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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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LANDOVER, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 14: Ricky Seals-Jones #83 of the Washington Football Team is tackled by Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half at FedExField on November 14, 2021 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 14: Ricky Seals-Jones #83 of the Washington Football Team is tackled by Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half at FedExField on November 14, 2021 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Second-Best Trade: Bucs move up to No. 16 pick

While we suggested the Bucs trade with the Eagles could be for a tackle — at least that’s what would help us sleep better at night — Barnwell leans more toward the team drafting a quarterback in that scenario. With this trade though, he thinks the Bucs could jump ahead of the Steelers and get a tackle before the run on them in the middle of the first takes the best option off the board.

Initial mock drafts suggested that Broderick Jones or Darnell Wright might be available at No. 19, but things have significantly changed. There are now a few different scenarios in which the Bucs go on the clock and neither of them is available, along with projected top picks Paris Johnson Jr. and Peter Skornoski also off the board.

That’s not ideal, especially considering the Bucs have a fairly important hole to fill at the position after releasing Donovan Smith and enduring what happened to the position group last season. The expectation is that Tristan Wirfs will slide over the left tackle to replace Smith, but drafting Wright might mean he stays on the right side of the line and the Bucs have two massive anchors on either side of whoever ends up being the quarterback.

Of course, if Wirfs moves to right tackle the Bucs can still place an anchor on the right side with Jones or someone else but the moral of this story is that Tampa Bay might have to move out of the No. 19 slot to avoid missing out on a tackle.

Giving up the No. 82 pick isn’t a cheap price to pay, but it seems like a reasonable one if the team can land the right guy.

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