The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a pair of players who can control the interior up front with Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea. With those two healthy and on the field you can always count on the other team’s center and guards having a rough day … if not just flat out taking the L.
What you can’t say about the Buccaneers’ defense is that it currently has a player who can complement those 2 by bringing pressure off the edge. Therein lies the biggest key to unlocking Tampa Bay’s full potential on that side of the ball.
Athlon Sports’ Luke Easterling thinks the Buccaneers will add a player who could be the answer to those problems in his latest mock draft, where he has Tampa Bay projected to take University of Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. with the No. 19 overall pick.
“The Bucs are still searching for an edge rusher who can take over games and force opposing offenses to slide protections and extra blockers his way,” Easterling wrote on January 30. “Pearce hasn’t been as consistently dominant as you’d like, but all the traits are there, and he’s shown flashes of brilliance that prove what he’s capable of, and Tampa Bay could unlock his lofty potential.”
Pearce Needs to Add Size to Thrive on Next Level
It’s a testament to the sheer athleticism of players in the NFL that someone like Pearce, 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds, needs to prioritize working on his body to become a star on the next level.
But it’s fair. To be a dominant edge rusher in the NFL he’s going to need to put on at least 10 pounds of muscle — if not more. The NFL’s de facto Top 4 dominant pass rushers all are between 255 to 270 pounds; Myles Garrett (270 pounds), Trey Hendrickson (270 pounds), Maxx Crosby (255 pounds) and T.J. Watt (255 pounds).
“Overall, Pearce’s natural talent is worth betting on, he’s just not a complete product at the moment,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote. “Still, he can contribute as a pass rusher early in his career and has plenty of potential considering he’ll only be 21 years old on draft day.”
While Pearce is young, he’s been dominant at times for the Volunteers over 3 college seasons, with 17.5 sacks in his final 2 season as he helped Tennessee make the College Football Playoff for the first time following the 2024 season.
Buccaneers Close to Becoming Contenders
The Buccaneers would have had a much easier path to winning their fourth consecutive NFC South Division title and making the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season with an elite edge rusher.
Tampa Bay’s season came to an end with a heartbreaking, 23-20 loss to the Washington Commanders in the NFC Wild Card Round but as far as 2025, it seems like that loss and how the Buccaneers played late in the season show they’re close to being a contender.
What the Buccaneers were lacking was an edge rusher, which the stats back up. Kancey led the team with 7.5 sack sand Vea was second with 7.0 sacks — great numbers for defensive tackles but not who you want leading your team in that category.
