The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not having an ideal season.
Entering Week 4, the team has yet to win a game, and head coach Todd Bowles is on the hottest of hot seats. There’s plenty of season to go, and the Bucs play in the chaotic NFC South, so anything could happen.
The problem is, the Bucs are going to be without quarterback Baker Mayfield for a while, and there hasn’t been a ton of things to feel good about elsewhere on the roster. It therefore wouldn’t be surprising if Bucs fans wanted to go ahead and think about the 2027 draft.
The 2027 draft is expected to be loaded with talent. A recent mock has the Bucs landing a true lockdown corner with the No. 2 pick.
Bucs Draft Notre Dame Star Leonard Moore in Latest Mock
Michael Clubb, USA TODAY Sports
Luke Easterling of Athlon releases a new mock draft each Thursday. In his most recent mock, he decided on the draft order based on current standings.
As a result, the Bucs, at 0-3, land the No. 2 pick. With that pick, Easterling has the team selecting Notre Dame star cornerback Leonard Moore. Moore is widely thought of as the best corner in this draft, so landing him would be a huge win for the Bucs.
“If the Bucs end up tumbling this far down the standings, the silver lining would be the opportunity to finally land the true shutdown corner they’ve lacked for years,” Easterling explained. “Moore is a complete player who checks every box from both a physical and mental standpoint, and he’s got the polish and technique to immediately push for All-Pro consideration. After addressing the pass rush with Rueben Bain Jr. this year, adding a star for the secondary would be ideal here.”
As Easterling mentioned, the Bucs could really use a true lockdown corner. Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish have shown promise, but nobody on the roster is even close to the ceiling of Moore.
In 2025, Moore played in 10 games and collected 31 tackles, seven pass breakups, and five interceptions. The corner was one of the highest-graded defensive backs in the nation and earned First-team All-American honors.
Moore is intriguing because he’s got great size for a boundary corner, but he’s also got the speed to keep up with the fastest receivers. Having Moore and McCollum at corner, with Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith at safety, would give the Bucs one of the most talented young secondaries in the league.
