With the NFL Draft almost here, everyone is trying to scratch their anticipatory itch in fun and creative ways.
FOX Sports ran a fun little exercise where David Helman and Henry McKenna held an expansion draft and mapped out which players in the league now might end up with new teams. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that meant finding a new quarterback in Round 1, taking Drake Maye to replace Baker Mayfield (or maybe not if he doesn't exist on Tampa Bay's roster in this multiverse).
It makes sense in the vacuum of the thought exercise, which is a really fun one to consider. This goes deeper than just replacing Baker, though, as taking Maye in this scenario would mean he's the franchise quarterback the Bucs are hoping to build around as they piece together a new roster.
Is that really the best move?
Baker Mayfield is pretty much irreplaceable for the Buccaneers
For what it's worth, the Patriots took Joe Burrow in the Top 5, which is a really good swap at quarterback. If given the chance it would be hard to argue against the Bucs making the same move, even as much as we all love Baker.
With this scenario, the Bucs might be better off loading up on other offensive positions and waiting to fill the quarterback slot later in a different way. That's a strategy we've already seen pay off, as it's the exact position that Baker fell into two years ago.
Tampa Bay already had a solid offense with guys like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Tristan Wirfs leading the charge while Rachaad White and Cade Otton helped round things out. Baker was the final piece of the puzzle, not the first, and the Bucs passed on going the franchise quarterback route in the draft that year as well.
Not for nothing, but a major factor getting overlooked here in simply finding a younger quarterback is the identity crisis the Bucs would have without Baker. His grit is a load bearing foundation for team and taking that away -- even in a total rebuild of the roster -- is a mistake.
All of this is to say that Jason Licht would probably find a better strategy to an expansion draft than taking Maye at No. 19. Tampa Bay leaned more in the right direction by taking Garrett Wilson in this hypothetical draft a round later, and pairing him with another offensive star with the team's first pick feels like a much better position.
For example, Penei Sewell was still on the board -- Tristan Wirfs was a pick before the Bucs got to make a selection -- which feels like a better move. Malik Nabers was available too, which would have given whoever the Bucs added as quarterback later two young and explosive recievers to throw to, or Wilson as a target while Sewell protects him.
It's s fun thought to think about what an expansion draft might look like, but it's another reminder of how lucky Bucs fans should feel for how things are in reality.
More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors