Tampa Bay’s Quarterback “Leap” Point
April 26th, 2023
Gators QB Anthony Richardson.
Well now, NFL Network super insider Ian Rapoport was on TV this afternoon talking about the Buccaneers trading up for a quarterback.
That got Joe to put down the Hooters grilled Mahi sandwich and pay close attention.
Tampa Bay is sitting with the No. 19 overall pick, and Rapoport noted the Bucs are one of the teams that did extensive homework this offseason on college quarterbacks. That’s no surprise given who the Bucs are paying at quarterback.
The Bucs haven’t seemed hungry for another QB. But perhaps that’s just been a smokescreen because general manager Jason Licht doesn’t want another QB-yearning team to jump him in the draft?
Maybe general manager Jason Licht is playing it cool to see what quarterbacks fall in his range of a modest trade up. That’s what Rapoport was floating today.
He noted the Lions (No. 18 overall) and Vikings (No. 20 overall) are other clubs that have put in the work on quarterbacks and could be prepping to “leap” if University of Kentucky quarterback Will Levis and/or Gators QB Anthony Richardson finds his way past the Texans at No. 12 overall.
Joe believes a major X-factor is Team Glazer. If ownership knows, say, the Bucs have Levis or Richardson ranked as worthy a first-round pick (or Hendon Hooker), then maybe they express to Licht how much they are in favor of good value at the critical quarterback position.
That’s not Team Glazer telling Licht who to draft. Joe’s scenario is more like Team Glazer saying, “Jason, your multi-million dollar scouting team says this QB is worth the pick at No. 16 or No. 19, so why the hell would you hesitate? It’s quarterback!”
While Houston hasn’t received much trade action so far for the No. 2 pick, the Texans have explored the idea of moving off their second first-round pick, the No. 12 overall selection, per sources. Texans have made calls about moving back in round one – and also moving back up.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2023
April 26th, 2023 at 5:19 pm
NO to Levis and NO to Richardson. If Stroud slips past 3, make the deal. Barring that, if Hooker could be had, maybe that as well. No thanks to the other two.
April 26th, 2023 at 5:20 pm
Yessir! It’s a QB. Nuf said
April 26th, 2023 at 5:28 pm
We have looked at late round guys too. I think we take one later
April 26th, 2023 at 5:29 pm
Serious question… what makes him better than trask? They went to the same school within the same period. Trask was a significantly better college qb. Not even sure trask will be good but my point is I don’t think Rich will be better. He’s just somewhat flashy.
April 26th, 2023 at 5:30 pm
Ugh
April 26th, 2023 at 5:31 pm
Dude is str8 garbage
April 26th, 2023 at 5:31 pm
Devin white and our one would be enough to get Houston’s 12 plus a 2 or 3. Or, at least a 2nd round swap.
April 26th, 2023 at 5:37 pm
If the Bucs draft Richardson or Levis I think I might have to find a new team. We already have a premium pick invested in a QB who has never played any significant snaps in the NFL.
April 26th, 2023 at 5:49 pm
If we go QB this year say goodbye to a winning season, Bowles gets a free year and we suck even more the next year. TE, top 5 OT/OG maybe CB in the first round unless a trade comes knocking then take the picks. Too many holes in the roster to be getting leftovers/projects and no cap space to improve.
Game manager at QB will win the division and the rest of the roster needs the most work, time to reload the roster and lay the foundation for next year to hit the ground running.
April 26th, 2023 at 5:51 pm
Are we in the business now of collecting Gators QB’s? We’ve got one now we haven’t even given a fair chance to. Stop putting them on the practice squad for years and let them play. There must have been a reason they were drafted in the first place! If Brady was any kind of teacher Trask should be more than ready.
April 26th, 2023 at 6:04 pm
If Richardson or Levis fall to #19 you know their busts. Buyer Beware!
April 26th, 2023 at 6:21 pm
We aren’t moving up for a QB. None of these guys is even close to a sure thing. Don’t make desperation moves. If you really want a QB, ask SF what it would take to get Trey Lance, arguably more talented than any of the QBs this year and would be cheaper.
We have other holes to fill.
April 26th, 2023 at 6:22 pm
Just roll with Mayfield/Trask this year and see what happens. No need to spend a top pick on a major project.
April 26th, 2023 at 6:25 pm
Stop with the quarterback quest. If it’s not 1 or 2 it isn’t any better than what we have. Get the best offensive tackle available.
April 26th, 2023 at 6:25 pm
To many other needs. I don’t see why all this QB talk all the time. Bowles probably won’t even be here next year. They can get one then.
April 26th, 2023 at 6:32 pm
This is a great year to add an UDFA QB as #3.
April 26th, 2023 at 6:40 pm
Hopefully those teams will leap frog us and take those two. I live in North Carolina now so if they pick Richardson I would probably start rooting for the Stinking Panthers, never, Go Bucs!!!
April 26th, 2023 at 6:40 pm
Yea Brady was a bust after being drafted so late!!!
April 26th, 2023 at 6:40 pm
Every single year tons of BS gets floated pre draft, and about 4% actually happens, Bucs are not taking a QB. But the vikings may trade up with us if they think we will 🤔
April 26th, 2023 at 6:42 pm
Hooker and thats it or not just NO to AR15 or Levis
April 26th, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Got to see what Traskfield is going to do. Trade Diva White and your 3rd rounder to the Steelers for pick 32.
April 26th, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Team Gkazer doesn’t care if their team only wins 4 games! They already sold out the season tickets with that mandatory 2 season plan last year.
April 26th, 2023 at 6:47 pm
Is Hooker the next Teddy Bridgewater?
April 26th, 2023 at 6:58 pm
Cray cray talk !
April 26th, 2023 at 6:59 pm
This is obviously a multi year rebuild. Take BPA. Better QB’s will be available next year.
April 26th, 2023 at 7:19 pm
Let’s hope he’s wrong. Build this year. QB next year.
April 26th, 2023 at 7:20 pm
Trask was an absolute wasted high pick at the time. Drafting a QB would only cement how fricken stupid of a pick he was. Regardless you will never convince me that he was the right pick with a team in win now mode.
April 26th, 2023 at 7:23 pm
Smoke and mirrors….in the situation we are now with Bowles, we don’t need a qb to seat on the bench. Again, if we suck this season Bowles will be gone and the next HC will want his own Qb. Next year there’s a better qb class. So, no I don’t think we are getting a Qb. The intelligent thing to do is beef up the Oline to help Traskfiled or to help the next year Qb. Period.
April 26th, 2023 at 7:25 pm
I love how everybody still lives in this fantasy world where the first or second QB drafed in every class is the most successful one.
Jameis Winston
Marcus Marriota
Mitch Trubisky
Baker Mayfield
Sam Darnold
I don’t think they’ll draft a QB early this year, but if you’re a team that needs a QB and the value is there to get a good one, you take that chance. It’s ultimately the only position that matters in today’s NFL.
April 26th, 2023 at 7:27 pm
I will be so happy when this draft is over so we don’t have to listen to the media heads through BS against the wall trying to see if it sticks the bucs have no business drafting a quarterback right now…
April 26th, 2023 at 7:29 pm
gotbbucs all of those quarterbacks suck so where is the value after Young.
April 26th, 2023 at 7:36 pm
Those three QBs. Hooker, Levi’s and AR wouldn’t play next year anyway so I guess no one knows what’s gonna happen.
April 26th, 2023 at 7:40 pm
KNOW YOUR HISTORY …
The Bucs win Super Bowls when they create a strong defense, load up talent at the skill positions, AND sign a vet QB. The Bucs have also NEVER resigned a drafted QB.
April 26th, 2023 at 7:43 pm
Please don’t …we already have a FL QB you’ve ignored
April 26th, 2023 at 7:45 pm
That just makes me CRINGE!
If this turns out being one of the worst qb classes, it won’t be a shock at all!
April 26th, 2023 at 7:50 pm
WE’RE GOING TO TRADE UP FOR THE NEXT JOSH ROSEN OR SAM DARNOLD.
LOLZ.
April 26th, 2023 at 7:57 pm
Anyone who saw Gator games last year knows AR is not that good and is horribly overrated in this draft. It happens every year where a combine star shoots up the draft and all these so called experts place less emphasis on the film. This is not the year for drafting a QB.
April 26th, 2023 at 8:07 pm
24 hours to the nfl draft the last of adrenaline to September.
April 26th, 2023 at 8:11 pm
The value is just not there at quarterback. I would rather roll with who we have than waste a draft pick on someone the “experts” feel would be better than the options we currently have on the roster. For the love of God, draft any other position (other than kicker) than a quarterback. We need offensive lineman, D-lineman, a tight end who can block (and hopefully catch), DB depth, pass rushers, and linebackers. I am not worried about quarterback right now. I think we have decent quarterbacks who have promise. Other teams have done more with less. If the Bucs draft Richardson, I will need to reconsider my relationship with the Bucs. Dude sucks at QB!!!!!
April 26th, 2023 at 8:25 pm
Makes little sense to draft a 1st round QB this year when we don’t know what we have in Mayfield or for that matter, Trask.
Drafting a QB to share reps with them……not a good idea…..drafting a QB to sit on the bench….we already have done that with Trask perhaps wasting a pick.
Fill a position of need with a great player or move down for extra picks…..if Mayfield or Trask don’t work out….then shoot the works next year.
Besides…..Bowles would much rather have a top RB than a QB or even an OT or TE……if you want a better offense…..give our two QBs some more protection & weapons.
April 26th, 2023 at 8:28 pm
Pickup A.J. McCarron. He played masterfully in the XFL this season. He could be had at veteran’s minimum for wealth of knowledge and ability.
April 26th, 2023 at 8:29 pm
He’s Winston 2.0 – no depth in the noggin. Hendon Hooker on the other hand would be someone ti snag at 19 if he’s available.
April 26th, 2023 at 8:53 pm
these never played football so called insiders will realize Richardson is not worth trading up for on draft night. If drafted in the first fine but it would be foolish to give up picks. Of course Bucs did research on quarterbacks we only had one on the roster until baker came along and no one goes into camp with two.
It takes insiders talking to people inside the organization to know more than Bucs fans do. No one is more informed than local writers for any ball club and I’m sure the joes have a gang of news and stories they can’t tell
April 26th, 2023 at 9:02 pm
Interesting fact:
Of the 20 quarterbacks now in the Hall of Fame – the surest measure of the quality of a player’s career – only 7 were drafted in the first round. 3 were undrafted out of college, and the rest were drafted from between the 2nd and 17th round.
Of course, two more non first round pick quarterbacks are slam dunks to make the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility: Drew Brees and Tom Brady.
April 26th, 2023 at 9:04 pm
Exactly what we need, another QB that is not going to play this year. Hope Levis, Hooker and AR15 are gone at 19. Trask was better than AR15, I couldn’t even watch that guy at times last year. Levis is an interception machine and Hooker is still recovering from an ACL injury. Not one of these guys is a first rounder IMO. Bucs would be better off letting Trask and Mayfield battle it out and sign Ryan as a backup.
April 26th, 2023 at 9:22 pm
Offenses cannot and never have thrived under Todd Bowels which is why he has a losing record as a head coach. He needs to stick to being a defensive coordinator and stop ruining NFL franchises
April 26th, 2023 at 9:22 pm
I agree with everyone who says “No QB” with our 19th pick. Only two seem worth a damn and they will be gone. Maybe Hooker if he was 2nd round pick but someone will get him in first round. AR is missing the critical element of a
QB: passing accuracy. If AR had Bryce’s talent then it’s a generational pick but that isn’t the case. Build the team and go for a QB next year or year after once we are out of the money hole and a QB is the final piece or as others have said get a good veteran QB. That’s only if Trask and Mayfield are washes.
April 26th, 2023 at 9:30 pm
Gator alumni here and AR15 cannot stay healthy and cannot complete a 10 yard pass! GM that drafts him in first two rounds will be searching for a new job in 3 years. Roll with Trask or Mayfield and see what options are next year.
April 26th, 2023 at 9:33 pm
You know what? Real Fans don’t threaten to go become panthers fans or switch team’s because of a draft pick that they are against, if that was how it worked then we would be switching teams every few yrs based on which GM we thought did the best job in the draft. You guys are clown
April 26th, 2023 at 9:47 pm
Focus on O-Line, D-Line and Safety. Anything else is a wasted pick.
April 26th, 2023 at 9:53 pm
GO GET STROUD!!!
April 26th, 2023 at 9:58 pm
Awful. AR15 was awful in the pocket. Look it up. What did he have like 300 pass attempts in college? Come on. Freak athlete but has a lot to learn. Oh, I have zero faith in Todd and Jason developing a qb.
I’d rather give a bit more for Lamar.
April 26th, 2023 at 10:00 pm
Every year they try to hype the hell out of the QBs. To me, and some others of you as well, his is an especially weak QB draft. Really, who is franchise guy at the top? None. All problematic, and even horrible. Move down in the mid-round, it’s still not looking good.
So forget it. Roll with Mayfield, see what Trask has. Look around for a younger free agent who might blossom. Save the big new QB search for next time.
April 26th, 2023 at 11:11 pm
Without an O line.. not Even Tom Brady could win.
April 26th, 2023 at 11:36 pm
Yes, we have many holes, but just a note to all of you saying “if we take a QB, I’ll root for another team.”
Tooddles, kick rocks, and don’t let the door slap ya on the ass.
April 27th, 2023 at 12:57 am
I’m going to agree with Rand. AJ McCarron can be had cheap. That’s your third QB. He’s solid and has played well when given a chance.
April 27th, 2023 at 1:06 am
we need o-lineman and speed on defense.
Not another QB.
April 27th, 2023 at 6:48 am
I dont see how the “multimillion dollar scouting team” could possibly rank Richardson, Levis or Hooker as round one draftable. Hooker maybe late round one, but the gimmick offense and knee surgery are red flags for me and should be for any scouting staff.
April 27th, 2023 at 9:07 am
I HOPE we do not draft a QB, because it will give Bowles another year!
April 27th, 2023 at 10:06 am
No no no no no
April 27th, 2023 at 11:57 am
I’m up here in NY. We got a pretty good Fordham University QB who is originally from FL. Maybe we use a 7th on him and use some of our higher picks on positions that we need to upgrade. We have a former 1st and a 2nd round QB who hasnt played much. Drafting a QB means the guys made a mistake. I like QBs but we have a few.
April 27th, 2023 at 3:34 pm
If Richardson really wants to leave his mark on the NFL and not just collect a big bag of money he should’ve have stayed in college. Like JTS and others he hasn’t had enough reps to produce greatness, just enough to cash in.
April 27th, 2023 at 9:55 pm
Get Trey Lance cheap if you can. Otherwise, pass on QB.