Now that Tom Brady is retiring (for real this time), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are left with a gaping hole at the game’s most important position heading into 2023.
With Kyle Trask as the only quarterback currently under contract for next season, the Bucs will have to add some competition for the former second-round pick who hasn’t been able to beat out Blaine Gabbert for the backup job over the past two years.
If the Bucs want one of the top passers in the 2023 NFL draft, they’ll more than likely have to trade up from their current slot at No. 19 overall.
In my latest mock draft at Draft Wire, I have the Bucs moving all the way up to the No. 6 overall pick to land Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
It’s a bold move, of course, but one that could end up being the Bucs’ best solution to a huge problem. Stroud is arguably the most polished and pro-ready quarterback in this entire draft, and if he gets anywhere near close enough for the Bucs to make a realistic jump up the board for a reasonable price, they should be willing to make it happen.
It would likely cost them next year’s first-round pick, and at least another second-round or third-round selection, to move up that far. But if they’re able to land someone like Stroud, who could immediately step in as their Week 1 starter and give them five years on an affordable rookie contract, it would be a huge win.
The Bucs obviously have tons of other needs they have to fill, and trading multiple premium draft picks over the next couple of years would certainly make that more challenging. But none of that matters if they don’t have a capable quarterback, and Stroud would be a huge and immediate upgrade over Trask.
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