recovering from a knee injury suffered in his last college game. The Eagles lost their rights to the Hurricane passer when the next year’s draft arrived, and the Bucs eventually took him 45 spots higher than he had gone the year before. Erickson started 30games for the Bucs over the 1993 and 1994 seasons but was eventually traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick after Tampa Bay had transitioned to 1994 first-round pick Trent Dilfer. Erickson threw for over 6,000 yards during his Bucs tenure, tossing 34 touchdowns and 31 interceptions.<\/p>\n
– The Bucs drafted safeties from the University of Illinois in consecutive fourth rounds in 1985 and 1986, though neither worked out particularly well. Mike Heaven (1985) never played a game in the NFL and Craig Swoope (1986) lasted just a little over one season in Tampa, though he did start 11 games.<\/p>\n
– Three of the top 24 pass-catchers in franchise history were fourth-round picks by the team. In addition to Ron Hall, noted above, 2010 fourth-round WR Mike Williams ranks 18th with 215 receptions for 2,947 yards and 25 touchdowns. WR Bruce Hill, a 1987 fourth-round pick, is 24thon the list with 190 grabs for 2,942 yards and 23 touchdowns.<\/p>\n
– LB Alshermond Singleton is the most productive player the Bucs have ever landed with a compensatory draft pick. Taken with an extra selection awarded at the end of the fourth round in 1997, Singleton played in 87 games for the Bucs with 15 starts. He was the starting strongsidelinebacker on the legendary 2002 defense that led the franchise to its first Super Bowl championship.<\/p>\n
– S Dexter Jackson, a fourth-rounder in 1999, earned NFL immortality when he was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXXVII. Jackson’s two first-half interceptions helped start a run of 34unanswered points for the Buccaneers, who would go on to beat the Oakland Raiders, 48-21.<\/p>\n
– The most common position the Buccaneers have targeted in the fourth round is safety, with nine picks at that position. Cornerback is next with a total of six draftees.<\/p>\n
– Three colleges have produced a trio of Buccaneer fourth-round draft picks: Illinois, Penn State and Tennessee. Five others have two players on the list: Georgia, Houston, Miami (FL), Syracuseand USC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NOTE: This article was originally published in April of 2023 and has been updated to the results of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238836,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[54521,589,135,137,136],"class_list":["post-238835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-featured","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}