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NFL Draft Rumors: Bucs to meet with potential first round QB target

By Josh Hill

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 30: Hendon Hooker #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers drops back to pass against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half of the TransPerfect Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. Purdue defeats Tennessee 48-45 in overtime. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 30: Hendon Hooker #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers drops back to pass against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half of the TransPerfect Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. Purdue defeats Tennessee 48-45 in overtime. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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With the NFL Draft right around the corner, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to meet with a potential first-round quarterback prospect next week.

It’s been a busy offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the work seems far from being done.

Work was done in free agency to begin rebuilding the quarterback room, but it’s long been believed that the Bucs will turn to the upcoming NFL Draft to complete the puzzle. Baker Mayfield was signed back in March to compete with Kyle Trask, but those two guys likely won’t enter training camp alone.

It’s highly unlikely that the Bucs trade up high enough to get one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft, and settling for Will Levis doesn’t move the needle. Anthony Richardson’s stock has risen to the point where he might end up going in the Top 10, but none of this might prevent Tampa Bay from using a first round pick on a quarterback this year.

Many believe that next year’s class will be better, and fans have already fantasized about a world in which the Bucs tank for Heisman winning USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

There won’t be any active tanking happening in Tampa Bay this season, but there might still be a future where Williams is in pewter in 2024. Nobody knows exactly what the future holds, and the Bucs are seemingly doing some interesting due diligence on a potential first round quarterback target.

NFL Draft Rumors: Buccaneers to meet with Hendon Hooker

According to NFL insider Greg Auman, the Bucs are bringing in Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker for a visit next week.

Hooker has been talked about as a potential target for the Bucs as the stock on other quarterbacks has risen out of their range. He had a solid career at Tennessee but doesn’t leap out as a guy who demands a top pick be used on him.

Of course, try telling that to Mike Tennanbaum who mocked him No. 5 overall to the Seahawks in his latest draft.

The fact of the matter is it doesn’t make any sense for the team to trade up for a top prospect, and any trade that happens for a quarterback would likely be in the other direction.

Using the No. 19 pick on a quarterback feels like a reach and an overreaction to not having the position figured out in this exact moment. It also feels uncharacteristically panicky for a front office that has proven it knows how to expertly approach the draft.

Then again, perhaps that’s even more reason to believe in the team potentially thinking Hooker is a first rounder worthy of being Tom Brady’s successor.

Baker Mayfield turned down AFC contender to sign with Bucs. dark. Next

In the vein of not knowing what the future holds, there could be a scenario where Kyle Trask emerges as The Guy and the Bucs don’t need to pursue a quarterback in the draft. Ditto the possibity that Dave Canales does for Baker Mayfield what he did for Geno Smith in Seattle and all of a sudden the Bucs have a former No. 1 overall pick as their quarterback moving forward.

At this point it really feels like forcing it when talking about the Buccaneers drafting a quarterback. It could certainly happen, but right now it feels like Jason Licht is more interested in leaving no stones unturned than showing his draft cards weeks in advance.

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