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It’s Monday, and that means it’s mock draft time. Today in Tampa Bay Buccaneers goodness: could they trade up or down? Dan Kadar of SB Nation created a mock draft filled with trades, though he still has the Bucs sticking at number 19 and picking, who else, Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers.
Keith Tandy had a breakout season for the Buccaneers, and he can be the team’s coverage safety while Peppers gets used in a hybrid safety/linebacker role. This pick, of course, assumes that Bradley McDougald leaves in free agency.
Eh. We’ve seen this pick for weeks on end and I’m A) bored with it B) still annoyed with it, because I don’t think Peppers is a good fit nor necessarily a top 20 player.
A more interesting question is: could the Buccaneers trade down or up and if so, who for? Given the wide variety of choices that have been attributed to the Bucs at number 19, a trade in either direction would make sense: trade down a bit and they’ll still be able to get a good player who makes sense for them. Trade up and they might be able to get one who would be a terrific fit.
A trade up for Corey Davis would make a lot of sense given the team’s need at wide receiver, and the Western Michigan receiver’s overall quality. He’s big, fast, reliable, explosive — everything you want in a receiver, and a great complement to Mike Evans. In this mock he landed at number eighteen, so the Bucs would only have to trade up one or two spots to get him.
Another possible target would be FSU running back Dalvin Cook, though it might be harder to get him, and there are some rumblings about his off-field behavior — nothing concrete there, though, so I wouldn’t take it too seriously.
If they trade down, they’re more likely to target someone like Miami tight end David Njoku (number 32 in this draft), or even Alabama tight end O.J. Howard (number 23 here), if he falls. Someone like safety Budda Baker or one of the many all-around defensive ends who should be available toward the end of the first round would make sense as well.