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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have seven picks in this year’s draft, starting with the 15th pick of the first round. 

They are expected by many to add to their defensive end room in this year’s draft, and one of the Big Ten’s best could be an option.

In the meantime, Bucs Roundtable will take a closer look at a range of prospects headed for the 2026 draft that might jell with Tampa Bay's current roster, coaching staff, and the team's X's and O's strategies.

Bucs Roundtable has been studying the tape on top defensive talent that might interest the Buccaneers, including defensive ends Cashius Howell from Texas A&M and Miami Hurricane Akheem Mesidor, as well as elite linebackers like Indiana's Aiden Fisher and Georgia's CJ Allen. As the Bucs add depth in their secondary, available star prospects include cornerbacks Davison Igbinosun out of Ohio State, Arizona's Treydan Stukes, South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore, Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker and Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan.

Offensive role players will also be a focal point for Tampa Bay, and our draft profiles feature offensive linemen like Penn State's Vega Ioane, as well as center Trey Zuhn III out of Texas A&M; tight end Kenyon Sadiq out of Oregon; and Georgia State receiver Ted Hurst.

Here, we take a closer look at Michigan defensive end Derrick Moore.

The Play of his Life

Moore can say something that not many others in the draft can: He made a game-ending tackle to get his team to the national championship. On 4th and Goal against Alabama in the 2024 Rose Bowl/College Football Playoff semifinals, it was Moore and Kevin Grant who teamed up to tackle Alabama QB Jalen Milroe at the 2-yard line to send Michigan to the championship, which it would win, making Moore a national champion.

Background & Michigan Career

Moore was a contributor right away at Michigan, playing in all 14 games during his true freshman season. That year, Michigan won the Big Ten and made it to the College Football Playoff. 

On Michigan’s national championship team, Moore played in all 15 games, ending the year as an All-Big Ten honorable mention. He totaled 34 tackles, six tackles for loss and five sacks. 

In 2024, Moore became a regular starter, starting 12 games. 

He ended that season with 23 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks and four quarterback hurries, again earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten.

This past season was by far Moore’s best. 

He ended the year with 10 sacks finishing fourth in the Big Ten, with 10.5 tackles for loss and, this time, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.

On-Field Strengths 

Moore has played a lot of football against a lot of big time competition, playing on two College Football Playoff teams and winning a national championship. He is known for his first step, which helped him to become one of the Big Ten’s best pass rushers last season. Additionally, Moore caused a lot of problems for quarterbacks even when not sacking them. He had 73 total pressures over the last two seasons, which is why Pro Football Focus ranked him eighth out of 852 defensive ends.

Areas for Improvement 

Moore is currently listed at 255 pounds, which is about 15-20 pounds below the average NFL defensive end. This leads to concern about his ability to respond when he isn’t able to bull rush a pro offensive tackle. Moore established himself as an elite pass-rusher by the time he left Michigan, but a scouting report by NFL.com said his approach against the run  “can lack urgency.”

Scouts have also pointed out that Moore’s arsenal of hand counters is limited, and that could ruin his rush if he does get the upper hand early.

Combine Performance 

Moore had one of the best NFL Combine workouts of any defensive end per NFL.com, with his production score of 78 ranking No. 7 among the edge rushers in Indy. Moore ran a reported 4.65 in the 40-yard dash, which is around the average for a defensive end. Moore had a 30-inch vertical jump, which is also around average, and had a broad jump of 9-feet, 7-inches, which is right at the league average.

Projected Draft Position

The Mock Draft Database has Moore as the No. 63 overall draft prospect, which would make him a second-round pick. 

Tampa signed Al-Quadin Muhammad, who had double-digit sacks for the Detroit Lions last season, to beef up their edge room, but many expect the Bucs to further add to it in the draft to give YaYa Diaby more support.

Interestingly enough, Diaby was the player NFL.com compared to Moore in its scouting report. 

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