TAMPA, Fla. — In less than 48 hours, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will go on the clock in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Bucs have multiple needs across the roster and so far, there hasn't been a consensus forming among the countless mock drafts.
The Buccaneers are entering a new era as future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady has retired and been replaced by either Kyle Trask or Baker Mayfield. While neither instills a lot of confidence among Bucs fans, that's where the team is starting for 2023.
Looking at the roster, besides the quarterback position, the Bucs have a large tackle-sized hole on the offensive line, a need for a quality tight end, help in the front seven of the defense and to replace some talent at the cornerback position.
Put another way; there's a plethora of ways the Bucs could go at pick 19 in the first round.
Here's who some key mock rafts have the Bucs taking at pick 19:
- The Athletic - Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
- NFL Networks' Charles Davis - Nolan Smith, LB, Georgia
- Pro Football Focus - Anton Harrison, OT, Georgia
- NFL Networks' Chad Reuter - Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
- CBS Sports - Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern (trade up to the #15 spot)
- ESPN Beat Writers - Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
Out of all of those mock drafts, Levis looks like the biggest long shot, although his stock has reportedly been falling in recent weeks among NFL executives. However, that's often "reported" but ends up being a smokescreen for a team that really likes a player.
The Bucs' biggest needs are an offensive tackle and an edge rusher.
At offensive tackle, the Bucs could draft a left tackle to replace the departed Donovan Smith and keep Pro Bowler Tristan Wyrfs at right tackle. Or, the Bucs could flip Wyrfs to left tackle and bring in a replacement at right tackle.
Anton Harrison would be a prototypical left tackle, standing 6'4" and weighing in at 315 pounds. He's coming out of the University of Oklahoma, where he played for three years and allowed a total of four sacks in 1,002 pass-blocking snaps.
Darnell Wright out of Tennessee has played both tackle positions in college. He didn't allow a single sack as a senior, but part of that is from the Tennessee Volunteers' quick passing offense. He was a left tackle in 2021 and spent 2020 and 2022 at right tackle.
In total, Wright allowed eight sacks in 1,311 pass attempts while at the University of Tennessee.
Skoronski will likely be long gone by the time the Bucs come on the clock. But if he's there, Tampa may run the card to the league. The Northwestern University alum is 6'4" and 315 pounds and was ranked the best pass-blocking tackle in college by Pro Football Focus in 2022.
The former Wildcat is athletic and will likely be a day-one starter in the NFL. He could slot at tackle or guard in the NFL.
Looking at the pass rushers, two names have been linked to the Bucs in several mock drafts: Nolan Smith and Lukas Van Ness.
Smith hit a 4.39 in the 40-yard-dash as a 230-pound linebacker. He was able to use his speed to knife through offensive lines at Georgia en route to 12 career sacks and 41 quarterback hurries in college.
Some might consider him a little small for a linebacker, but if he can maintain his speed and add a few pass-rush moves to his arsenal, he could be a great pick late in the first round.
Van Ness was a pass-rush monster at the University of Iowa, posting a nearly 19% pass-rush win rate in 2022. He also graded out in the top 20 of collegiate edge defenders in run defense, according to Pro Football Focus.
