A Trade-Down Option
April 7th, 2026
Trade down discussion.
Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht seemed to send out the Bat Signal last week at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona.
“I’m interested in trading down; make me an offer.”
So if Licht is not hellbent on drafting Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 15 overall, which so many schlockers seem to believe, and instead go after Baylor tight end Michael Trigg in the third round, follicly-challenged Billy Barnwell of BSPN has the perfect dance partner for Licht.
That would be Omar Khan, the shot-caller of the Steelers.
Barnwell, strangely, believes the Steelers will be looking to draft Aaron Rodgers’ successor at quarterback. Therefore, the Steelers and Bucs could hook up for a trade where Licht would still have a decent first-round pick and pick up an extra third- and fourth-rounder.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buccaneers get: Round 1, 21st pick; Round 3, 76th pick; Round 4, 135th pick.
Steelers get: Round 1, 15th, Round 6, 195th pick.For Jason Licht and the Buccaneers, trading up or down would really be about feeling out the board and whether they can be patient at their preferred positions. Cornerback and edge feel like the biggest needs for Tampa Bay, and there will be different options at different tiers throughout the first round for the Bucs. If they feel like they can trade down and still land somebody such as Mesidor, Parker or Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) at No. 21, moving down and adding two middle-rounds picks wouldn’t be too painful.
The Steelers would be moving up here in an attempt to land Simpson. There’s a decent chance that they could land him at 21, but with the Jets picking at No. 16, general manager Omar Khan would have to be reasonably worried that New York would be willing to take the Alabama quarterback in the middle of the first round as opposed to waiting until the start of Round 2.
The rules roughly go out the window when teams are moving up for quarterbacks, but this wouldn’t even be an exorbitant price, with the Steelers ceding one of their three third-round picks and a fourth-round compensatory selection to jump ahead of the Jets. While there are those in Pittsburgh who are fond of sixth-round pick Will Howard, the Ohio State product hasn’t yet taken a preseason or regular-season snap. Simpson would slot in as the QB2 in 2026 behind a veteran, most likely Aaron Rodgers, before taking over as the long-term option for the Steelers in 2027.
While on face value Joe likes this endeavor, this seems idiotic for the Steelers.
First, in the past decade, here is the gnarly list of quarterbacks who had 15 or fewer starts but were still drafted in the first round. Rarely do quarterbacks with so few starts in college make a dent in the NFL. For every Cam Newton, there are four or five Mitch Trubiskys.
Additionally, why would the Steelers trade up? For Simpson no less? Why not wait until next year when the draft is supposed to be loaded with quarterbacks?
But since former Steelers owner Dan Rooney died and his son Art took over, that franchise has been circling the drain at quarterback. They just may do something stupid like this.
If the Licht and the Bucs did swing this deal, with the 21st pick, that would be the range to draft Ohio State defensive tackle/mauler Kayden McDonald. And with that extra third-round pick, the Bucs ought to be able to land Trigg.
Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald is an absolute load for any OL to deal with
I'm always on the lookout for a 3-down DT that can play next to Chris… unfortunately, McDonald is probably worth a Day 1 pick and shouldn't be there at 40 pic.twitter.com/QOH7dvxnLz
— Ron Kopp Jr (@RonOnChiefs) February 15, 2026
April 7th, 2026 at 7:07 am
That is a wonderful trade down option for all the Bucs fans on this site pining for the Ohio State DT in the first round. His value aligns more with a later 21st to 27th pick than 15th overall pick.
April 7th, 2026 at 7:15 am
I know we need defense but if that TE from Oregon is on the board at 15 I am taking him. That will take some of sting from Evans leaving and give Baker and his new OC (who likes TE’s) a problem for defenses. I also don’t want him to end up in Carolina as they have improved this off-season. We don’t need to make them better. Go defense the rest of the draft and maybe 1 OL.
April 7th, 2026 at 7:44 am
Assume that Bowles will keep 5 men on each of the 5 defensive units as he has in the past – DL and OLB already have 5 locks to make the 53 and LB SF CB have 3 locks each – this assumes that CB Hayes is vulnerable – Licht could use 6 picks for the 6 open spots – this leaves 1 pick for offense – with 2 QB 9 OL 4 TE 4 RB 6 WR there is really only one pick available at TE RB or WR – this assumes that TE Culp OL Klein are vulnerable and that Shepard won’t be brought back – Licht has a predilection to keep his own draftees but he might draft a TE CB or even OL that displaces a draftee – however it doesn’t look like the 53 will look much different than last year but for the replacement of proven vets for older journeymen – the W-L should be about the same too
April 7th, 2026 at 7:56 am
Based on the Bucs many needs on the D side of the ball. this trade back idea with Pittsburgh makes the most sense and is my favorite draft scenario so far.
April 7th, 2026 at 7:59 am
So this would give us:
21st
46th
76th
77th
116th
135th
155th
235th
I’d be all for this. Back-to-back picks in the 3rd and two picks in the 4th just to move back 5 spots in the 1st? Yes please.
April 7th, 2026 at 8:12 am
Nonsense. Several of the proven vets will be returning from long term injuries too.
April 7th, 2026 at 8:14 am
It is conceivable that Licht drafts a player at ANY position – even QB – I still can’t grasp why he would draft a TE after resigning Kieft and Otton though – and is Shepard part of the puzzle still ? will there be 3 or 4 RB retained ? my guess at draft need priority would be LB CB SF OL WR DL RB TE OLB QB
April 7th, 2026 at 8:14 am
Would still probably be able to get Ioane, or even Sadiq….id rather have Trigg though.
April 7th, 2026 at 8:16 am
21st is more reasonable for Jacob Rodriguez
April 7th, 2026 at 8:30 am
Trade down no. Trade up yes.
April 7th, 2026 at 8:44 am
Bald guy, you’re living up to the first part of your name with that suggestion.
April 7th, 2026 at 8:44 am
*bold
April 7th, 2026 at 8:46 am
Trade down. The more lottery picks the better for a defense that has more holes than swiss cheese.
April 7th, 2026 at 8:55 am
this would be great….imo, this is what will happen but it may not be the steelers…
trade down, select OG @21 and then DT-Lee Hunter @46
GO BUCS!!!!
April 7th, 2026 at 8:56 am
Can we stop with the AC/DC loving Jason Licht? How about “draft pick hoarding ” Jason Licht, or something like that.
April 7th, 2026 at 8:56 am
would love this scenario…
select OG @21 & DT @46
GO BUCS!!!!
April 7th, 2026 at 8:56 am
I would take the Jets #33 and their 2027 1st-Round Pick (plus a 2026 4th for a 6th swap or something like that), for our 15th this year. Though, if Jeremiah Love is somehow still there outside of the Top-10 (but he won’t be), I’m moving heaven and earth to GET HIM. My focus is REALITY. Which is next year, building towards the future with fresh new leadership.
April 7th, 2026 at 9:31 am
Drafting a TE any higher than the 6th round would be pointless given our current roster. Get off this kick, man.
As for trading down…absolutely. Trade down twice if they can.
April 7th, 2026 at 9:52 am
If Licht can’t find a partner to trade down, it looks like the best defender available at #15 will be Jermod McCoy, the shutdown CB from Tennessee.
The Bucs still need an edge rusher. Will the Bucs take Mesidor (and hopefully Jason Taylor), despite Mesidor’s history of foot injuries? Scouts and the media tend to over-rate edge players because it’s such an important position. I don’t see much concensus on the edge player rankings. Some of the highly ranked edge players have poor sack productivity.
April 7th, 2026 at 10:01 am
you may be familiar with Tez Johnson and Devin Culp – how well do you know Andre Anthony – Grant Stuard – Chris Wilcox – Raymond Calais – Chapelle Russell – Terry Beckner – Stevie Tuikolovatu – Joey Iosefa ? these are all the 7th-rounders drafted by Fred-Flintstone-doppelgänger Jason Licht – we’ll see how Tez and Culp work out – the list is not too inspiring is it ? maybe Licht should trade his 7th and maybe 6th-rounders to make more impactful picks in earlier rounds – Licht always seems to want MORE picks rather than BETTER picks – but you say he has to round out the roster ?! Licht seems to have done better with UDFAs than actual picks – but he gets excited on Draft Day when he gets to be on camera and make the phone calls – he’s probably down a fifth of Jack by the end of the day – maybe fewer picks is better given his track record
April 7th, 2026 at 10:02 am
Maybe the Bucs will draft a player. Maybe they’ll draft a wombat. That’s it.
April 7th, 2026 at 10:24 am
Elijah Klein – Trey Palmer – Jose Ramirez – Josh Hayes – Ko Kieft – Khalil Davis – Scotty Miller (love him) – Jack Cichy – Devante Bond – Dan Vitale – Kaelin Clay – Robert Herron – these are all the 6th round picks by Tom-Brady-hand-puppet Jason Licht – it is arguable that Sean Tucker and Kameron Johnson have had more impact than all of these picks combined – so how does Licht get the rep as a draft guru ?
April 7th, 2026 at 10:29 am
where is Licht’s Brock Purdy ? WHERE ?! any poster on JBF could do a better job than not-ROH-worthy Jason Licht – even the ones whose lips move while they are reading – an average-intelligence chimpanzee could do better than Licht
April 7th, 2026 at 10:39 am
First, Mesidor is too old and has injury history – not likely we take him over Howell or Jacas, Josephy or some of the younger bunch. Personally, I LOVE the fire and play of R Mason Thomas, but he is a bit small. But he plays much bigger.
As for Sadiq – WE DON’T NEED A TIGHT END… we need to properly use the ones we have… Culp for passing, and Otten (who has been consistently overlooked the past 2 years) and Durham/Kieft when we need blocking. Don’t waste a pick on TE.
Take a corner somewhere in top 3 rounds, definitely a MLB (Rodriguez or Louis or the kid from LSU). Find a DT for Vita to mentor. And a bigger RB, though I think Tucker will work out just fine (again, if we use him right).
We really critically need a pass rusher, a LB who can cover, and one corner. And maybe a backup guard to replace Klein (the fact he could not get on the field over journeymen like Jackson and Feely – he should be gone).
April 7th, 2026 at 11:10 am
Mike Evans – Vita Vea – Devin White – Tristan Wirfs – Calijah Kancey – Graham Barton – Emeka Egbuka – all pretty good #1 picks right ? Yay Fearless Leader Jason Licht – but how about Jameis Winston – Vernon Hargreaves – OJ Howard -JTS – not so good – Evans Vea White Wirfs got the SuperBowl under the supervision of Tom Brady – Kancey Barton Egbuka will probably not – so why is Licht still in the building ? or Arians for that matter ?
April 7th, 2026 at 11:50 am
Love and Styles will not be there. Neither will Bailey or Bain. I assess the likelihood of any of them getting past 10 to be <5%. Simply put the Bucs don't have the draft capital to trade up unless they use their 2027 1st round pick. I don't see Licht doing that because the Bucs aren't one player away.
April 7th, 2026 at 11:57 am
Get your ILB (Jacob, Allen, Hill – not Louis or Golday) and DE (TXA&M, ILL, UCF, OK, Miami) in the 1st and 2nd. Either order. There are a couple of good DTs that should be available in 3rd (FSU, ISU). CB in the 4th.
I would prefer to trade back if possible to pick up an extra 3rd and 4th to get a WR in the 3rd and TE or G in the 4th with the other in the 5th. Finish up with another LB and DE.
April 7th, 2026 at 12:15 pm
It starts up front. Vea is 31 in a contract year. Pick would make a lot of sense. Take the extra 3rd, move up in the 2nd, and grab Rodriguez.
April 7th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
Can we stop with this Trigg nonsense? First Joe wanted him in the 2nd forever, but finally realized he’s getting Rd. 3 or 4 grades. Instead of looking at the over 12% drop rate (worse than everyone’s favorite bricks-for-hands punching bag, Otton), we just overlook the one-dimensional game of his and imagine him as a steal.
I would rather take the mismatches of Eli Raridon or Tanner Koziol a round later, while using the third(s) where there’s need. This team needs an extra edge, interior lineman, cover corner, or ILB depth more than we need a one-dimensional TE that screams it’s a pass play whenever he’s on the field!
April 7th, 2026 at 12:19 pm
How about (gasp) trading UP! Our #15, Our second round pick, #3 in ’27 and #4 in ’28 for # 7 or 8 and draft Bain! Goodbye Sadiq, goodbye our eternal search for for an edge beast for the next 10 years. How do those numbers add up?
Then load up on Players at the cut for other positions of need.
That’s the kind of trade the 49rs would make, only not this year since their #1 pick is late in the draft. I wonder why?
April 7th, 2026 at 12:19 pm
I serious doubt any team trade for the 15th pick
It don’t make sense to trade for the 15th pick
There’s no value there at 15, you can get the same type player at 20
It makes a lot more sense to trade up into the Top 10
That’s where the real value is at
April 7th, 2026 at 12:41 pm
It should always be “Trade back or trade forward” I hear people use “trade up” for trading both directions. Same with trade down. It needs to be standardized.
I don’t think it’s much of a secret that Jason would like to trade back if the draft falls the way they expect it happen. There are reasons to want to trade up to 15. Other teams needs are different. They may want Qb, TE or OL.
April 7th, 2026 at 12:44 pm
“I serious doubt any team trade for the 15th pick
It don’t make sense to trade for the 15th pick
There’s no value there at 15, you can get the same type player at 20”
EXCEPT if Simpson starts to climb in the draft evaluations… he’s NOT a top 10 draft pick, but he could become a top-20 pick, and teams may want to get ahead of #16 to get him. THEN, we may have a bidding war…
April 7th, 2026 at 1:25 pm
Simpson has climbed IMHO. QBs always do.
April 7th, 2026 at 1:47 pm
While I agree trading down from 15 might be tough, but it only takes ONE team to have a player they love and want to move up. That could be a QB or Sadiq..I bet JL will get atleast a couple of calls..we shall see.
April 7th, 2026 at 2:43 pm
Only if it’s a
Highway Robbery that has all the talking heads going on and on about how the Bucs fleeced so and so!
At 15 if you can’t draft a player who will be on the field for a high percentage of snaps x’s 5 years
Get out of the game!
April 7th, 2026 at 2:57 pm
I had a great post …
Somehow after never receiving a bold type warning by brilliant opinion is in Noderation … misspelled for the filter
April 7th, 2026 at 3:27 pm
I definitely would like a trade down allows us to fill more holes. I’m still traumatized by the OJ Howard pick 🤣 no thanks.
April 7th, 2026 at 3:34 pm
Where are my posts Joe ?
April 7th, 2026 at 7:13 pm
writer ESPN
Kyle Louis to Derrick Brooks
“Let’s begin with the similarities in their leadership, smarts and football instincts — I see a match there. Then Louis has the rest of the package, including a powerful lower body, explosive ability, quick change of direction, solid coverage skills, plenty of range, blitz ability, the traits to be a space player and toughness. The Pitt product will be an All-Pro in due time “.
April 7th, 2026 at 7:50 pm
A single 3rd and a 4th and the Bucs give up a 6th? Give me a break. My ultra realistic hard mode PFF mock-draft shows why I should be the Bucs GM. I also traded the 1st and 6th, and look at what I got… three 2nd rounders, three 3rd rounders, two 4th rounders, two 5th rounders and two 7th rounders. That’s how a real man plays the draft board.
Trade 1
Buccaneers receive: R1:17, R2:50
Lions receive: R1:15, R4:116
Trade 2
Buccaneers receive: R1:21, R2:53
Steelers receive: R1:17, R6:195
Pick 1.21
Akheem Mesidor (ED, Miami FL)
Trade 3
Buccaneers receive: R2:54, R3:68, R3:98
Eagles receive: R2:50, R3:77
Pick 2.54
Keionte Scott (CB, Miami FL)
Trade 4
Buccaneers receive: R2:56, R3:100
Jaguars receive: R2:53
Pick 2.56
Bryce Lance (WR, North Dakota State)
Trade 5
Buccaneers receive: R2:58, R4:127, R4:133, 2027 R3
49ers receive: R2:46
Trade 6
Buccaneers receive: R2:60, R3:89
Bears receive: R2:58, R4:127
Pick 2.60
Kyle Louis (LB, Pittsburgh)
Pick 3.68
Anthony Hill Jr. (LB, Texas)
Pick 3.89
Sam Roush (TE, Stanford)
Pick 3.98
Dontay Corleone (DI, Cincinnati)
Trade 7
Buccaneers receive: R4:107, R5:146, R7:248
Browns receive: R3:100
Pick 4.107
Billy Schrauth (G, Notre Dame)
Pick 4.133
Beau Stephens (G, Iowa)
Pick 5.146
Devon Marshall (CB, NC State)
Pick 5.155
Michael Taaffe (S, Texas)
Pick 7.229
Taylen Green (QB, Arkansas)
Pick 7.248
Patrick Payton (ED, LSU)
April 7th, 2026 at 7:52 pm
The daily corner Says:
April 7th, 2026 at 7:13 pm
writer ESPN
Kyle Louis to Derrick Brooks
—————
Yeah, I’ve been on Kyle Louis for a while now. He just seems like the perfect undersized, excellent in coverage LB in the mold of Brooks and David. Obviously it’s unlikely he ever fills those shoes, but still, the Bucs have had excellent luck with this style of LB – and I’ll take them any day of the week over big tough guys who are slow.