Alabama ILB Jihaad Campbell – Photo by: UA Athletics
INTRO: The Bucs re-signed linebackers Lavonte David and Deion Jones this offseason, in addition to adding veteran depth with Anthony Walker Jr. But Tampa Bay is not done addressing the linebacker position. General manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles will draft at least one linebacker next month and it’s going to be a big decision given the importance of the position in Bowles’ defense. Therefore the Bucs must choose wisely, which is why I’m dedicating this entire SR’s Fab 5 column on the linebackers available in the 2025 NFL Draft and which ones best fit what Tampa Bay is looking for.
FAB 1. Bucs Must Choose Wisely When Drafting Their Next Linebacker
The Bucs feel good about their inside linebacker corps right now.
Not great, but good.
Yet they shouldn’t.
Bucs Ilb Sirvocea Dennis And Hc Todd Bowles
Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
On paper, the current unit looks fine. Legendary Lavonte David returns for one more year. SirVocea Dennis’ shoulder has been surgically repaired. The team has what it believes is an upgrade in athletic talent, speed and experience over K.J. Britt and J.J. Russell in depth pieces Anthony Walker Jr. and Deion Jones.
But NFL games are played on grass or turf – not paper.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles can’t assume that Dennis, who has played just 17 games in two seasons in Tampa Bay will stay healthy. They can’t assume that the play of David, at age 35, won’t slip further than it slipped last year, especially in coverage.
They can’t assume that the 30-year old Jones, who played well in the playoff loss to the Commanders, isn’t a shell of his former self. Or that Walker, who turns 30 and is coming off a down year in Miami, isn’t on the decline, too.
I’m not trying to be pessimistic – just realistic.
Tampa Bay’s lack of quality depth in the secondary and at the inside linebacker position last year led to the defense’s undoing. David was healthy enough to start all 18 games, including the playoffs, last year, but probably shouldn’t have been playing close to 100% of the snaps of every game at age 34, as it hurt his overall effectiveness.
The Bucs will draft an inside linebacker this year to add youth, speed and talent to the unit, and Licht and Bowles must draft wisely. Out of all of the players that Tampa Bay selects this year, the linebacker they choose – in whatever round – must be a hit.
Let me rephrase that.
Bucs Ilb Lavonte David And Commanders Qb Jayden Daniels
Bucs ILB Lavonte David and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels – Photo by: USA Today
The linebacker Tampa Bay selects – in whatever round – must be the hit of the draft. The linebacker that Licht and Bowles chooses must be capable of starting all 17 games this year in case there is an early season-ending injury to Dennis or David.
And that linebacker must be a surefire starter for years to come as either David’s replacement at Moneybacker – or the “Mo ‘backer” as it’s often called on the weakside – or at Mike linebacker (middle). Some believe Dennis might be better suited to be a Mo ‘backer rather than a Mike ‘backer. So whoever is drafted must be adept at coverage to play Mo to back up David this year, as well as adept at blitzing to be able to play Mike and possibly supplant Dennis, who could move to Mo once David retires.
Of course being a sure tackler who can quickly diagnose plays, shed blocks, fill gaps and take proper pursuit angles is also a must.
Bowles deploys a nickel defense, which features two linebackers, over 70% of the time. And the linebackers are the heartbeat of the defense, so finding the right one to pair with Dennis for the foreseeable future would be ideal.
Pewter Report was able to identify six linebackers the Bucs had formal meetings with at the NFL Scouting Combine – Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell, Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa, Florida’s Shemar James, Oklahoma State’s Nickolas Martin, Georgia’s Smael Mondon Jr. and Penn State’s Kobe King. We were not able to determine if Georgia’s Jalon Walker, UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger or South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr. had a formal meeting with the Bucs or not in Indianapolis.
But the Bucs did meet with Knight twice at the Senior Bowl and have him coming in for a Top 30 visit. He won’t be the only linebacker to meet with Tampa Bay over the next month, either.
I’m going to take a close look at four linebacker draft prospects I really like in this week’s SR’s Fab 5. I’m not going to feature James, Mondon or King, as I don’t think James nor King have the kind of speed that the Bucs are looking for.
Mondon just lacks the playmaking gene for me. And the Bucs didn’t interview either Clemson’s Barrett Carter nor Ole Miss’ Chris “Pooh” Paul, so I’m going to skip my evaluation of those players, too.
Georgia Lb Jalon Walker And Texas Qb Quinn Ewers
Georgia LB Jalon Walker and Texas QB Quinn Ewers – Photo by: USA Today
Before I get to those evaluations, let me touch on Walker and Schwesinger first. I don’t think Walker makes it to No. 19, as his elite athleticism and his ability as an edge rusher – the position I see him playing in the NFL due to his lack of ideal linebacker instincts – will get him drafted before Tampa Bay is on the clock. The Bucs need a true linebacker – someone who can master the position. Not a jack of all trades, but master of none.
Walker has been labeled a chess piece by draft evaluators – a player who can be moved all around the field. But the last time Bowles had a player he called a chess piece that guy was Joe Tryon-Shoyinka because he could rush the passer from multiple positions as well as drop in coverage.
The Bucs used a first-round pick on Tryon-Shoyinka in 2021 with the expectation that he could be Jason Pierre-Paul’s eventual replacement as an edge rusher. Yet JTS failed at generating sacks, which was the primary reason he was drafted for.
Bowles doesn’t need any more chess pieces. He needs linebackers and I’m worried that Walker isn’t a full-time linebacker.
I’m also worried about Schwesinger coming out of nowhere to have a monster season. This guy was a special teamer who was not good enough to see the field on defense prior to his junior year in 2024. Then he blew up with 136 tackles (90 solo), with four sacks, three pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble.
Yet Schwesinger allowed a passer rating of 100 in coverage last year, which isn’t great, and he surrendered three touchdowns in coverage, too. Schwesinger also allowed a 76.7% completion percentage, which isn’t ideal.
Ucla Ilb Carson Schwesinger Bucs
UCLA ILB Carson Schwesinger – Photo by: USA Today
So is Schwesinger just a one-year wonder or is he truly a late bloomer?
And just how fast is he? Is he a 4.5 guy or a 4.7 guy?
We don’t know because he opted out of the Senior Bowl, supposedly not due to injury. Then he skipped the athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine and was unable to work out at the UCLA pro day this week due to a minor hamstring injury he supposedly suffered during his athletic training, according to his agent.
That raises some red flags for me about Schwesinger, who is viewed as a prospect who could be picked anywhere from the second round to the fourth round. The Bucs had to put up with two linebackers who lacked ideal speed and were sub-par athletically in Britt and Russell last year. If I’m Licht and Bowles I’m not keen on spending a premium draft pick on another one.
I would definitely bring in Schwesinger for a Top 30 visit to truly feel him out and get a better idea of who he is as a linebacker. And I would make sure to have scouts on hand at his personal athletic testing day in early April to gauge just how fast and athletic he is.
Now let’s take a look at four linebackers the Bucs are targeting in this year’s draft – one of whom could be wearing red and pewter this fall in Tampa Bay.
FAB 2. Is Jihaad Campbell Too Good To Pass Up At No. 19?
Alabama Ilb Jihaad Campbell Bucs
Alabama ILB Jihaad Campbell – Photo by: USA Today
Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell is one of the most popular picks for the Bucs in this year’s mock drafts. Tampa Bay has a need at inside linebacker, and he’s the best one available.
Easy fit, right?
Possibly, but considering that general manager Jason Licht typically likes to build the trenches in the first round, I’m not sure he’s thrilled about selecting another off-ball linebacker with his top pick. The only other time that’s happened was selecting Devin White with the fifth overall pick in 2019.
Licht has spent the team’s first draft pick on three defensive linemen in Vita Vea (2018), Logan Hall (2022) and Calijah Kancey (2023), as well as one edge rusher, who also plays on the line of scrimmage, in Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (2021). He also spent a pair of first-rounders on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage in tackle Tristan Wirfs (2020) and center Graham Barton (2024).
White paid immediate dividends for the first couple of years, helping the Bucs win Super Bowl LV in 2020 before his career self-destructed. I’m not sure Licht has the appetite to spend another first-round pick on a linebacker when the only first-round linebacker who was a Pro Bowler last year was Baltimore’s Roquan Smith.
The first round has produced its share of busts at linebacker – more than some other positions. But some team in the first round is going to take a chance on Campbell, perhaps it’s Tampa Bay. So let’s take a look at him.
Campbell is a very good athlete and an improving linebacker when healthy. He had his knee scoped at the start of the 2023 season, which caused him to miss some time that year. Then he left the ReliaQuest Bowl with an upper body injury this past season, which is when he might have suffered his shoulder injury that required surgery.
Campbell was able to run a 4.52 at the NFL Scouting Combine and jump 10 feet, seven inches in the board jump, but he recently had surgery to repair a torn labrum. That typically takes four to six months to recover from, which puts Campbell’s availability for the start of the 2025 season in doubt.
Alabama Ilb Jihaad Campbell Bucs
Alabama ILB Jihaad Campbell – Photo by: USA Today
The Bucs are in “win now” mode with their Super Bowl window open. Do they want to spend a first-round pick on a player who will certainly miss the OTAs and mini-camps, and possibly training camp as well? Drafting Campbell means that he will not start as a rookie, as the Mike linebacker position is the quarterback of the defense. It takes time and plenty of on-field reps to learn.
Campbell earned first-team All-SEC honors last year with 117 tackles, 12 tackle for loss, five sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an interception. He posted 66 tackles, four tackles for loss, half a sack, three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown, and an interception in 2023.
With only seven missed tackles last year and just six in 2023, Campbell is a very sure tackler. But he did allow quarterbacks to complete 80% (24-of-30) passes against him and compile an 87.5 passer rating versus Campbell.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Campbell certainly looks the part and he has the athletic tools to be a Mike linebacker in Todd Bowles’ scheme. But he is still honing his instincts and is slow to shed blocks. If Campbell was a four-year starter at Alabama or had at least two or three years’ worth of elite tape I would feel better about drafting him in the first round.
But White’s downfall in Tampa Bay, outside of self-destructive ego, was his lack of instincts and his ability to get off blocks. Do the Bucs want to possibly go down this road again? With 4.42 speed, White was also faster and a better athlete than Campbell is.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucs took a chance on Campbell’s upside and selected him at No. 19. Yet I wouldn’t be shocked at all if Tampa Bay passed on him, either – and I would certainly understand why. Campbell is not a bulletproof, no-brainer pick, especially coming off labrum surgery.
FAB 3. Demetrius Knight Jr. Might Be The Guy In Round 2
South Carolina Ilb Demetrius Knight Jr. Bucs
South Carolina ILB Demetrius Knight Jr. – Photo by: USA Today
There’s a lot to like about South Carolina inside linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr., whom the Bucs are bringing in for a Top 30 visit this weekend. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Knight ran a 4.58 in the 40-yard dash and that is a faster time than either SirVocea Dennis (4.63) or Lavonte David (4.65) ran coming out of college.
Knight also posted a 7.12 three-cone drill, which was the third-fastest time among linebackers, and a short shuttle drill time of 4.25, which was the second-fastest among linebackers. His 22 reps of 225 pounds were the third-most among linebackers.
So Knight certainly checks the athleticism box.
In terms of production, Knight had 82 tackles (57 solo), eight tackles for loss and two sacks for the Gamecocks last year, as well as the game-clinching interception against state rival Clemson. He also tied for the team lead at South Carolina with three forced fumbles last season.
Prior to his lone season at South Carolina, Knight played at Charlotte where he had 96 tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four pass breakups and three interceptions, including a pick-six, in 2023. Before transferring to Charlotte, Knight played three seasons as a reserve at Georgia Tech, totaling 51 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Knight allowed an impressive passer rating of just 65.1 last year with two forced incompletions and no touchdowns surrendered. Opposing quarterbacks completed just 70.8% (17-of-24) passes against him.
Knight currently viewed as a second-round draft prospect and he could be available when the Bucs are on the clock with the 53rd overall pick.
South Carolina Ilb Demetrius Knight Jr. Bucs
South Carolina ILB Demetrius Knight Jr. – Photo by: USA Today
While Knight will be one of the older prospects in this year’s draft class as he turns 25 in July, his age could work in his favor as he is incredibly mature. Knight is already married and has a young daughter and son. He graduated from Georgia Tech in three years with a degree in literature and communications, and Knight is almost done with his master’s degree in sports science.
Knight, a former dual-threat quarterback in high school, has a high football I.Q. and is considered to be a very cerebral linebacker. Todd Bowles loves those kind of linebackers, and he would fit in nicely with SirVocea Dennis and Lavonte David in that regard.
Knight is quick to diagnose plays, he’s a physical tackler – although he wraps up a bit high too often – in addition to being good in coverage and a good blitzer. He’s probably more of a Mike linebacker than he is a Moneybacker, so Knight would likely compete with Dennis during his rookie season for that role. If he were to supplant Dennis as the starter at some point, Dennis would be an ideal heir apparent to David at the Mo position (weakside) in 2026.
The Bucs have a pressing need at cornerback, too. So the team might be tempted to take one in the second round instead.
But if their second-round pick winds up being Knight – it might be right.
FAB 4. Jeffrey Bassa Just Looks Like A Bucs Linebacker
Oregon Ilb Jeffrey Bassa Bucs
Oregon ILB Jeffrey Bassa – Photo by: USA Today
When I look at Jeffrey Bassa’s film at Oregon it reminds me a lot of how Lavonte David plays – smooth, athletic, smart and under control. Bassa was a former safety in high school who grew into a 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker at the college level.
With a chiseled, muscular frame, Bassa is certainly not allergic to the weight room, and his build is evidence that he’s a hard worker and takes his craft seriously. Like South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr., Bassa is a very cerebral linebacker. He’s a “heady player,” as Todd Bowles likes to say.
It’s no surprise that the Bucs interviewed him at the Senior Bowl and then also had a formal interview with him at the NFL Scouting Combine. Bassa is a very good athlete, but not a great one, as the Combine showed.
He ran a 4.63, which is on par with what SirVocea Dennis ran and just a tick faster than David’s time in the 40. Bassa is certainly faster than either K.J. Britt or J.J. Russell, and more fluid than both. For a Bucs linebacker corps that struggled mightily in coverage after Dennis’ season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4, Bassa could be the antidote.
Bassa started the last three years at linebacker at Oregon where he amassed 188 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four pass breakups, three interceptions, including a pick-six and two forced fumbles. As a junior, Bassa picked off Tyler Shough and returned it 45 yards for the game-sealing score in a 38-30 win at Texas Tech in the game’s final moments.
Oregon Ilb Jeffrey Bassa Bucs
Oregon ILB Jeffrey Bassa – Photo by: USA Today
You wish Bassa made more big plays like that for the Ducks, but he was the Defensive MVP in Oregon’s 45-6 win in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl as a junior with eight solo tackles.
Bassa was okay in coverage last year, allowing a passer rating of 110.1 and a 73.9% completion percentage (17-of-23) with three forced incompletions and one touchdown. He’s a very solid player and probably a very safe pick in the third or fourth round if Tampa Bay wants to go that route.
Bassa is an excellent communicator on defense and that was apparent at the Senior Bowl when he simply took over as the leader right away. But he’s more of a weakside linebacker than he is a Mike linebacker.
Ideally, Bassa would be David’s replacement as a Mo ‘backer rather than someone to challenge Dennis for the Mike role. So that has to be factored in when considering Bassa with a mid-round pick.
FAB 5. Nickolas Martin Has Some Boom Or Bust Potential For Bucs
Oklahoma State Ilb Nickolas Martin Bucs
Oklahoma State ILB Nickolas Martin – Photo by: USA Today
If the Bucs wait to draft Nickolas Martin to be their linebacker of the future they will be taking a big gamble. Martin has some incredible boom or bust potential. If he’s drafted by Tampa Bay, it should be on Day 3, and he should be the second linebacker the team drafts this year.
After starring on special teams during his first two years at Oklahoma State, Martin had a massive junior season with 140 tackles, including 83 solo stops, in addition to 16 tackles for loss and a team-leading six sacks. Martin also had two interceptions, including the game-clinching pick against Kansas State, and a forced fumble. He had six double-digit tackle performances, including 17 stops and a sack against the Wildcats, in addition to 17 tackles versus West Virginia in 2023.
Martin’s senior season was off to a great start with 47 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a sack and a forced fumble in the first five games of the season before a season-ending knee surgery in the waning moments of the loss at K-State. Martin had 16 tackles in a two-overtime win against Arkansas in the second week of the season.
He returned to action at the Senior Bowl where he excelled in covering backs out of the backfield in drills during practice, and finished with four tackles in the game.
The Cowboys linebacker also put any doubts about his recovery from knee surgery to rest at the NFL Scouting Combine where he blazed a 4.53 time in the 40-yard dash, which was the fourth-fastest linebacker time, with an impressive 1.54 10-yard split. Martin also had a 38-inch vertical jump, which was the fourth-highest among linebackers, and had 26 reps on the bench press, which was tied for the most.
Oklahoma State Ilb Nickolas Martin Bucs
Oklahoma State ILB Nickolas Martin – Photo by: USA Today
The muscle-bound 5-foot-11, 221-pound Martin is a self-professed workaholic and passionate football player. When he makes tackles, they are hard-nosed and aggressive. But sometimes Martin can be overaggressive and miss, evidenced by his 15.5% missed tackle rate (nine misses) in 2024, which is a bit high. Despite making 140 tackles in 2023, he also missed 20.
Martin is good in coverage and only allowed a 72.9 passer rating and a 62.5% completion percentage (10-of-16) last year while not surrendering a touchdown and forcing two incompletions in just five games. He’s better in man coverage rather than zone where he can get lost at times.
Martin’s athleticism, speed and physicality are worth taking a chance on as a Day 3 prospect, but ideally after the Bucs have selected another linebacker before drafting him. Martin needs more coaching and to hone his instincts to make him a more effective and sure tackler at the next level.
But his highlight reel looks damn good and chocked full of big plays, and Martin would certainly excel on special teams in the interim while he develops behind the scenes.
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy heaped some heavy praise on Martin, whom his teammates have nicknamed him “The Missile.”
“Number one, he’s tough – he’s old-school tough,” Gundy said. “And two, he loves football. Those are two things that are hard to find nowadays in recruiting.”