Welcome back to another year of the SB Nation Community Mock Draft!
NFL mock draft 2026: Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
The Bucs grab Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq to pair with Baker Mayfield with the 15th pick in the SB Community Mock Draft.
As we do every draft season, all 32 NFL sites at SB Nation come together to fill out an entire first-round mock draft leading up to the actual event that takes place from April 23-25. One by one, our site managers will make their picks and provide their reasoning behind the selection. From there, I will provide further analysis on top of giving a final opinion on the pick!
Without further ado, let’s keep things rolling!
With the 15th overall pick in the 2026 SB Nation Community Mock Draft, Bucs Nation’s Gil Arcia and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Kenyon Sadiq, tight end, Oregon!
Arcia’s analysis:
NFL
SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: With the 15th pick, the Buccaneers select...
TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon
The Buccaneers taking Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq would signal a clear shift in how this offense plans to evolve post–Mike Evans. Sadiq isn’t just a traditional tight end—he brings athleticism and pass-catching upside that could help fill some of the production void left by Evans’ departure. While he won’t replicate Evans’ elite outside presence, he could become a matchup nightmare in the middle of the field and in the red zone. For a Buccaneers offense looking to retool, adding a versatile weapon like Sadiq could open up new layers in the passing game. It also gives quarterback Baker Mayfield a reliable safety valve, something that becomes even more critical without a dominant WR1. If developed correctly, this pick could quietly become one of the more impactful moves in reshaping Tampa Bay’s offensive identity.
Rec 2ReplyRead 2 replies
My analysis: This feels like such a Buccaneers pick. Tampa Bay will never get tired of improving its offensive firepower around their quarterback and this one makes sense given they lost longtime wideout Mike Evans to the Niners.
Sadiq is one of the biggest freak athletes at the tight end position to come out of the draft in recent memory and he’s going to be such a fun weapon for any offensive coordinator at the next level. He gives good effort as a run blocker, but his biggest impact for an offense will be as a mismatch chess piece who can move all over the formation.
Even with the Bucs bringing back Cade Otton, Sadiq should pair nicely on 2TE sets for Baker Mayfield.
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