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The 2022 NFL Draft was full of trades, but one of the more interesting ones was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first-round trade. The Bucs traded the 27th overall pick for pick 33, pick 106, and pick 180 in a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In simple terms, the Buccaneers traded the 27th overall for the first pick of the second round, the first pick of the fourth round, and the first pick of the sixth round.

Not many came into the draft expecting Tampa to trade back, but the capital acquired in this trade made this a fair transaction. Trading back to turn one pick into three rookies was a great move by general manager Jason Licht.

The only consequence of the trade is that the Buccaneer’s lost a fifth year option that is attached to all first round rookies, but I trust that Jason Licht made the move because he didn’t see any players he believed were worth the 27th pick. 

The rookies of this draft will be needed to fill out the roster, seeing as the Buccaneers only have 68 players on the active roster. Tampa Bay came into the draft with six total picks, but were able to bring that total to eight with the Jacksonville trade.

If I were to rate this move I’d give it 10/10. An additional second round pick allows Tampa to find a cheaper rookie rather than what they would have spent on a first rounder. The first pick of the fourth round is very valuable as there is a lot of talent in the first four rounds of this draft. Lastly, the sixth round pick should provide some much needed depth as well. 

I believe that the Buccaneers should be looking to replace the un-signed Jason Pierre-Paul with the 33rd overall pick and select Penn State pass rusher Arnold Ebiketie. Tampa Bay should also be considering trading down again because the best remaining players are not in positions most needed for the team. They also need to replace retired offensive lineman Ali Marpet and un-signed defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

All things considered, this was a solid move by the Buccaneers that improved their draft capital and gives the front office more flexibility going into day two of the 2022 NFL Draft.

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