Minnesota sent pick No. 94 to Tampa Bay for Nos. 102 and 180.…

The Buccaneers identified Alex Cappa as a developmental offensive lineman worth moving up for late on the second day of the 2018 draft. Tampa Bay sent Minnesota picks No. 102 and No. 180 to acquire No. 94, then selected the Humboldt State guard. The Vikings used No. 102 on Ohio State defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes and later moved the sixth-round selection again.

Cappa needed time. He was mostly inactive as a rookie, but by 2019 he had moved into the starting lineup at right guard. He then became part of the offensive line that helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV after the 2020 season. The Buccaneers’ own draft retrospective lists Cappa among the four starters from the 2018 class who became core members of that championship roster. For the cost of dropping only a sixth-round selection while moving eight spots, Tampa Bay obtained a legitimate starting guard during the franchise’s title window.

Holmes never produced an equivalent impact for Minnesota. He supplied rotational defensive-line snaps and stayed with the Vikings for several seasons, but he did not become a long-term high-level starter. Pick No. 180 became part of another Minnesota trade with the Jets, a branch that eventually involved Daniel Carlson and Devante Downs coming to the Vikings. Carlson later became an elite kicker for Las Vegas, but Minnesota waived him after only two regular-season games, so his later success cannot be treated as Vikings value from this transaction.

Minnesota did gain two assets for one, which made the move sensible from a draft-management standpoint. The actual careers are what separate the sides. Tampa Bay targeted a specific lineman, developed him and received starting play on a championship team.

The Buccaneers keep an A and the win. Minnesota falls to D+ because Holmes was a modest rotational return and the additional pick did not create durable value for the Vikings.