Just five picks after selecting Clemson defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart with their first selection of the fifth round, the Bucs flipped to the other side of the trenches with their second fifth-round pick, drafting Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth at pick No. 160. This was the additional fifth-round pick the team acquired in its trade with the Packers on Day 2 of the 2026 Draft.
Schrauth is a well-built 6-foot-5, 310 pound guard with experience both on the left and right sides. He spent more time at left guard for Notre Dame, with 73.4% of his snaps coming there vs. 26.6% coming at right guard. He redshirted as a freshman in 2022 and then started the final three games for the Fighting Irish in 2023 before becoming a 12-game starter in 2024. Nine of those starts came at left guard, with three coming on the right.
In 2025, he earned Second Team All-American honors after starting seven games at left guard. However, the final year of his career at Notre Dame ended early due to an MCL sprain. He opted to skip his senior season to enter the NFL Draft, and now he’s a Buccaneer.
Schrauth has a strong, athletic build with impressive mass in his upper half. His quick processing, mean temperament and blue-collar background earned him a lot of respect and praise during his time in South Bend, and there’s no surprise that he was one of six team captains for Notre Dame in 2025.
Notre Dame G Billy Schrauth – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jamie Rhodes
The worry with Schrauth is his injury history. He had foot surgery after his senior year of high school, which caused him to miss spring practices in 2022 before redshirting that season. He then missed four games as a sophomore with a right ankle injury that required surgery, and there was the MCL sprain that robbed him of the final five games in 2025.
But the Bucs are obviously comfortable with his medicals, and of course they love the traits, playing style and body of work he put together at Notre Dame, which is essentially an offensive line factory. Schrauth allowed zero sacks and only two pressures over 196 pass block opportunities in 2025. The year before, he allowed one sack and eight pressures over 363 opportunities.
Schrauth is really an all-around solid prospect with great athletic ability, outstanding play strength and a mean streak to his game. If he can stay healthy, he very well could develop into a starting-caliber guard at the NFL level.
The Bucs met informally with Schrauth at the NFL Scouting Combine. He becomes the ninth Notre Dame player drafted in Tampa Bay’s franchise history, and he’s the third selected by general manager Jason Licht and his staff. He follows another offensive lineman, Robert Hainsey (2021 third-round pick), and 2025 second-round pick Benjamin Morrison. Schrauth and Morrison were teammates with the Fighting Irish, and now they’re set to be teammates again with the Bucs.
With Billy Schrauth, One Of Bucs’ Biggest Strengths Just Got Stronger
It was obvious heading into the offseason that the Bucs’ biggest needs were on the defensive side of the ball, particularly at inside and outside linebacker. But in drafting Billy Schrauth in the fifth round, the team just made one of its biggest strengths even stronger.
The starting line features multi-time All-Pro Tristan Wirfs at left tackle, Ben Bredeson at left guard, 2024 first-round pick Graham Barton at center, 2023 second-round pick Cody Mauch at right guard and 2022 second-round pick/$90 million man Luke Goedeke at right tackle.
Tampa Bay’s tackle depth was already well established with the up-and-coming Ben Chukwuma and the recently re-signed Justin Skule, and now the interior depth includes Dan Feeney, Elijah Klein, Luke Haggard and Schrauth.
Notre Dame G Billy Schrauth – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Michael Caterina
Schrauth will certainly compete to fill out one of those depth guard roles, and having the versatility to play on both the left and right side will serve him well. In time, perhaps he can develop under offensive line coach Kevin Carberry and push for a starting role, whether that’s after Bredeson’s contract expires following the 2027 season or in the (unlikely) event that Mauch isn’t the same after his 2025 injury and/or doesn’t re-sign with the team after this season.
The addition of Schrauth in the fifth round continues Bucs general manager Jason Licht’s investment in the trenches, as he has now drafted three first-round offensive linemen, two second-round offensive linemen and three Day 2/Day 3 linemen since 2020. Not to mention, the team has committed big long-term money to Wirfs and Goedeke, its franchise tackle duo.
Investing picks and big-time money in the offensive line is obviously a worthwhile strategy for Licht and the Bucs given their need to protect $100 million quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is due for an even bigger pay day soon enough.