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During a crazy first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Bucs decided to trade out of the first round on Thursday night. Tampa Bay added picks No. 33 (second round), No. 106 (fourth round) and No. 180 (sixth round), as Jacksonville moved up from No. 33 to No. 27.
The Bucs now have two second-round picks, one third-round pick, a pair of fourth-rounders, a sixth-rounder and two seventh-round selections. That’s a total of eight picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay originally had six picks when Thursday night started.
One of the players that was heavily linked to the Bucs at No. 27 was Georgie DT Devonte Wyatt. But general manager Jason Licht passed on adding Wyatt to trade down instead.
According to former Bucs staff writer and current editor at The Draft Network, Carmen Vitali, Wyatt had a second-round grade from the team. The Packers selected Wyatt with the 28th overall pick, one spot behind where the Bucs originally selected.
Pewter Report’s Jon Ledyard had that scenario playing out in his recent mock draft.
Bucs had a second-round grade on Wyatt. And they aren't the only ones. https://t.co/BQZMYYmdcH
— Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV) April 29, 2022
The Georgia defensive lineman had an outstanding pre-draft process, crushing the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. Wyatt impressed during interviews with the media as well, but questions have lingered about past off-field issues.
The redshirt senior is also already 24 years old, and didn’t break out until the 2021 season. Even then, Wyatt had just seven takles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He’s very talented and was No. 12 on Ledyard’s big board. But the red flags had him further down the Bucs’ board.
In recent days, reports had surfaced that Wyatt could fall out of the first round. That didn’t happen, but concern about his profile extended beyond the Bucs.
Now Tampa Bay will turn its attention to the first pick in the second round. Among the players expected to be considered are Houston defensive tackle Logan Hall, Colorado State tight end Trey McBride, Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon, Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth, Jr., Oklahoma defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey or Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean. Pewter Report had Hall as the Bucs’ first-round pick in the final Pewter Report 2022 Bucs 7-Round Mock Draft.
