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Ranking the four trades ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has Bucs making in NFL Draft

By Josh Hill

TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 18: Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the Cincinnati Bengals and Devin White #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers exchange jerseys after the game at Raymond James Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 18: Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the Cincinnati Bengals and Devin White #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers exchange jerseys after the game at Raymond James Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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With the draft right around the corner, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took a different approach with his NFL Mock Draft and has some trades for the Buccaneers.

There are a few telltale signs that spring has sprung, from the flowers beginning to bloom to the winds of the NFL rumor mill blowing across the league.

We won’t know what trades end up happening until we get to the draft, but until then the rumors are starting to heat up and thaw what has been a period of relative stagnation in the league. Not much has happened since the first few waves of free agency, as not even Aaron Rodgers has been traded to the Jets yet.

In his latest concept column, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell mocked up one first round trade for every team. He has the Buccaneers involved four different times, including trading the No. 19 pick and Devin White as part of a package to move up.

NFL Mock Draft: Ranking four trades ESPN has Buccaneers making

Keep in mind that Barnwell isn’t reporting that he’s hearing that these trades are possible, rather it’s another one of his interesting thought exercises. That being said, a few of them are actually really decent deals for the Bucs that we’re hoping become actual offers.

  1. Best Trade
  2. Second-Best Trade
  3. Second-Worst Trade
  4. Worst Trade

Worst Trade: Eagles fleece Bucs for (probably) Will Levis

Big Yikes on this trade.

It’s not that trading up to get a top tackle is a bad idea because it’s not. Tampa Bay giving up a future first round pick is a brutal way to get there, though, and it seems like a price that’s way too steep to pay. It’s also worth noting that Barnwell isn’t locked in on that being the Bucs plan here, as he suggests Will Levis could be in play in this scenario he has drawn up.

For what it’s worth he also mentions Anthony Richardson, which isn’t much better but wouldn’t feel as icky. If the Bucs trade up and grab a quarterback they’re essentially saying that guy will be better than Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, or Quinn Ewers. If that’s the logic, then Richardson provides more upside than betting it all on Levis.

Trading up for a tackle would be the smartest thing to do, and the Bucs moving this high would indicate they’re trying to get ahead of an expected run on the position in the middle of the first round. Jason Licht has traded up in the first round just once with the Bucs and it was back in 2020 to land Tristan Wirfs. So there’s a history, albeit brief, of the front office knowing what it’s doing in getting ahead of a run on tackles.

Lightning is hard to catch in a bottle though, especially on the first night of the draft. This trade would probably put the Bucs in a position to get Peter Skornoski or Paris Johnson Jr., but it would come at the price of having to mortgage the future.

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