The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with the rest of the NFL, are inching closer and closer to the 2026 NFL Draft. Which means we’re about to get inundated with speculation, rumors, and hypotheticals.

But hey, aside from the lowbrow/stupid stuff, that’s all part of the fun, right?

When it comes to the Buccaneers, many believe trading back is the best path to follow in Round 1 of the draft. However, when looking at the class, it’s easy to why teams would rather trade back than up.

And, of course, the Bucs need someone who wants to trade up in order for them to trade back.

Fortunately, former Alabama Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson is the one guy teams could target in the middle of the first round. I actually wrote about a potential Buccaneers-Pittsburgh Steelers trade in Round 1 of the draft a couple of weeks ago. It makes a lot of sense because the Steelers need a franchise QB and have the capital to move up.

Sure enough, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell just cranked out a piece involving hypothetical trades for each team in the first round.

And guess what he proposed?

Buccaneers linked to Steelers regarding first round draft trade in latest ESPN article

Real quick, this is what I proposed back on March 24 when our own Easton Freeze said he’s spoken with multiple people who believe Simpson will go in the top-20:

“Pittsburgh at No. 21 would make a ton of sense for the Buccaneers. Licht could snag the 21st overall pick and likely get the No. 76 overall pick (third-rounder) and 121st overall pick (fourth-rounder) in return. That would give the Bucs back-to-back picks in Round 3 (76 &77), as well as two fourth-rounders in pick Nos. 116 and 121.”

Barnwell’s proposed trade is just a little different. He has the Buccaneers trading Nos. 21 and 195 for Steelers picks Nos. 21, 76, and 135. The 76th and 135th picks are in the third and fourth rounds of the draft, respectively.

I brought in A to Z Pittsburgh’s Rob Gregson for some insight on the Steelers’ side of things and he firmly believes Omar Khan will be looking to make some kind of move:

“It’s a foregone conclusion the Steelers will be moving around in the NFL Draft. Armed with 12 picks and a GM who once traded up to the 14th spot for a left tackle, this scenario for the Steelers is plausible.

Giving up the first of three 3rd round picks and a 4th may seem a bit hefty to move up six spots, but that’s the price of admission for first round trades. From the Steelers’ POV, they would receive a potential franchise quarterback, and still have three more swings inside the top 100 (53, 85, 99).

So the move makes total sense if the Steelers are actually intrigued by Simpson. To this point, the new staff and GM Omar Khan are playing coy, which matches recent first round selections in Pittsburgh. The brass was not in Tuscaloosa together, nor have they hosted Simpson to a visit (yet). Which in the NFL Draft world, could mean they are very interested in him.”

There’s obviously a ways to go, but plenty of people who do this for a living have recognized the plausibility of this scenario. Whether or not that means it actually happens is unknown, but it’s certainly worth noting.

Who could the Buccaneers nab at No. 21?

Taking a Cashius Howell, Akheem Mesidor, R Mason Thomas, or even C.J. Allen at No. 15 is looking less and less ideal. All four of those guys have the potential to be very good players, but they have sizable enough flaws to where picking them at 15 is a bit of a reach.

The Buccaneers would mitigate that by trading back in the first round of the draft. At 21, all of them should be there.

The New York Jets will more than likely take a receiver at 16. The Detroit Lions need tackle help and one should be there at 17. Brian Flores’ defense has a major hole on the interior defensive line and the Carolina Panthers are going to look for another playmaker on offense or maybe even a corner.

The Dallas Cowboys at No. 20 is a team to watch for when it comes to snagging one of the aforementioned players. But even then, that’ll leave the other three available for the Buccaneers.

In other words: The Bucs should win the numbers and odds game after hypothetically trading back.

I used A to Z Sports’ new mock draft simulator to make sure this checked out and sure enough it did. As a matter of fact, all four guys were available, which makes this hypothetical even sweeter.

The Buccaneers even had extra selections to choose from in Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker and San Diego State CB Chris Johnson:

In a perfect the world, the Buccaneers find a trade partner in the first round of the draft. That’s obviously a very conditional scenario, but the Steelers are definitely a team to keep an eye on Thursday night.

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Evan Winter April 1, 2026