Bucs enter NFL Draft with defensive needs, hoping top talent falls

Yes, but: The Bucs are fortunate to have their starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield, locked in. It's seen as a weak draft for the sport's most important position.

• The Bucs will be hoping that desperate teams take QBs anyway, causing more talented players at other positions to drop down the board.

Roster check: The Bucs' needs are primarily on defense. They need help at edge rusher, corner, linebacker and safety (which is to say, almost everywhere).

• They added a veteran rusher in Haason Reddick, a former Pro Bowler coming off a bizarre year with the New York Jets. It's still a position of need.

The intrigue: The Bucs lost key leaders this offseason, including former offensive coordinator Liam Coen and former assistant general manager John Spytek.

• The turnover could shift the team's approach to building its roster, making Tampa Bay's draft strategy less predictable than in recent years.

Names to watch: Draft experts have largely forecast the Bucs will go with a defensive player for their first-round selection Thursday night.

• Edge rushers have been popular, with Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku and Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. among the names to watch.
• Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell — an elite athlete who can also rush the passer — has also been a popular pick to wind up in pewter.

How to watch: The draft's first round airs 8pm Thursday on ESPN, NFL Network, NFL+, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.