Mock Draft Monday: Bucs get defensive overhaul from PFF

PFF focused its mock draft on the Bucs’ defense, which seems to be a popular trend for the team’s draft plan projections.

Mock draft Monday is going to look a little different here, in part because PFF dropped their latest piece on Monday. Trevor Sikkema published a three-round mock draft, so we will discuss those picks he made.

PFF focused its mock draft on the Bucs’ defense, which seems to be a popular trend for the team’s draft plan projections.

The mock draft has the Bucs making three picks in the first three rounds, all of them are on defense. The 16th overall pick, which the team is projected to own, has them landing Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolan. Sikkema writes on Nolan that he, “Is more than just a traditional tackle—he’s a former 5-star defensive lineman with elite athletic potential at 6-foot-3, 305 pounds. His blend of burst and physicality allows him to line up as a 4i or 5-tech defensive end, making him an excellent fit to bolster the Buccaneers’ pass rush. . .”

He also has the Bucs adding at the linebacker position with Nolan’s Ole Miss teammate Chris Paul Jr. and then in the secondary with Lathan Ransom at safety from Ohio State. Both of those players come from defenses where they are leaders on that side of the ball and are proven playmakers.

Both of those are something that this Bucs defense needs an injection of.

Bucs get edge help in Matt Miller’s latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft

In Matt Miller’s 2025 NFL Mock Draft, he has the Bucs taking another chance on a prominent edge rusher in the class.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been searching for a star pass rusher in recent years and just haven’t made it happen yet. General Manager Jason Licht has taken chances on Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Yaya Diaby but they haven’t been reliable pass rushers.

In Matt Miller’s 2025 NFL Mock Draft, he has the Bucs taking another chance on a prominent edge rusher in the class.

The Tennessee Volunteers have been known for their offense in recent years but James Pearce Jr. has emerged as one of the best defenders in the country. Miller writes, “Outside of better health at receiver, the Buccaneers’ roster is in good shape, which could allow the team to utilize the “best player available” strategy. Pearce certainly fits that bill, as he tops all FBS players with a 20.2% pressure rate. . .”

The roster is well-built and accurate; it just needs some more difference-makers on defense. Pearce Jr. projects to develop into one of those much-needed difference-makers.

Bucs land SEC defender in latest 2025 NFL mock draft from PFF

In fact, we have a mock draft on Mondays every week here, and the latest can be found on our homepage. 

The 2025 NFL Draft is roughly six months away, yet it seems like it is right around the corner as discussions about the event heat up. Every media outlet, including us, has been putting out mock drafts.

In fact, we have a mock draft on Mondays every week here, and the latest can be found on our homepage.

The mock draft we discuss today is one from PFF’s NFL Draft podcast, The NFL Stock Exchange. The mock used the recent draft order, which had the Bucs drafting 13th overall. They gave them Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker. They chose Walker because they liked his pass-rush ability and his ability to play linebacker.

Trevor Sikkema compared Walker’s play style to that of current Bucs player Yaya Diaby. He likes the idea of the Bucs addressing two positions with one pick seemingly but especially likes his potential as a pass rusher.

The Bucs defense is going to need some help this offseason, in this case, it came in the NFL Draft.

Aggregate 2025 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: International prospects rise

HoopsHype has updated where the top prospects stand for the 2025 NBA Draft by compiling six mock drafts from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and USA TODAY. A couple of quick notes on our aggregate mock draft: * Some …

HoopsHype has updated where the top prospects stand for the 2025 NBA Draft by compiling six mock drafts from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and USA TODAY.

A couple of quick notes on our aggregate mock draft:

* Some freshmen are missing because they weren’t listed on all the mocks we compiled, meaning scouts don’t see them as one-and-done prospects yet.

* Additionally, the ages shown for international prospects reflect their draft-day age. These are preliminary scouting reports and are subject to change as we progress through the pre-draft process.

While some see future all-stars in Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and VJ Edgecombe, others have doubts. We tend to agree with scouts who don’t see this group as generational. As the season unfolds, they’ll have a chance to prove themselves, but expectations should remain grounded.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 60 points. If a player was second, he received 59 points, and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking.

The New York Knicks forfeited their 2025 second-round pick due to tampering.

Daily updated Mock Draft 2022

Good news for fans already looking for hope in the next NBA Draft. We introduce a new kind of 2022 Mock Draft, which will show on a daily basis where prospects are projected to land next June. The order is determined by aggregating more than 10 mock …

Good news for fans already looking for hope in the next NBA Draft. We introduce a new kind of 2022 Mock Draft, which will show on a daily basis where prospects are projected to land next June.

The order is determined by aggregating more than 10 mock drafts from prestigious media specialized in scouting young prospects. It’s the same base we use for our consensus mock draft, like this one *here we would include link for most updated AMD*.

The teams’ order will be updated automatically every night after the daily games’ end, obviously taking into account that the lottery most likely will change the Top-4 and some ties will be broken with a draw at the end of the Regular Season.

 

Aggregate 2025 NBA Mock Draft: Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey battling for No. 1 pick?

HoopsHype’s aggregate 2025 NBA mock draft lists the top prospects, including scouting reports from NBA executives and scouts by HoopsHype’s Senior NBA Insider, Michael Scotto.

HoopsHype has updated where the top prospects stand for the 2025 NBA Draft by compiling six mock drafts from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and USA TODAY. 

We spoke with an NBA executive and two scouts for their insights on the prospects for the first edition of the aggregate 2025 NBA mock draft.

An explanation for HoopsHype’s Draft Predictor from colleague Alberto de Roa, who contributed research to this story, can be found here.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 60 points. If a player was second, he received 59 points, and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking.

OKC Thunder adds pair of players in early 2025 NBA mock draft

OKC Thunder adds pair of players in early 2025 NBA mock draft.

Roughly a month after the 2024 NBA draft concluded, experts have already turned their focus to the next cycle.

Next year’s draft class is centered around Duke’s Cooper Flagg. He’s seen as a blue-chip prospect that teams will likely tank for next season.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman conducted an early 2025 NBA mock draft on July 18. The Oklahoma City Thunder took a pair of first-round players from the class. They will accompany Nikola Topic as 2025-26 OKC rookies.

The Thunder gained the No. 10 pick via the LA Clippers, who they own swap rights. They added Georgia forward Asa Newell. The 18-year-old is viewed as a lottery prospect.

“At 6’11” with a live motor, Asa Newell should deliver immediate activity around the rim, easy baskets and putbacks to Georgia. He covers a lot of ground and loves to crash the glass and sprint the floor in transition.

But his developing three-point stroke and post skill is what will help push him up draft boards in 2025.”

The Thunder’s second selection comes at the No. 25 spot via the Philadelphia 76ers. OKC owns a top-six protected pick by the Sixers. They added Duke forward Isaiah Evans.

“Evans, who’s 175 pounds, will have to be very efficient with his shot selection and shooting to give Duke consistent minutes and production. But scouts may ultimately be willing to look past any inconsistency for a wing with Evans’ caliber of perimeter scoring versatility.”

Despite being championship contenders, expect premium draft capital to head toward the Thunder for the foreseeable future. They own significant assets from other teams for the rest of the 2020s.

This could help them either boost their depth with cheap, young talent or have valuable trade currency in case OKC wants to add veteran players.

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Aggregate 2024 NBA Mock Draft: Paul George, Tyrese Maxey free agency; Zach LaVine trade talks

HoopsHype’s 2024 NBA mock draft lists the top prospects and includes reporting on free agency for Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, Zach LaVine trade talks, and more from Senior NBA Inside Michael Scotto.

HoopsHype has gathered the latest intel across the league and updated where the top prospects currently stand for the 2024 NBA Draft by compiling 11 mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, NBA Big Board, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, NBADraft.net, and USA TODAY’s For The Win.

We also spoke with several NBA executives and scouts for their insight on the prospects for the seventh edition of the aggregate mock draft.

An explanation for HoopsHype’s Draft Predictor from colleague Alberto de Roa, who contributed research to this story, can be found here.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 60 points. If a player was second, he received 59 points, and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking.

Aggregate 2024 NBA Mock Draft: Intel on Knicks, Suns, Spurs, 76ers, Raptors, Nuggets, Wizards, more

HoopsHype’s aggregate 2024 NBA mock draft lists the top prospects, including reporting on the Knicks, Suns, Spurs, 76ers, Raptors, and more.

HoopsHype has gathered the latest intel across the league and updated where the top prospects currently stand for the 2024 NBA Draft by compiling 10 mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, NBA Big Board, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and USA TODAY’s For The Win.

We also spoke with several NBA executives and scouts for their insight on the prospects for the sixth edition of the aggregate mock draft.

An explanation for HoopsHype’s Draft Predictor from colleague Alberto de Roa, who contributed research to this story, can be found here.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 60 points. If a player was second, he received 59 points, and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking.

Top prospects who withdrew from 2024 NBA draft

HoopsHype ranks the top 2024 NBA Draft prospects who returned to NCAA college basketball.

Before the calendar flipped to June and the NCAA early withdrawal deadline passed, draft prospects had to decide whether to forfeit their remaining college eligibility and stay in the draft or return to college.

Below is where the top prospects who withdrew from the draft ranked according to our HoopsHype Draft Predictor by colleague Alberto De Roa on deadline day.