Our 2025 NFL Draft Crushes

A new Pewter report debuts every Tuesday at Pewterreport.com. Every week, Pewter reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This Week’s Prompt: Who is the 2025 NFL Draft Crash?

Scott Reynolds: Edge Rushed Novan Ezellak is hard not to love

If you know me, you know I love to watch on the defensive side of the ball, especially on the trench. I love people who can reach the quarterback. One of the most prolific sack artists in this year’s draft is a player with strong interest in the Bucs – Boston College Edge Rush Donovan Ezellak.

He’s not the biggest edge defender at 6-foot-2, 248 pounds, but he’s taller and a few pounds heavier than New Tampa Bay outside of linebacker Harson Reddick, who serves as Ozilak’s great leader.

What I like about Ezeiruaku’s game is that he is a very diverse pass rush with an entire toolbox full of movement. Speed ​​Rush, Long Arm, Cross Chop, Club Lip, Inside Spin, Ghost Step, and more. Ozilakk lost 16.5 bags and 21 tackles for the Eagles last year, but tallied 80 tackles and proved to be a very solid run defender.

Not only did Ozirak have a big year in 2023, but he also spent an 8.5 sack season as a sophomore in 2022. Teams can’t have enough good pass rushing. Ozilak is able to provide insurance in case Chris Braswell doesn’t pan out, and Reddick, who turned 31 in September, isn’t being promoted enough to come out of one sack season in New York last year.

I loved his interviews in both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine, where he officially met the Bucs. It’s difficult to fall in love with Ozilak’s game, throwing the fact that he’s a Ball Hawk with eight career forced fumbles, including three last year.

Mattera: Coby Bryant is Bucs’ next start CB

Kansas CB Coby Bryant – Photo: USA Today

Coby Bryant has great zone instincts and ball-hawking abilities. That’s what Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles wants. He is a tough and ambitious tackler, and has received 13 interceptions in Kansas over four years. This includes two pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recovery, and two fumble recovery, including one.

Bryant also loves to throw away stories this defense might need in the trash. There’s a specific reason why Bryant is a huge fan of Jalen Ramsey and it all goes into the minds of his opponents. He has close coverage and is constantly running through the receivers he is guarding. If a player throws out the trash in the cornerback position, he must back it up. Bryant is at least confident he will.

During his podium session at the NFL Scouting Combine, Bryant was very self-aware about the fact that he needed to put more weight on his body at just 180 pounds. However, he also said frankly that the Bucs was his favourite formal interview in Indianapolis, so he already liked the staff.

Bryant may not start in his first season if Tampa Bay drafted him, but as a former receiver he is instinctive and knows how to jump the route and take the ball. His 4.53 hours on a 40-yard dash is a bit concerned, especially with his slight frame, but Bryant is perfect for the Bucs cornerback room due to his ball skills and confidence.

Bailey Adams: Wherever he is, RB RJ Harvey will steal.

UCF RB RJ Harvey Photo By: USA Today

That’s Homer’s answer to me, but that’s true. Given that he appeared at my alma mater, UCF, from 2022 to 2024, there is no player in the 2025 NFL Draft who has seen more than RJ Harvey. And even if he tries to remove the black and gold glasses for this, Harvey believes it will be a pick under the radar on the third or later on the second day. Matt Miller recently called him. “Bucky Irving this year” and I can see similarities.

Harvey came out of the 2024 season, running for 1,577 yards and 22 touchdowns, averaging 6.8 yards per carry for 267 yards and three more touchdowns. This saw him run for 1,416 yards and 16 touchdowns after the 2023 season, paired with 238 yards and two more touchdowns.

By the time he played his final for the Knight, he had broken Kevin Smith’s program record for career touchdowns (47). He had a 17-yard rushing game at UCF and proved he could be the type of running back he runs around.

Harvey has a 5-foot-8, 205-pound, small back, but he is a shifty and has a very high contact balance. UCF’s offensive line has been solid over the last few years, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to be the creator. He scored 802 yards since contacting in 2023, forcing 74 missed tackles, then 897 yards after contacting and 69 yards missed tackles in 2024.

If the Bucs weren’t three deep yet at running back, I slammed the table further to help them add Harvey to the mix. But as it stands, if other teams decide to pull the trigger when drafting him, they’ll get a real steal.

Josh Queipo: Kevin Winston Jr. is the best safety in his class

Kevin Winston Jr. of Pennsylvania – Photo: USA Today

Pennsylvania Safety Kevin Winston Jr. is one He was injured in Week 2 and missed the rest of the season, making it the least promoted player in this class. But that 2023 tape is better than anything else, including the ones that Georgia’s Malaki Starks have there. Winston is an explosive, downhill player, and while he rarely misses as a tackler due to his high-quality mechanics and long arms, he can still bring bone-shattering hits.

Winston didn’t miss out on one tackle in 2023 for each focus in professional football. His broken ACL timing means that, assuming his recovery is on schedule, he should be ready for training camp and can have the explosiveness that is characteristic of his game by the start of the regular season. I’m not sure if the Bucs are interested in Winston, but if you’re interested in playmaking safety, then you have to.

Winston, who has the entire package, could go on the second day of the draft despite being one of the 32 best players in his class. Please sign up.

new @the33rdteamfb: It’s time to stop ignoring Kevin Winston Jr. pic.twitter.com/z0fgxcb5mp

– James Foster (@noflagsfilm) April 2, 2025

Adam Slivon: Shavon Revel Jr. is the perfect size speed CB for Bucs

East Carolina CB Soap Level Junior – Photo courtesy

Shavon Revel Jr.’s 2024 season was shortened by a torn ACL, but it doesn’t take away from the talent he owns and the productions he’s had in East Carolina over the past two years. Standing at 6 feet 2 and 194 pounds, the level is a long, whimsical cornerback with the plus speed that appears in the film. His legs do not stop moving, which helps him close to defender and soccer.

The blend of level size and athletic ability makes him an option to eradicate him when he enters the NFL, making the Bucs one of the best places to land.

What’s spectacular about Revel’s journey to the NFL is that he took the circuit route to put himself in this position. He grew up playing on a makeshift field and shifted overnight with his father at Amazon during his time at Louisburg University. He moved to East Carolina only after an hour of sleep and trying out at a prospect camp.

Describe his development and process for entering a larger school In a recent feature on ESPNthe young cornerback said, “You don’t make excuses. You don’t blame what happened to you in life. You get it. You take it. No one feels sorry for you.”

That idea was passed on to the soccer field. Last year, Level played in just three games, but he was on track towards a dominant season. He recorded eight tackles, two intercepts (including pick 6), and two pass breakups. He has a sticky reporting, a football nose, and is looking for some of Ballhawk Tampa Bay’s secondary needs.

Level is one option Tampa Bay will consider at No. 19 based on how the board falls, or at No. 53 if the injury concerns he drops in the second round. Anyway, if the team believes his injury is behind him, Shavon Revel Jr. will form the outside next to Zyon McCollum in the long run, eventually making him the perfect cornerback to replace Jamel Dean. He wants to have a greater size, speed and work ethic.