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

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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HOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 28: David Johnson #31 of the Houston Texans runs past Devin White #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half during a NFL preseason game at NRG Stadium on August 28, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 28: David Johnson #31 of the Houston Texans runs past Devin White #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half during a NFL preseason game at NRG Stadium on August 28, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Second-Worst Trade: Texans get Devin White in a pick swap

This is actually a contender for the worst trade and would be if the Bucs hadn’t given up a future first-round pick in Barwell’s deal with the Eagles.

If this trade were to go down, the way it would be sold would be the Bucs using Devin White to get a first-round pick; in reality, it would be more along the lines of the Bucs getting a fourth-round pick for White in a pick swap.

Barnwell used Jimmy Johnson’s trade value chart for his thought exercise, so technically the value for White here is the No. 51 pick but that’s not how it feels. The Bucs trading up to No. 12 would mean one of two things: picking the third or fourth quarterback on the board or getting a top tackle before there’s a run on them. The latter would be most ideal, as there’s a growing fear that Tampa Bay will draft Will Levis and pass on potentially far more impactful prospects.

Ideally, the Bucs would trade Devin White and gain assets without having to give up something like the No. 19 pick, but if it means potentially landing Pete Skoronski or Paris Johnson Jr., the deal starts to feel a little more worth it.

To get a better read on this deal, it needs to be viewed alongside Barnwell’s deal with the Eagles. It essentially comes down to what the Bucs feel better parting ways with the land Johnson or Skoronski, Devin White, or a future first round pick. In that comparison, it feels better to give up a guy who might end up leaving in free agency next season than a first round pick that could turn out to be in the Top 10 depending on how things go.

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