By –J.T. Olson The Bucs Report – Special to Sports Talk Florida
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a good place as they head into the NFL draft. Their roster is both talented and has depth at most positions. This means they have a lot of flexibility come draft day. They won’t be pigeonholed into taking one specific need because there isn’t really a glaring need.
Jason Licht and the Bucs can do just about anything they’d like. They could stay where they are and take the best player on the board with the 26th pick, regardless of position. They could also choose to move up and try to get the most bang for their buck this year.
The third option would be trading back to gain additional assets. Many teams in the second round could be looking to move back up into the late first to get that fifth year option on a rookie contract. This could give Tampa Bay more picks in a relatively deep draft class.
What teams specifically might be looking to make such a deal? Here are some potential trade back scenarios for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Commanders trade picks 40 and 78 to the Buccaneers for pick 26
The Washington Commanders will very likely be selecting a quarterback with their number two overall pick this year. But for a team who finished with the second worst record in the league last year, they obviously have a lot more needs than just that. This has the makings of a foundational draft for Washington.
One thing they specifically need is an offensive tackle to protect their young quarterback. It is a talent rich draft at tackle and if they want to capitalize on the top tier of this group then it might require moving up a little to do so. That’s where the Bucs come in.
Tampa Bay obviously doesn’t need a tackle, so they would be fine allowing the Commanders move up to take one. What the Buccaneers do need is interior offensive line and defensive line. There should still be plenty of talent at both those positions at pick 40.
Names like Zach Frazier and Braden Fiske would be prime targets in that range. Both would come in and fill an immediate need for the Bucs. And with an additional third round pick they could target the likes of Christian Mahogany, Jalen McMillan or Theo Johnson who could all step in and start right away, if not be an instant contributor.
Rams trade pick 52 and a future second-rounder to the Buccaneers for pick 26
Rams star quarterback Matthew Stafford is 36 years old. For a big arm quarterback who has taken a lot of punishment over the course of his career, you really can’t be sure as to how much longer he has left in this league. This means that the Rams window may be closing fast.
To maximize the few years they have left with Stafford, the Rams might want to go all in now and make a big splash. This means trading a future second round pick, which is a very valuable asset, to get a player that can make more of an impact right now.
There would still be value to be had for the Bucs this late in the draft. Interior offensive line and wide receiver are both especially deep this year, so Jason Licht could still find a starter with his first pick being 52nd overall. However, there is of course a significant drop off from 26 to 52.
This is probably the least likely of the three. However, if the Bucs are looking at the long term, this could help retool the team as they prepare for life after this wave of stars such as Mike Evans and Lavonte David. It can be a long term gain while still giving them a “win now” player.
Raiders trade pick 44, 77 and 148 to the Bucs for pick 26
The Raiders are in desperate need of a quarterback. However, with the 13th overall pick in the draft it is unlikely they will be able to get one of the perceived big four quarterbacks in this class. This means they will likely wait to get one later on, but not too late to where they would miss out on a potential starter.
This probably means trading back up into the later parts of the first round. This gives them their fifth year option for a rookie quarterback and their choice of the second wave of quarterbacks off the board, such as Michael Penix Jr or Bo Nix. It’s a bit of a desperation move that the Bucs can take advantage of.
At 44, the Bucs could still get most of the pass rushers they would be interested in and several of the top interior offensive linemen. Obviously there is some drop off there, potentially missing out on the likes of Jackson Powers-Johnson or Chop Robinson, but that might be worth it to add a third round three pick as well as a fifth round pick (which they don’t currently have.
With so much talent through the first two days of the draft, adding another third round pick is very tempting. This can be that highly athletic tight end prospect or a starting nickel corner. It’s something certainly worth considering.
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