The 2023 NFL Draft will be the first draft without Tom Brady looming over the league in over two decades. For 31 teams, that’s a relief. But for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s an added challenge. The 2023 NFL Combine can help Tampa Bay navigate through it, answering questions about some of their top prospects.
Buccaneers Draft Prospects To Target at 2023 NFL Combine
The Buccaneers got what they were looking for from Brady — a Super Bowl. So when anyone looks at the state of Tampa Bay in the post-Brady era, it’s important to remember that the risk paid off. Now, the next order of business is restarting. It’s a time of possibility for Todd Bowles and company, but it’ll be a difficult process, fraught with potential setbacks.
Tampa needs a quarterback more than anything else. But they sit at 19th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. They could engineer a trade-up, but the Texans, Colts, Raiders, Falcons, and Panthers are five other QB-needy teams they’d be competing with — all of whom are in the top 10.
With a finite number of first-round QB options and many competitors who are far better situated, it’s looking like the Buccaneers won’t come away with one of Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, or Will Levis. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other signal-callers they can target.
QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
With the Buccaneers bringing in Dave Canales from Seattle to be the offensive coordinator, one could expect a bit of a philosophical shift within the Buccaneers’ offense. The Bruce Arians’ system was all about testing defenses vertically. Canales’ offense may be more about efficiency and distribution — something Geno Smith excelled at with Canales in 2022.
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In the 2023 NFL Draft, one QB who surely fits the distributor archetype is Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker. Hooker is over-aged, but he’s an accurate signal-caller with enough baseline talent to move the needle. What will make or break his stock are his Combine medicals. If he’s on track to lose no time in 2023 after tearing his ACL in November, it could convince a team like Tampa Bay to take a chance on him on Day 2.
QB Tanner McKee, Stanford
The depth of the QB class falls off a cliff after the first four prospects. That said, there are a few prospects to keep an eye on in the range of the top 100. Hooker is one of those players, but another who could field interest later in the process is Stanford’s Tanner McKee.
McKee has particular riser potential at the NFL Combine — not because of his testing athleticism at 6’6″, 230 pounds, but because of his arm strength. He’ll wow onlookers with his velocity in drills. That, combined with his interviews, could earn him Day 2 capital from the Buccaneers.
EDGE BJ Ojulari, LSU
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has yet to fully turn the corner as a former first-round pick. Meanwhile, on the other side, Shaq Barrett turns 31 years old in 2023 and is coming off a torn Achilles. EDGE is once again a need for the Buccaneers, and it’s not one they should neglect.
If you’re going for immediate pass-rush utility, then LSU’s BJ Ojulari is the player for you. Like Barrett, he’s a bit undersized on the edge, but Ojulari’s an incredibly explosive and fluid rusher with twitch, fast hands, and speed-to-power in his arsenal. If he tests, he could increase his odds of Round 1 capital with his numbers.
CB Darius Rush, South Carolina
With Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting likely to move on in free agency, the Buccaneers will have a void to fill at cornerback. South Carolina’s Darius Rush is a potential candidate to fill that void, and he could be had on Day 2.
At almost 6’2″, 196 pounds, with near-33″ arms, Rush fits the Buccaneers’ mold of boundary CB in Bowles’ blitz-heavy scheme. He has the length to dictate the rep, the burst and fluidity to run with receivers, and the sharp throttle control to cut and clamp down overtop stems.
The biggest question for Rush — and something that may be the deciding factor for Tampa Bay — is his long speed. He logged impressive GPS speed numbers at the Senior Bowl, but a time in the 4.4s at the Combine would seal the deal.
RB Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
It’d be easier to count the amount of teams that won’t need to keep an eye on the 2023 NFL Draft RB class. This group of running backs is talented and deep, and the Buccaneers are certainly a team that could take advantage.
Giovani Bernard is a free agent, and Leonard Fournette could be a cap casualty down the stretch. Potentially in need of both a workhorse and a new rotational back, Tampa Bay has a lot of homework to do.
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In the workhorse lens, Zach Charbonnet is someone who could draw interest from the Buccaneers. He’s a bruiser with near-elite contact balance, but the question is his ultimate speed and explosiveness — something he’ll quantify at the Combine.
Other backs to watch for Tampa, of varying molds, include Tank Bigsby, Kendre Miller, Tyjae Spears, Eric Gray, Devon Achane, Roschon Johnson, DeWayne McBride, and Keaton Mitchell.