Bucs Trade Up, Draft WR Trey Palmer In Round 6

“After three years at LSU backing up the likes of Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, Palmer transferred to Nebraska for his senior year and took full advantage of his starting opportunity with the Cornhuskers. Palmer stresses defenses with his 4.33 speed and superb ball tracking skills. This makes him a big-play machine catching 12 passes of 20+ air yards in 2022. These 12 catches accounted for almost half of his yards and seven of his nine touchdowns as a senior. Palmer added to these plusses with a slipperiness that allowed him to rack up yards after catch.

While Palmer’s speed makes him ideal for fades, streaks, posts and deep digs, he still works off of a limited route tree. He also was underwhelming in his contested catch opportunities, catching just 13 of his 33 chances over his career. Palmer also has not proved to be able to work well off of press coverage, which is part of why he spent almost 65% of his snaps in the slot.

Palmer would give the Bucs the game-changing speed they just lost in Scotty Miller, who was not re-signed in free agency. He would be able to stretch the field providing more underneath opportunities for Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage. He could also be deployed as a gadget player on screens and end-arounds. Palmer could also give Deven Thompkins competition for the Bucs returner job, as he has 680 yards and two touchdowns as a returner in college.

Palmer was 125th on the consensus big board according to Pro Football Network. So, the Bucs did well to get good value by selecting him at No. 191.

In his career, Palmer accumulated 112 catches for 1,501 yards and 12 touchdowns, with 18 drops.