The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a few needs to fill in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft in Detroit. And with how the free agent market could go, some of those needs may look a little different by the time we get to the draft in April.
NFL.com writer Eric Edholm put up his mock draft for the upcoming 2024 NFL draft, and he has the Bucs going offense for Round 1 — he has them taking Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman at pick No. 26.
Here’s what Edholm wrote about his pick for the Bucs:
Depending on what happens with pending free agent Mike Evans, the Bucs might need a wide receiver who can complement Chris Godwin. Coleman can’t fly, but he has acrobatic receiving skills, can play inside and out and would be a big red-zone target for Baker Mayfield, assuming he’s back.
Edholm is certainly right about one thing — this would be a move that the team could benefit from should WR Mike Evans not return to Tampa Bay. If he does, thought, it wouldn’t make too much sense, as the team has Evans and Chris Godwin and also filled a WR3 need with Trey Palmer in the 2023 NFL draft. Coleman is a big wideout who can do a lot of the things Evans can, so he would be a good replacement, but the team would be unlikely to draft him should the longtime Bucs wideout return.
The Bucs’ biggest needs in the draft include the interior offensive line to shore up the run game and pass protection and an edge rusher on the defense to improve the pass rush. Should Evans come back, a pick there is likely — if he doesn’t, though, fans of both the Bucs and the Florida State Seminoles could get to watch more Coleman on their TV.’
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