There was some question as to whether or not the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would package a few of their Top 100 picks to move up and land a premier prospect in the NFL Draft. As it turns out, the Bucs didn't need to move around at all to land exactly the right players.
Friday night started with the Bucs taking Chris Braswell to add some depth at edge rusher and ended with the team doing the same for the wide receiver room.
Tampa Bay took Washington's Jalen McMillan with the No. 92 pick, adding another fantastic player alongside Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. He projects to be a WR3, something that isn't the best news for Trey Palmer, but it gives Baker Mayfield another reason to smile just two days into the draft.
Bucs use picked acquired in Carlton Davis trade to give Baker Mayfield another weapon
It's also worth noting that the Bucs took McMillan with the pick it acquired from the Detroit Lions as part of the Carlton Davis III trade. So, essentially, the Bucs traded Davis and a couple sixth round picks for McMillan which isn't a bad deal at all.
Both Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk were top receivers for Michael Penix Jr., but McMillan wasn't far them and it shows on tape.
UW’s Jalen McMillan is taken in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft by the Bucs.
— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) April 27, 2024
McMillan had 1,100 yards in 2022 and is the 3rd Husky receiver taken in the Draft.
pic.twitter.com/r5ZGkBhBu8
McMillan is going to be a welcomed addition to the receiving corps. It also gives Tampa Bay some potential insurance in case Chris Godwin leaves in free agency next season, or Mike Evans leaves in two years when his contract is up.
That's not why the Bucs made this move, though. While it might help things down the road, McMillan can have a more immediate impact as part of a new-look offense under the guidance of Liam Coen. There might be some speculation about what this means for Palmer, but the best case scenario for Tampa Bay is that it gives the team four very solid wide receivers for Baker Mayfield to try and top his success from last season with.
No matter which way you slice it, the Bucs nailed their final Top 100 pick and it's hard to not feel good about how things went.