Bucs Now Have A Top-10 Draft Slot

November 1st, 2022

Bucs GM Jason Licht.

Never did Joe ever, ever expect to type the following. Especially in November.

How effed up is this season for the Bucs? With a healthy Tom Brady and star players up and down the Bucs’ roster, the Bucs enter the month of November, where contenders and posers separate themselves, with a top-10 pick in the April 2023 draft.

That is both jarring to Joe and appalling. But that’s the word from Dan Parr of NFL.com. The Bucs currently sit at No. 9 in the NFL draft order.

Pick: 9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Biggest needs: QB, DB, DL

The interior defensive line figures to be among the many areas of need requiring the Bucs’ attention in 2023. William Gholston, Akiem Hicks and Rakeem Nunez-Roches are among the players due to hit free agency.

Joe doesn’t agree the Bucs need to draft a defensive back or an interior defensive lineman with a top-10 pick. The Bucs only need to re-sign Jamel Dean and the Bucs are set in the secondary.

If the Bucs draft an interior defensive lineman with a top-10 pick, what does that say about Vita Vea? That would be a big tell that the Bucs have soured on him.

If you have a top-10 pick, you better be looking at a quarterback, that’s all there is to it, because you hope to never draft in the top-10 again. Unless Tom Brady agrees to play with the Bucs until he’s 50, not getting a quarterback with a top-10 pick would be grossly irresponsible unless you have a franchise quarterback already locked up (Lamar Jackson, Derek Carr, Brady?).

The sad thing is, do you trust Todd Bowles to develop a quarterback? He had two high-draft-pick quarterbacks when he was with the Jets and they were complete busts.

What a s(p)itty year this has been!

56 Responses to “Bucs Now Have A Top-10 Draft Slot”

  1. Nicholas Carlson Says:

    Who here would trade Tom to get ammo to get a great QB for the next decade plus?

  2. Nicholas Carlson Says:

    And, my god, no, the Glazers cannot trust Bowles with a rookie QB (or really anything other than a blitz heavy B+ defense).

  3. ZZbucs Says:

    There is a long way to go,……TOo early to speculate with this nonsense!!!

  4. Your Mom Says:

    When the season started, they were tied for the #1 overall pick.

  5. SufferingSince76 Says:

    Clearly, if you have to draft a QB with the first pick, then your admitting Trask was a bad pick. I don’t buy that the future QB will be one who doesn’t even dress for games.

  6. Pewter Power Says:

    It is sad that once guys got paid they don’t play at the level they did to get the contract. You never think about that with this team until it’s slapping you in the face. Lavonte is the only guy who lived up to his contract every year he’s played. How did they get old and slow so fast

  7. Letsbucinggo Says:

    Joe continues to hate Trask. Why don’t the Bucs trade him if he sucks so bad. Face it the Bucs can’t develop a young QB might as well take that position off the draft board.

  8. MadMax Says:

    Might as well go for a top 5 and get Will Anderson.

  9. LVMYBUCS Says:

    Get a good coach in here and let him draft his QB.

  10. nick Says:

    last year Jason Licht was mentioned as an awesome GM the way he brought back the super team. Bucs lose a bunch of games and everyone remembers Roberto Aguayo. Raheem Morris goes 10-6 in 2010 and he’s coach of the year candidate. next season after 7 games he MUST GO, cant coach. Winning makes us forget all the problems, and losing makes us SEE problems that arnt even there.

    Bucs replaced the entire INTERIOR offensive line, including center, where they didn’t want to. Remember when Bucs were a sieve at run D? Gerald McCoy out, Suh in, and suddenly no one can run on the Bucs. Then 3rdly, Gronk is main reason besides lack of running game with less than stellar center, why the Bucs cant score in the red zone.

    NEWS for BUCS ARE DOOMED crowd: this team has talent in a lot of places. Rebuild, will NOT take very long. By 2024 or 2025 no reason this team doesnt compete in playoffs again. But if this team is seriously not going to coax Gronk out of retirement, and Jenks cant come back this year, were better off losing and giving it a go with yet ANOTHER Franchise rookie QB, hopefully will turn out better than Winston, Freeman, Dilfer, Vinny Testeverde, maybe, IDK, take us to the playoffs a few years in a row like the first one, Doug Williams.

  11. pepsi Says:

    I dont think drafting a DT would mean they soured on Vea. It would just mean they want to lock in great Interior Dline. That being said, i wouldnt draft a DT that early either. We have to see who the top crop is. I wouldnt be drafting guard early.. but if there was a Quenten Nelson then I would

  12. Hunter's Crack Pipe Says:

    “If the Bucs draft an interior defensive lineman with a top-10 pick, what does that say about Vita Vea? That would be a big tell that the Bucs have soured on him.”
    .
    .

    Totally disagree. If we aren’t drafting a QB, our first round pick had better be some kind of lineman or EDGE.

    TRENCHES TRENCHES TRENCHES

  13. BA’s Red Pen Says:

    Looks like the long tradition of Bucs fans talking about draft position by Halloween is back.

  14. SOEbuc Says:

    It doesn’t say anything about Vita and him being “soured.” It’s we don’t have any young dline with no money to resign an old dline that run defense has fallen apart.

  15. unbelievable Says:

    LOFL- they need a DE / OLB that can actually rush the passer and play the run.

    Hall is a rookie and JTS still isn’t getting it done.

    They could have traded for a number of pass rushers, but instead sat in their hands and gifted starting jobs to guys that never earned it.

    Daquan Bowers 2.0

  16. Joe Says:

    Joe continues to hate Trask.

    OK, do you trust Kyle Trask, a guy who *barely* beat out Ryan Griffin for the No. 3 QB slot, to get the Bucs a championship? A guy who only dressed for one game since he was drafted because the Bucs were forced to by NFL rules?

    The only people that claim Joe hates Kyle Trask are the same people that never saw the guy throw one pass in practice.

    (Remember, Joe applauded the Bucs for drafting Trask, so that you for your selective memory.)

    Here’s what Joe “hates,” and please repeat this to yourself so you can recite it in your sleep: Joe ***hates*** non-production. And if a guy in two years has to be forced by NFL rules to wear a uniform ONCE if you believe that’s a guy who will lead your team to a Super Bowl, then Joe wants whatever you are ingesting.

  17. DBS Says:

    As long as Bowles is HC and BL is OC this team is going nowhere. May as well talk draft. And Gronk is done with football. get over it.

  18. Joe Says:

    Looks like the long tradition of Bucs fans talking about draft position by Halloween is back.

    Nope. Halloween was yesterday.

  19. Big Z Says:

    Willie Anderson Jr., but he’s probably the third pick. He could be the best player in the draft.
    No way can this staff coach a rook qb.

  20. Big Z Says:

    And… stop with drafting kickers and punters. Its a waste of picks. They are udfa!

  21. Bucs Guy Says:

    Bucs need to make 1 big decision for the 2023 draft – QB or not.

    If the Bucs end up with a top 10 pick, they should trade back if possible. Bucs need a DT, OLine and TE. With a late 1st rounder and mid-late additional pick (along with the Bucs early 2nd rd pick), you could probably get a top 3 player in each position. Then consider a WR, RB and LB afterwards.

    Give Trask all of the tools and let’s see what he does in 2023 if Brady retires.

  22. Da Bucs Guy Says:

    How can anyone watch the D-line and not think that they need a top 10 D-line draft pick?

  23. Marine Buc Says:

    @ Joe

    “Derrick Carr”…

    Cue the meme of Michael Scott after he realizes that Toby has returned.

    Noooooo!

    Oh God please NO!!!!

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

  24. Letsbucinggo Says:

    It doesn’t matter who replaces Brady we are landing to the good ole’ days top five draft picks again. Joe thinks Jimmy G. is coming here to save our franchise but Jimmy G. is not coming here.

  25. BucU Says:

    I’m with Joe on Trask. If he’s still 3rd string after 2 full seasons then how else should we see it?

  26. Leighroy Says:

    The Trask argument about lack of production has one flaw; Blaine Gabbert is a Brady mandated backup artificially slotting Trask down the depth chart. Ignoring this fact conveniently sets aside team circumstance.

    Trask arguably has more talent than Davis Mills, Sam Ehlinger and possibly any Carolina Kitten QB and Kenny Pickett, all of whom are generating production only bc their teams have way worse talent in the QB room than the Bucs.

    Would anyone trade Trask straight up for any of those QBs? Pickett might be the only sober affirmative option to that question.

  27. Marine Buc Says:

    If the Bucs had pick #9 they should move back ten spots and grab an extra second rounder. Then pick an OLB or ILB – then use the extra pick on WR or O-line.

    L. David isn’t going to last much longer and D. White may not be the long term answer either…

  28. Hunter's Crack Pipe Says:

    Joe Says:
    “OK, do you trust Kyle Trask… a guy who only dressed for one game since he was drafted because the Bucs were forced to by NFL rules?”
    .
    .

    Forgive my ignorance. What is this rule of which you speak?

  29. Letsbucinggo Says:

    Your right Leighroy but the Bucs can’t develop QBs and there is not a veteran thats available next year that would be any better than Trask. This team will be so cap strapped for the next two years they won’t be able to afford squat. It takes more than a QB to take a team to the superbowl something Joe doesn’t understand.

  30. Joe Says:

    Forgive my ignorance. What is this rule of which you speak?

    A team has to have (Joe believes the number is 48) players active on gamedays. Bucs had so many guys hurt/inactive/out last week, Kyle Trask by default got to wear a uniform.

  31. Hunter's Crack Pipe Says:

    LOL. I didn’t know they couldn’t dress less.

    They should have made him cover some kicks. He’ll, if it was me, I would have asked to!

  32. Letsbucinggo Says:

    Sorry but what is the relevance of Trask wearing a uniform. If they don’t want him they should trade him iis as simple as that.

  33. Letsbucinggo Says:

    If you look at the current injury list for teams they range from 8 to 20. The Bucs come in with 14 which is about average. The trick is to have capable backups just saying

  34. beano Says:

    “Leighroy Says: The Trask argument about lack of production has one flaw: Blaine Gabbert is a Brady mandated backup artificially slotting Trask down the depth chart.”

    BINGO! And it has been that way since draft day 2020 – that Trask would sit and learn behind Gabbert and Brady, because Brady wants it that way. Trask was never going to get a shot at beating out Gabbert by competing with him on a level playing field, that is, with the same offensive players. Hell, the Bucs’ QB coach, Clyde Christensen, said exactly that out loud before the 2022 training camp even began: “I don’t see Trask competing with Gabbert this year. We will prepare Gabbert as No. 2. I see Gabbert being the backup and Kyle being a developmental guy.”

    As for “lack of production”, that’s BS. Trask looked good in 2 of the 3 preseason games this year – playing with truck drivers – and even posted a significantly higher passer rating than both Gabbert and Brady in the last preseason game. So he has “produced” all he can produce given what he has been allowed. You can’t throw passes from the bench.

  35. Tampabuscsbro Says:

    Granted if trask played at Florida state like americas QB Joe would be bullish on him.

  36. Tye Says:

    high draft picks mean NOTHING as long as 2 of the worst coaches are running the team!

  37. beano Says:

    “Tampabuscsbro Says: Granted if trask played at Florida state like americas QB Joe would be bullish on him.”

    100%. Joe is a huge Gator hater. That’s why he wrote that Trask fans dress in orange and blue and play with their Tim Tebow doll. Joe would never say that about FSU, garnet and gold, and Jameis Winston. If he did he’d lose 90% of his website traffic.

  38. beano Says:

    What I don’t understand is why – with Brady and Gabbert 100% gone next year – any Bucs fan would NOT want Trask to see action this season so he can be evaluated, which information will factor into our 2023 draft day decisions. If Trask looks good, we don’t need to waste a first round pick on a quarterback who may or may not work out. We can fill another need in the first round and use the second or third round – or a trade or free agency – for a backup quarterback. It’s almost like the Trask haters are afraid what he might do with the starting offense. Hmmm.

  39. Letsbucinggo Says:

    I see I am not the only one who sees his prejudice.

  40. ChiBuc Says:

    Lamar and Sean. I like the sound of it, like a 90s hip hop collab.

    I wouldn’t trust Bowles to pick his nose without getting it stuck.

  41. Buczilla Says:

    I’m absolutely disgusted with our team this year and I’ve soured bigtime on Vita even though I used to love watching him play. Knowing our team, we’ll do just well enough to lose out on using our pick to get one of the top qb’s and just bad enough to miss the playoffs. The only way I see us getting one of the top 3 rated qb’s in 2023 is by trading a ton of picks/players.

  42. ocala Says:

    I want the Bucs to draft Hendon Hooker. Most analysts have him as the 4th best QB prospect(mostly because he is older). He has high character, is very accurate, has a strong arm, very good decision maker and is a good athlete too.

  43. ocala Says:

    Trask has looked terrible in the pre-season against guys that mostly did not make an NFL roster. I am not sure why anyone would think he would look good against starting NFL players. He’s the third team QB on the Bucs right now and that is most likely only because of where the Bucs drafted him.

  44. beano Says:

    ocala,

    You’re a moron. Trask looked good in preseason. Check out these FACTS:

    “Bucs QB Kyle Trask shines despite loss in preseason opener vs. Dolphins” (BucsWire)

    “Buccaneers’ Kyle Trask: Encouraging finish to preseason” (CBS Sports)

    Bucs v. Colts QB RTG
    Trask 99.6
    Gabbert 89.0
    Brady 87.5

    Suck on those.

  45. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Maybe Byron could be a player/coach…..

    Let’s go Byron

  46. Bucamania Says:

    Movin’ on up the draft boards.

    Licht has been livin’ off the Superbowl too based on his last two drafts. Just lousy.

  47. catcard202 Says:

    Let the Trask experiment begin.

    Best case scenario, Bucs get energized & find the QB1 of the future is already on the roster. Worst case scenario is a top 5 pick & deep dive into the top 3 QB’s on the board.

  48. Letsbucinggo Says:

    There are no savior quarterbacks in the 2023 draft unless its later in the draft a surprise player.

  49. Letsbucinggo Says:

    Buczilla the way we are playing now we may gat a top three pick. But I am sure Licht will pick Wil Anderson of Alabama to help Bowles.

  50. JeffreyLane77 Says:

    I feel where this team is now. Bowles won’t be developing a QB in Tampa. Neither will Leftwich. Bowles will be looking for a new defense coordinator gig. And Leftwich will be lucky to land a job as a QB coach after wasting the talent on this team. How many more times are we going to have to watch a 7yd route when we need 9yds for a first down. I mean you can literally see defenses lining up at the first down marker to swarm whoever makes the catch. So frustrating.

  51. JeffreyLane77 Says:

    Right on schedule talking about the draft before Thanksgiving. Lol

  52. PassingThru Says:

    Let’s give a high five to Licht. His 2021 draft and 2022 free agent signings made this top 10 draft pick possible.

  53. steele Says:

    What a great season this is.

    Seahawks blew up the team, expecting to enthusiastically embrace the suck, and land a top draft pick for a new QB. Instead they play lights out with high spirits.

    Bucs (allegedly) all-in for final Brady, “stacked with ellte talent”, s hit the bed, moving in top 10 draft pick position, with more to come.

    Maybe Bucs should borrow Seahawks’ draft list and get to work.

  54. Doc Says:

    There is no excuse for keeping Trask out of uniform. Where is Brady? Thought he had the back of the younger guys. He was ignored once also. What if…just maybe… Trask gets 3 TD’s in one quarter. That possibility scares Brady. Gabbert is safe, but u can’t be sure about Trask. Brady needs to help develop The young kid.

  55. Doc Says:

    Trask deserves some level of exposure. It’s only fair to Trask and to Bucs fans. Why not bench the 48th guy and let three Qb’s dress. Trask should be learning from Brady in the heat of the game. And Brady has the back of young players. He was there once….and he talks about those days. Let Trask play now and then. If he would get 3 TD’s in a quarter….might help with QB decision next year. This raw talent needs some support from Bowles, Leftwich, and Brady. We brought him here; let’s give him a chance.

  56. ocala Says:

    Since some of you think it is a Joebucsfan conspiracy regarding Trask or as “beano” says I am a moron for thinking Trask does not look like a starting caliber NFL QB:

    Below is what a rival Bucs fan site said about Trask and his ability to be a starting QB in the NFL:

    After what we’ve seen this preseason, if you think the answer is “yes,” you are either a die-hard Gators fan or you’re related to the Trask family.