NFL Mock Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers trade pick No. 15 and go on 8-pick defensive spree to replace Mike Evans and fix Todd Bowles' broken unit

Tampa Bay lost Mike Evans in free agency after 12 seasons, closing one of the most important runs in franchise history. The Buccaneers confirmed his departure, and multiple reports said he agreed to join the San Francisco 49ers.That makes wide receiver an obvious draft need. But a post-free agency mock from J.T. Olson of Bucs Report takes a harder stance: the bigger issue is still Todd Bowles’ defense. In the mock, Tampa Bay trades down from No. 15 to No. 23, adds extra picks, and builds the class around defense before addressing the Mike Evans void later.

Why this Buccaneers mock draft says Todd Bowles’ defense is still the real emergency

According to Olson’s mock, the Buccaneers send Pick No. 15 to Philadelphia and receive Picks 23, 68, and 122.

The first move after the trade is Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell at No. 23, followed by Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller at No. 46 and Texas A&M linebacker Taurean York at No. 68. Later picks also add California cornerback Hezekiah Masses, Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott, and Maryland safety Jalen Huskey.That is the point of the mock. Tampa Bay did not leave free agency with one clean problem. It left with several.

A to Z Sports also framed EDGE as the Bucs’ most obvious Round 1 target after the first wave of free agency, which lines up with Olson’s thinking.

The message is pretty blunt. Replacing Evans matters, but Bowles’ unit still needs more bodies, more speed, and more answers. This mock treats defense as the bigger fire.

Mike Evans is gone, but this mock draft still waits until round 3 to find his replacement

The interesting part is where Olson waits. He does not force a receiver at No. 15 or No. 23. Instead, he takes Georgia State wide receiver Ted Hurst at No.

77 and pitches him as the size replacement for Evans at 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds.That is a gamble, but at least it is a clear one. The Buccaneers officially lost Evans this month, so pretending his production can be replaced by one move would be lazy.What this mock really says is that Tampa Bay does not believe one receiver fixes the roster. It says the Bucs can patch the pass-catching hole later, but they cannot keep ignoring a defense that still looks thin in too many spots. That may not be the flashy answer after Evans’ exit. It is probably the honest one.