Bucs projected to land established pass rusher in 2026 NFL Draft

The 2026 NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh this month, a city where the Bucs could select the next star they add to their roster in hopes of righting the proverbial ship. Before then, though, there will be plenty of speculation and buildup for the team and who they may add to the roster through the draft. Thankfully, we now have some added context for players now that the scouting combine has come and gone.

NFL Network's Nick Shook recently released the latest 2026 NFL mock draft of the cycle, which has the team going in the defensive direction with Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor. Arguably, the Edge2 in this class, Mesidor, is an older prospect but is one who is more refined than most in the class.

Shook explains the Mesidor pick, writing, "The Buccaneers have needed an impact edge rusher for the last two years and have repeatedly swung and missed on veteran solutions. Mesidor arrives as their answer, giving Tampa a productive, powerful and relentless rusher with the versatility to move around and create challenging looks for opposing offensive lines."

Mesidor is becoming a very popular pick for the Bucs in mock drafts. It is a pick that makese sense as it would be a win now move for a team with a small window to win that remains open.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs land Akheem Mesidor in latest mock draft