One NFL Draft Trade the Buccaneers Should Consider
General managers and head coaches like Jason Licht and Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no doubt recalculating and adjusting as needed following the latest trade impacting this year's first round of the NFL Draft.
Even teams with picks ahead of those impacted by the trade between the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles have to account for what impact the move may have on their board as they lineup their Day 2 targets.
For the Bucs, however, they're one of the teams selecting a player after both the Saints and Eagles spend their two first-round picks each, and with neither expected to use one on a quarterback, the talent pool is going to get a little more drained than it may have if the trade had involved a team in need of a passer.
So, what should the Bucs do? According to one draft analyst, they should at least consider a Day 1 trade themselves.
READ MORE: Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer signs with division rival
The trade presented by NFL.com's Chad Reuter is as follows:
New York Jets Receive:
• No. 27 Pick in 2022 NFL Draft (1st Round)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Receive:
• No. 35 Pick in 2022 NFL Draft (2nd Round)
• No. 111 Pick in 2022 NFL Draft (4th Round)
• No. 146 Pick in 2022 NFL Draft (5th Round)
"The Jets have two early second-round selections (Nos. 35 and 38)," writes Chad Reuter. "The Jets have several needs to address -- they (and their fans) would be thrilled to pick up an edge rusher, receiver and cornerback in the first round...The return of Tom Brady for another season will enable the Buccaneers to build strength throughout the roster in this draft in anticipation of finding a new passer in 2023...adding two Day 3 picks to help make up for the fifth- and sixth-rounders that were previously lost in past trades."
I went ahead and simulated a mock draft at PFF.com to see what a deal like this might look like for the Buccaneers, and at No. 27 the Jets selected Boston College guard, Zion Johnson.
Meanwhile, my Bucs draft class looked like this:
No. 35: Logan Hall, DL, Houston
No. 60: Dylan Parham, OG, Memphis
No. 91: Nick Cross, S, Maryland
No. 111: Romeo Doubs, WR, Nevada
No. 133: Grant Calcaterra, TE, SMU
No. 146: Cordale Flott, CB, LSU
No. 248: CJ Verdell, RB, Oregon
No. 261: DJ Davidson, DL, Arizona State
Picks Added in Trade
READ MORE: Rich Eisen shoots down Tom Brady and Bruce Arians rumor
Overall, PFF gave the class a B letter grade with Doubs and Davidson receiving the highest marks.
Many fans of the Buccaneers would be upset to see Johnson going to the Jets, instead getting a developmental upside prospect like Parham to go with a rotational player with starter potential in Hall earlier in the second round.
No fan base likes sitting through Day 1 of the NFL Draft without watching their favorite team add a talented player to the roster, but sometimes franchises do just that so they can build for the future and add contributors to the current season.
With this move, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be able to do just that, but there are plenty of other options available to the team if they choose to explore them.
For more on this and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers check out James Yarcho and David Harrison on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!
