It is never too early to begin watching prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft. General manager Jason Licht has made the draft the key cog in the machine for the Bucs in terms of roster building and transforming the team itself. 

We are going to be covering every position in the draft, not all of them will be the Bucs‘ needs necessarily. But of course, anything is possible for a team, and if not, they will be drafted by a division rival that the Bucs see twice a year. 

For this report, we will be discussing a running back. While the team has Bucky Irving on the roster, they do have looming free agents in Rachaad White and Sean Tucker. It is a sneaky need for the team, but one that can be easily addressed in the draft. 

With that in mind, here is our report on Indiana’s Roman Hemby.

Information

School: Indiana

Conference: Big Ten

Height/Weight: 6-0, 208 lbs.

Age when Drafted: 23

Previous Schools: Maryland

Background

• 3-Star Recruit
• Transferred from Maryland
• Invited to the 2026 Shrine Bowl

Notable Stats

Carries: 675

Rushing Yards: 3,354

Receptions: 126

Receiving Yards: 1,081

Career Touches: 801

Total Touchdowns: 34

Notable PFF Numbers from 2025

PFF Rushing Grade: 83.6

Yards After Contact Per Carry: 3.62

Missed Tackles Forced: 37

Runs of 10+ Yards: 22

Breakaway Run %: 30

Skills

• Good receiving ability
• Deceptively fast both physically and mentally
• Good burst at the line of scrimmage
• Patient at the line of scrimmage
• Has good moves in space to make defenders miss
• Very durable, can handle a big workload

Player Summary

Roman Hemby has had my attention since his days at Maryland, and since arriving at Indiana, he has added a new fold to his game. He was once a nimble, receiving back, but Indiana has made him a physical runner who is comfortable in both roles. His growing into a complete back will make him a fun addition to a running back group, but I am not sure that he will be a lead back, at least not right away. I like Hemby to be a physical third-down option, or someone who they utilize in short-yardage situations. However, he is worth investing in as he could take on larger roles in years two or three of his career.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: 2026 NFL Draft scouting report: Roman Hemby, RB, Indiana