Tampa Bay moved down seven spots in the second round, sending…
Tampa Bay moved down seven spots in the second round, sending No. 56 to New England for Nos. 63 and 117. The Buccaneers selected Carlton Davis and Jordan Whitehead, two defensive starters who later played major roles on the 2020 Super Bowl championship team. New England used No. 56 on Duke Dawson, who never played a regular-season game for the Patriots before being traded to Denver.
New England Patriots Received
- pick 2018 2nd round pick (56th overall, Duke Dawson )
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Received
- pick 2018 2nd round pick (63rd overall, Carlton Davis )
- pick 2018 4th round pick (117th overall, Jordan Whitehead )
Trade Analysis
Tampa Bay entered the second round with pick No. 56 after an earlier trade with Buffalo. Rather than use it, the Buccaneers moved back seven spots with New England and added the 117th selection. The Patriots targeted Florida defensive back Duke Dawson at No. 56; Tampa Bay used No. 63 on Auburn corner Carlton Davis and No. 117 on Pittsburgh safety Jordan Whitehead.
The contrast in NFL value became stark. Davis developed into a starting outside corner with the size and press skills that fit Todd Bowles’ defense. Whitehead became a starting safety whose range and physicality gave Tampa Bay another dependable young defender. Both were established starters by the 2020 season, when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV with a defense that overwhelmed Kansas City in the championship game. Tampa Bay’s own retrospective on the 2018 class specifically identifies Davis and Whitehead among the starters produced by that draft for the title team.
Dawson’s New England tenure never reached that level. An injury cost him his rookie season, and the Patriots traded him to Denver before the 2019 season. New England recouped only a late-round pick swap in that deal. Whatever the original projection on Dawson, the Patriots received essentially no regular-season contribution from the player they moved up to select.
This is the ideal trade-down outcome for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers did not merely add volume; they converted one second-round selection into two starters at premium defensive positions, and both contributed to the franchise’s second championship. New England paid to move up and failed to receive meaningful on-field value from the target.
Tampa Bay moves to an A. New England falls to a D. The original grades understated how completely the two careers diverged and how important Davis and Whitehead became to the Buccaneers’ best team of the era.