The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are finalizing their draft board, but on Saturday night, the New York Giants threw a huge wrench into this year's draft. There will be a ripple effect for sure, but how much of one isn't known just yet.
The Giants sent their top defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrence, to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick in the draft. That gives them two selections at the top of the draft. They also hold pick five.
With the Giants now selecting twice ahead of the Buccaneers in round one, we can look a little deeper at who may fall to Tampa Bay at No.15, and who may not.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers could get huge draft night boost after Giants blockbuster trade
What we first need to look at is what changes in terms of needs for both the Bengals and the Giants.
- Bengals - Safety, Corner, Linebacker, Edge, DT
- Giants - WR, Linebacker, Cornerback, OG, Safety
The Bengals no longer need DT help, but they also no longer have a pick in round one. The Giants' approach will be an interesting one, however. Most predictions had the Bengals looking at CB in round one or going with Caleb Downs at 10. The Giants' needs are similar, but the priorities are different.
With two picks now in the top 10, the Giants' priorities should be receiver and linebacker. There are reports that they are trying to move Kayvon Thibodeaux, something they have been open to doing since March. Ideally, they would make the move prior to the draft; if that happens, edge becomes a major need for them.
It's not uncommon for teams to trade a player and then use the draft return to select that player's replacement. This means that the Giants could look to bolster their LB room with pick 10, or take an edge-rusher if they think they can move Thibodeaux.
Tampa sits at 15 so how does this change the players that may be on their board?
- Edge - despite the need, nothing changes for TB. The players who are expected to be available still will be. Keldric Faul, Akheem Mesidor, and Zion Young.
- Linebacker - nothing changes for Tampa here either. The Giants are not going to reach for a guy like Jacob Rodriquez or C.J. Allen.
- CB - If Tampa was hoping for Jermod McCoy to fall, that might actually happen now. Players will get pushed down the draft board depending on what the Giants do, the "trickle effect." If an OT gets moved from 10 to 12, then a projected player at 12 moves down as well.
- Trade - this could be the real trade-off for Tampa. With the Giants moving up, the Cowboys could try to do the same from 12, which would be another push down the draft board. That could open the door for teams after 15 to move up in the draft. 15 could become a hot spot for teams looking to jump up should that "trickle effect" unexpectedly move a player to the halfway mark of the first round. Jason Licht could drop as many as five spots and still fill a hole with a player he covets.
One team to keep an eye on here is the Jets. They have control over the first round given their plethora of draft capital in 2026 and 2027. There is growing speculation that they covet Ty Simpson. The Cardinals are also reportedly interested in the QB. New York picks at 16.
Arizona is reportedly showing interest in moving down from three or back into round one from their 2nd overall pick in round two. If they want Simpson, 15 is the spot, but that would be very costly and might not be what Licht wants to give up.
What would make more sense is a simple trade with the Lions. Detroit is looking for defensive help along the line. The Giants' move to 10 could put pressure on Detroit to move up. The Lions' needs along the edge are their priority this draft. If a top player drops, the Lions will have interest, but if there is a run at the position, they could try to move up. Two spots to 15 is good for both clubs.
The Buccaneers may not be immediately impacted by the Lawrence trade, but they are in a marginally better position because of it.
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