Notre Dame G Billy Schrauth .
Is drafting for depth in Round 4 a smart way to go?
Joe is of the mind that perhaps a guy could fall through the cracks on the first two days of the draft and the Bucs could land a potential starter by accident.
However, Josh Liskiewitz of the PFF tribe thinks the Bucs should start looking for depth in Round 4. And Liskiewitz says Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth is the type of depth the Bucs need.
Round 4, Pick 116: G Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame
Schrauth’s season ended five games early with an MCL sprain in October, but he would provide immediate interior depth for Tampa Bay with starting upside. Over the past two seasons, he allowed just one sack and 10 pressures across 562 pass-blocking snaps.
Schrauth, from Wisconsin (we all know how much Jason Licht loves offensive linemen from the upper Midwest), is a big boy checking in at 6-5, 310 at the combine.
Guard depth for the Bucs was atrocious last year. If Bucs fans want to blame the offense imploding on the swinging saloon doors play of (not that) Michael Jordan and Buffalo castoff Dan Feeney, Joe won’t argue.
Drafting Schrauth is a very intersting suggestion. Apparently, Schrauth can pass block. And the way Notre Dame ran the ball the past couple of years, Joe thinks it’s safe to believe Schrauth is also a good run blocker.
Joe doesn’t believe Cody Mauch is going anywhere. If he recovers from knee surgery — he’s ready to rock for the start of OTAs — then Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht won’t let him out of the building. Mauch is entering a contract year.
Veteran Ben Bredeson is a free agent in 2028. Joe is a Bredeson fan and Joe knows the Bucs are, too, but will Bredeson still be at the top of his game when he’s 29?
Here’s a look at Licht’s fourth-round picks this decade:
2025: David Walker
2024: Bucky Irving
2022: Cade Otton, Jake Camarda
2021: Jaelon Darden
That’s just this decade. So, Joe would guess that’s a 50 percent hit rate, which is extraordinary for the fourth round.
Walker is an incomplete grade. Let’s see what he does when he’s able to finish a padded practice.
So Joe is torn: Do the Bucs try to find a productive starter in the fourth round like Otton or Bucky? Or do the Bucs go for depth and groom a guy for maybe starting in 2028?
No matter how you slice it, the Bucs must have better depth at guard.
Notre Dame OG Billy Schrauth (6-5, 305) needs more pre-NFL Combine buzz
☘️6 starts at RG/16 at LG, even having missed 9 last two years (knee/ankle)
☘️Strength is pass pro. Wide-base & active grip in hands/feet
☘️Fluid, strong puller mover with wide shoulders
🎥 @BengalsBrews pic.twitter.com/SZnUDvw961
— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) February 18, 2026