The 2023 NFL Draft commences on the evening of Thursday, April 27 with the 31 picks of Round One. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently 19th on that list. They also own eight other selections, one each in the second, third and seventh rounds, two in the fifth and three in the sixth. The Buccaneers have an opportunity to address a wide variety of positions with those picks, and they will seeking to strengthen the roster for another run at the playoffs.
“If you walk through the halls, our scouts and our coaches, people are all in up there – we’re trying to win,” said General Manager Jason Licht at his pre-draft press conference last week. “We’re trying to bring in the best players that we can this year and it’s no different than we have in the past. Now, just because of the fact that we’ve lost quite a few players that were contributors to us and helped us win the Super Bowl and helped us have some good seasons here lately, there’s probably a few more areas of need across the roster than we did in 2021 when we brought everybody back.”
Over the next week, we’re going to look at potential draft targets for the Buccaneers at six different positions, which are listed below. Some of these players will probably end up as first-round picks, but we’ll also look at some later-round options that could fit what the Bucs need.
- Monday, April 17: Quarterback
- Tuesday, April 18: Offensive Line
- Wednesday, April 19: Running Back
- Thursday, April 20: Edge Rusher
- Friday, April 21: Defensive Backs
- Monday, April 24: Tight Ends
(NOTE: The following is the analysis of the author alone. It is not meant to reflect or reveal thoughts or strategies regarding the 2023 draft by Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht, Head Coach Todd Bowles or any member of the scouting or coaching staffs.)
Before we examine any prospects, the first question for today’s position of choice is, ‘Would the Buccaneers even consider taking a quarterback in this year’s draft?’ Licht didn’t discount the possibility, but he also didn’t make it sound like the most pressing priority this year. That said, there are only two quarterbacks on the Bucs’ current roster – third-year man Kyle Trask and recent signee Baker Mayfield, who are expected to compete for the starting job in 2023 – and that isn’t enough.
“It’s the toughest position to find,” he said. “It’s the most important position on the team. You see teams that in consecutive years take them in the top 10. We have an unknown in Kyle. We have Baker, who has had…
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