We’re back with another SR’s 2022 Bucs Draft Insider on Day 2, as the Bucs traded back with the Jaguars at the end of the first round. Tampa Bay traded the 27th overall pick to Jacksonville to move back to No. 33. Not only do the Bucs have the first overall selection in the second round in addition to their own second-rounder at No. 60., they also acquired picks in the fourth (No. 106) and the sixth (No. 180) from the Jaguars.

So let’s dive into Day 2 where the Bucs currently have three selections, including their third-rounder at No. 91.

10 Potential Bucs Targets In Round 2

Colorado State TE Trey McBride – Photo by: USA Today

The reason why the Bucs traded back five spots to No. 33 is because there was a pool of players the team liked still on the board at No. 27. Those players included Houston defensive lineman Logan Hall, Georgia safety Lewis Cine, Colorado State tight end Trey McBride and Georgia defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt that we know of. Of that group, Wyatt and Cine were selected at No. 27 by the Packers and No. 32 by the Vikings, respectively.

The Bucs’ gamble paid off as the team still has Hall and McBride available to them to start the second round. Defensive tackle and tight end are the team’s top needs. So let’s list the 10 potential targets for the Bucs in Round 2. We’ll list six players that could be targeted with the No. 33 pick and four players with Tampa Bay’s pick at No. 60.

6 Potential Picks At No. 33

Houston DL Logan Hall

The 6-foot-6, 283-pound Hall is a versatile defensive lineman that can play all over the defensive line in Todd Bowles’ 3-4 scheme. Hall’s position flexibility allows him to rotate in with Will Gholston and Ndamukong Suh. Tampa Bay expects Suh to re-sign. The Bucs had Hall in for a Top 30 visit, and he has the frame to easily grow to 300 pounds without sacrificing any quickness. The 22-year old pass rusher had six sacks last year for the Cougars.

Colorado State TE Trey McBride

The Bucs are high on the John Mackey Award winner, who led all tight ends with 90 catches for 1,121 yards (12.5 avg.) and a touchdown last year. Tampa Bay had a formal interview with McBride at the NFL Scouting Combine and brought him in for a Top 30 visit. Rob Gronkowski remains uncommitted to playing football in 2022. Tampa Bay has only two tight ends on the roster in Cameron Brate and Codey McElroy, a practice squader. McBride would see plenty of playing time as a rookie – even if Gronk returns – and then start in 2023.

Georgia LB Nakobe Dean

There was some talk about Dean being a first-round pick, but his Georgia teammate, Quay Walker, was the first linebacker off the board. Dean was the leader of a stout Bulldogs defense that won the national championship. While a bit undersized at 5-foot-11, 229 pounds, Dean flies around the field making plays due to his speed and high football I.Q. The Butkus Award winner could be an ideal eventual replacement for Lavonte David, who is in the final year of his contract at age 32. Dean didn’t run the 40, but looks like he plays fast on tape.

Washington CB Kyler Gordon

Washington CB Kyler Gordon – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs have four cornerbacks in the final year of their contract in 2022. Starters Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting and reserve Ross Cockrell are in contract years. Veteran Logan Ryan signed a one-year deal. Drafting a talented, athletic cornerback like Gordon for the future would be wise. The Bucs might re-sign Dean, who is the best of that quartet, but Gordon could replace Murphy-Bunting in the slot. Gordon saw action at both inside and outside cornerback. While he’s a tremendous athlete, a slower than expected 40-time (4.52) sunk his draft stock a bit.

Clemson CB Andrew Booth, Jr.

Booth could be in play for the same reason Gordon is. The Bucs need to add a young cornerback to the mix to potentially replace either Murphy-Bunting or Dean – or both. Tampa Bay was ravaged with injuries at the cornerback position last year and had to sign Richard Sherman and Pierre Desir off the street to start. Booth had five interceptions and nine pass breakups combined over the last two seasons. At 6-foot, 194 pounds with 4.44 speed, Booth is a Bucs fit from a size, athleticism and production standpoint.

Michigan OLB David Ojabo

Ojabo is a real wild card because before his torn Achilles Tampa Bay viewed him as a Top 10-15 talent. Because his injury happened a month ago at his pro day Ojabo will likely miss his rookie season. That kept him out of the first round, and now teams will only have three years worth of production from the Wolverines pass rusher. But Ojabo can get to the QB with impressive speed and skill, evidenced by 11 sacks and five forced fumbles. He might be worth the wait given the value the Bucs would receive by taking him in the second round.

4 Potential Picks At No. 60

If any these players is somehow on the board at No. 60, they will certainly be in play. Here is a look at four other draft prospects that could be targets with Tampa Bay’s own second pick, which will be later in Round 2.

Minnesota OLB Boye Mafe

Minnesota DE Boye Mafe – Photo by: USA Today

If Mafe is still on the board he would represent tremendous value at No. 60. An ascending player who had a great week at the Senior Bowl, Mafe had seven sacks during his final year at Minnesota. The Bucs have drafted a few Golden Gophers in Antoine Winfield, Jr. and Tyler Johnson over the past couple of seasons. Mafe ran a blistering 4.53 in the 40 at 6-foot-4, 261 pounds. He could replace Jason Pierre-Paul on the roster and give the Bucs another edge rusher to team with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Shaq Barrett.

Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller

Do the Bucs like Spiller over Iowa State running back Breece Hall? We’re not sure, but Tampa Bay is quite fond of Spiller, who came in for a Top 30 visit and had a formal interview at the Combine. Drafting Spiller late in the second round seems like good value. He’s widely regarded around the league for his consistency as a runner and receiver, and his ability to slip and break tackles. Spiller averaged 1,000 yards per season over the last three years and is a dependable pass catcher out of the backfield.

Oklahoma DT Perrion Winfrey

If the Bucs pass on Hall in the second round, the pickings get to be slim at defensive tackle. Would the Bucs pick Winfrey over UConn’s Travis Jones? Jones is a much better run-stuffing defensive tackle and has more size at 6-foot-4, 326 pounds. But Winfrey is regarded as the better pass rusher, and had two sacks at the Senior Bowl. He’s not a Pewter Report favorite by any means, but his athleticism might be in demand. Winfrey would have to become much stronger in the NFL to hold up against the run at the point of attack if he’s the pick.

North Dakota State WR Christian Watson

North Dakota State WR Christian Watson – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs brought in three wide receivers (that we know of) for pre-draft visits – Chris Olave, Treylon Burks and Watson. The North Dakota State star has seen his stock rise after a good showing at the Senior Bowl and blazing a 4.36 in the 40 at 6-foot-4, 208 pounds. Watson, a Tampa native, played at nearby Plant High School, and would add even more firepower to a loaded Bucs wide receiver room. He’s a developmental receiver, but would learn from some great mentors in Pro Bowlers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Bucs’ Dream Trade Scenario Is Still Alive

In SR’s 2022 Bucs Draft Insider column on Wednesday, I outlined Tampa Bay trading back from No. 27 to Detroit at No. 33 to select either Hall or Cine and acquiring a middle-round pick. That pick could be used to move back up in the second round to select McBride.

Well, I was off by one spot. Instead of the Lions trading up with the Bucs (they already traded up with the Vikings, who snared Cine at No. 32), it was the Jaguars at No. 33 who moved up. Instead of picking up a pair of third-rounders, which might have seemed a little rich in hindsight, Jason Licht did well to grab a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder.

Tampa Bay has plenty of mid-round ammunition to trade up into the second round to grab a high-value target like McBride if he isn’t chosen at No. 33. Licht has traded up in the second round a few times, most notably for guard Ali Marpet in 2015 and kicker Roberto Aguayo in 2016.

He also has a track record of trading up for players he and the team really like. Licht traded up one spot to get right tackle Tristan Wirfs in the first round in 2020. He also traded up in the third round to get linebacker Kendell Beckwith in 2017, and more recently moving in the fourth round to draft receiver-returner Jaelon Darden in 2021.

After accurately picking Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Kyle Trask with the Bucs’ first two picks in our final 2021 mock draft, it would be wild to see the Bucs draft Hall and McBride with their first two picks this year. That’s who we had the Bucs selecting in this year’s final Bucs 7-Round Mock Draft.

Will The Bucs Trade Down Again In Round 2?

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

It’s possible that Licht could trade down again in the second round to acquire even more middle-round selections. The No. 33 pick is usually a sought after draft choice after teams have a chance to reset their boards a bit at the start of Day 2.

So which player would be the most in-demand draft prospect? And which teams might be most likely to want the 33rd overall pick?

The player could be Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, who is the top QB left on the boards. The Steelers drafted Pittsburgh signal caller Kenny Pickett at No. 20 in the first round.

The teams that could be after Willis are Houston, which has the fifth pick in the second round at No. 37, and Seattle. The Seahawks have a pair of second-rounders with the eighth and ninth picks in the second round, No. 40 and No. 41 overall.

Licht has likely already put out the word through ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he’s interested in exploring a trade down. But he’s using Schefter to communicate that it would take a mega deal for the Bucs not to select a defensive lineman at No. 33 – likely Hall.