The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quietly assembled a talented roster filled with players selected through the NFL Draft over the last 10 years.
Names like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Tristan Wirfs, Antoine Winfield Jr., Lavonte David, and Vita Vea are just a handful of examples of Pro Bowl players who have spent their entire careers in a Bucs’ uniform.
In a recent article, one proposed win-win trade scenario presents Jason Licht with an opportunity to acquire an additional top 100 pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft to continue to stockpile young talent around QB Baker Mayfield.
Bucs Scoop Up an Extra Day 2 Pick with Trade Down Proposal with Packers
Moving down the draft board is not for the faint of heart. Having an opportunity to select a player you believe can change the course of your franchise only to risk losing that player by trading down can be considered a risky move for a general manager to make.
Yet, trading down is one way a talented general manager like Jason Licht can accelerate retooling personnel by acquiring additional draft assets to address multiple needs on the roster.
In a recent article that details more than a handful of win-win first-round trades, draft analyst Chad Reuter of NFL.com detailed why he thinks the Bucs could have an ideal dance partner with the Green Bay Packers to trade down and acquire additional assets in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Reuter wrote, “Tampa Bay could stay put and take one of those pass-rush options. But it’d be hard for the Bucs to pass up an opportunity to convert one of their three Day 3 selections into a Day 2 pick, especially considering they’d likely still have a shot at one of those edge defenders or a new star for the secondary at Pick 23. General manager Jason Licht could then use his improved draft capital to move up in Round 2, as he did twice in the past three drafts (Luke Goedeke in 2022; Cody Mauch in 2023). ”
In this scenario, Rueter would have the Packers moving up four spots by packaging the 23rd and 87th overall (third-round pick) selections to the Bucs in exchange for picks at No. 19 and No. 157 overall fifth-round pick).
Who Could the Bucs Target at No. 23 Overall?
When discussing the players the Packers could potentially be targeting in a trade-up scenario, Reuter said, “To secure one of this year’s top CBs (Jahdae Barron), WRs (Emeka Egbuka, Matthew Golden) or edge defenders (Donovan Ezeiruaku, Mike Green, Shemar Stewart, Mykel Williams) — whomever from their wish list is still available at No. 19 overall — the Pack put in a call to their former NFC Central rival to climb up a few rungs on the first-round ladder.”
The Bucs are highly unlikely to take a receiver in the first round after signing Chris Godwin to a three-year deal earlier this offseason, but Reuter mentioned five other players who Tampa Bay could let fall to them by moving down four spots.
Despite signing Haason Reddick this offseason, he is just on a one-year deal. The Bucs could certainly choose to add some more pass-rushing depth on the edge as a potential long-term option opposite of YaYa Diaby.
Additionally, Jamel Dean’s future with the franchise is a bit uncertain. Choosing a versatile defensive back prospect like Jahdae Barron could address another position of need for a secondary that gave up the third-most passing yards in the league in 2024.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post ‘Win-Win’ Trade Scenario Sees Bucs Move Down in Round One appeared first on Heavy Sports.