Akheem Mesidor, Vega Ioane As Potential Bucs Draft Targets?

Hurricanes edge rusher Akheem Mesidor – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jerome Miron

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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport X account this week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to SR each week via X using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: Any idea what the Bucs think of Akheem Messidor? I hear a lot about his age, but now more than ever, Todd Bowles and Jason Licht need mature, proven producers who can contribute immediately. (That’s an argument in favor of Jacob Rodriguez too, by the way.) Also, any idea what the Bucs think of Kyle Louis given his size?

ANSWER: Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor does turn 25 on April 5, and he’s definitely one of the older prospects in this year’s draft. If this was a rebuild situation with a new head coach, a new general manager and a very young team, Mesidor might not be a good fit in Tampa Bay as a potential premium draft pick. But given the fact that it’s a must-win year for a coach on the hot seat like Todd Bowles, who turns 63 in November, I don’t think Bowles is going to be worried about Mesidor turning 30 by the time he gets to his second contract. Bowles will likely be retired from coaching by then.

The upside to Mesidor’s age for the win-now Bucs might be the fact that he’s more mature and physically ready to play right away in the NFL. He could make more of a seamless transition to the pros than a young, 20- or 21-year old edge rusher and hopefully be more productive. If there is a year where I’d be fine with the Bucs drafting more of a pro-ready 24- or 25-year old player it’s this year.

And I just did a Pewter Pulse video on Sunday about how general manager Jason Licht does need to look at drafting more proven producers in this year’s draft. I mentioned Mesidor and Texas Tech’s ultra-productive inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez as two key examples, so we’re thinking along the same lines in that regard.

As for Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, he’s 6-foot, 220 pounds, which is incredibly undersized for an inside linebacker. He’s maxed out too, in terms of his size. As a result, the Panthers used him a lot in the slot as an overhang linebacker because he’s too small to live in the box. I think that he could be a big safety like the kind used in defenses in Washington, Seattle and Baltimore among other places. But he’s probably not a scheme fit in Bowles’ defense because he’s not a true safety that play single high in Cover 1 or Cover 3.

Keep in mind that the Bucs already have a pair of very productive safeties they’re high on in Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith. Louis will probably be a third-round pick and Tampa Bay would probably want to draft more of an impact player in the third round rather a backup safety.

QUESTION: I’m seeing mocks have us go interior offensive line at No. 15, especially the Penn State guard. Not the biggest need but he could make this O-line even stronger and make Ben Bredeson a swing interior lineman or provide competition at center. Do you see this as an option – the top guard over maybe the fourth edge rusher or over-drafting an inside linebacker?

ANSWER: Penn State guard Olaivavega “Vega” Ioane is an absolute stud. At 6-foot-4, 328 pounds, he’s a monster in both the run game and in pass protection. Can you imagine putting him at left guard next to Tristan Wirfs and fantasizing about the damage they could do together on that side of the offensive line for the next several seasons? I could, and I’m sure offensive lineman-loving general manager Jason Licht could imagine that, too.

The whole goal in drafting a player in the first round is to draft a starter – not a bust. But even more than that, the objective should be to draft a star, not just a starter. Someone with Pro Bowl potential, especially in the middle of the first round. Just a reminder that the Bucs selected Tristan Wirfs, a perennial Pro Bowler and a future Hall of Famer, with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Ioane is physical, aggressive and nasty, and seems like one of those players with serious Pro Bowl potential. He’s a bully and his tape is absolute gold. And after all of the issues the Bucs had at the guard position last year, I would expect Licht to take another guard at some point in the draft, so why not the first round? While Tampa Bay has far more pressing needs on defense, when a team drafts for need rather than best player available, the chances of drafting a bust increases.

Keep in mind that starting right guard Cody Mauch is coming a off season-ending knee injury and is entering a contract year. The Bucs would love to keep him, but what if he’s not the same player following knee surgery? Also keep in mind that Baker Mayfield is also in a contract year in 2026 and needs the best protection possible this season.

Ben Bredeson, the current starting left guard, is under contract through 2027, but with a salary cap value under $9 million for the next two years, he would make a fantastic swing interior offensive lineman, capable of backing up either guard spot or center Graham Barton. Tampa Bay missed having Robert Hainsey last year when Mauch and Bredeson missed time due to injuries. So adding a Pro Bowl-caliber talent like Ioane makes a lot of sense – even though it’s not in the most conventional sense.

QUESTION: It was mentioned by Pewter Report, that the Bucs will turn their attention to cornerback in free agency to replace Jamel Dean and Kindle Vildor. Two names to keep an eye on are Cleveland’s Martin Emerson and Miami’s Rasul Douglas. Any update on these potential signings? Or any other cornerbacks they’re looking at?

ANSWER: No, there’s no update on any potential signing of Cleveland cornerback Martin Emerson and Miami cornerback Rasul Douglas, although Pewter Report’s Adam Slivon has a more in-depth story on this topic. With Douglas being 30, he may have to wait until after the draft to sign elsewhere as teams might like to see if they can get a younger, cheaper player in April. He has great size at 6-foot-2, 209 pounds to play in Todd Bowles defense, and he’s a proven ballhawk with 21 interceptions in his career with three pick-sixes.

As for Emerson, he tore his Achilles tendon in late July during Browns training camp. Those injuries typically take 9-12 months to recover from. The Bucs might want to wait until after the draft to see if they select a cornerback – or maybe they sign Douglas prior to the draft – before showing interest in Emerson. The medical evaluation and his recovery will be big factors in determining any potential interest from Tampa Bay.

The Bucs do need to add two more cornerbacks to their roster, as they are losing not only Jamel Dean, but also Kindle Vildor. I don’t think the team has any interest in re-signing practice squad veteran Bryce Hall, either.

Even if Benjamin Morrison can step in as a starter in place of Dean, the Bucs need two more cornerbacks to fill out the depth chart. Right now the only cornerbacks who are guaranteed spots are Zyon McCollum, Morrison and Jacob Parrish, and maybe Josh Hayes, but he’s mostly a special teams standout as a gunner. Tampa Bay usually keeps six cornerbacks on the roster.

QUESTION: Scott, I know Todd Bowles always had the locker room before 2025. But with what leaving players – and some staying players – have said, also considering how the players responded (didn’t) after his “coaches have done all we can do” tantrum, do you think there is a “belief” problem in the locker room?

ANSWER: That’s an interesting question, and one I truly don’t have an answer for right now. It’s the offseason and obviously there is no locker room right now and there won’t be until the players come back in early April for offseason workouts and OTAs. I haven’t spoken to many players since the end of the season, so I don’t have a good grasp on their feelings about Todd Bowles right now.

I would have to believe there might be a little less faith in Bowles right now given the team’s 2-7 record following the 6-2 start. I’m sure at least some questions about how he’ll respond this year have to be floating around some players’ heads at One Buccaneer Place. And I’m sure the unexpected departure of a Bucs icon like Mike Evans this offseason has to jar the team as well.

Once we have a chance to talk to the players as the offseason draws to a close we’ll have a better understanding of how the players feel about his leadership. But at the end of the day, it’s not always about the problem, but finding a solution to fixing it. I think Bowles has stockpiled a lot of goodwill with the players over the years by winning division titles in Tampa Bay. So he’ll get the benefit of the doubt until he proves that his solutions for 2026 don’t work. Hopefully they do.