Heading into the 2026 college football season, the Oregon Ducks are on the shortlist of National Championship favorites thanks to a plethora of veteran talent. Ranking as the 2nd-ranked team in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, the Ducks' star power was on full display when the Preseason All-American Team was unveiled with 3 First-Team selections and 4 total selections.
Among the First-Team All-American selections for the Ducks was veteran defensive tackle A'Mauri Washington, who made the same decision as Dante Moore to pass up being a potential 1st round pick to try and win it all. The decision is risky, but if Washington posts another solid season at the center of the Ducks' defensive line, he'll be back in conversations to be a 1st round selection.
A'Mauri Washington sent to Tampa Bay in Way Too Early Mock Draft
The NFL Preseason is underway, and with the college football season rapidly approaching, analysts are getting excited to prepare for a loaded draft cycle. On Monday, Bleacher Report released its Preseason NFL Mock Draft, with A'Mauri Washington predicted to go 19th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
2027 B/R NFL MOCK DRAFT HAS ARRIVED EARLY 🏈🔥
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 17, 2026
- NO. 31 (BILLS) - WR Nyck Harbor
- NO. 24 (CHIEFS) - WR Ryan Coleman-Williams
- NO. 3 (JETS) - QB Arch Manning
- NO. 2 (DOLPHINS) - WR Jeremiah Smith
- NO. 1 (CARDINALS) - ???
Full list here: https://t.co/rOEho0hMsQ pic.twitter.com/a2g6KAtIHC
The mock draft predicts A'Mauri Washington to be the 3rd interior defensive lineman off the board behind Ole Miss' Will Echoles and Oklahoma Sooners star David Stone.
Predicting A'Mauri Washington to land in Tampa Bay makes perfect sense given the way the offseason has unfolded for the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers have found themselves at an impasse with superstar defensive tackle Vita Vea as he seeks a new contract. Vea remains with the team for now, but he requested a trade earlier this offseason.
The New York Giants were in a similar situation earlier this offseason with Dexter Lawrence, and ended up trading their star, which could be the path for Tampa Bay. A ton of stars have left the team in recent years, with Mike Evans departing in free agency and Lavonte David's decision to retire. If Todd Bowles has another down year, the Bucs could look to re-tool the roster and move Vea to add draft capital.
This season, A'Mauri Washington is going to have to continue his high level of play to come off the board as a 1st round pick with how deep this draft class is at defensive tackle. The best area for Washington to progress would be by developing as a pass rusher, which would only make him more attractive for an NFL team.
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