Bucs Draft 2024 Preview + Bucs Best Bets: QBs

Pewter Report analyzes the top players in the 2024 NFL Draft with its position previews – energized by CELSIUS, the official energy drink of Pewter Report. Matt Matera starts the previews with the quarterback position, giving a comprehensive look at what the Bucs have and what they need at quarterback.

Matera also provides a detailed list of this year’s top quarterbacks while Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds offers up the Bucs draft needs and the annual Pewter Report Bucs’ Best Bets – the most likely running back for the Bucs to select in Rounds 1-3, and in Rounds 4-7.

What The Bucs Have At Quarterback

The main focus of the Bucs’ 2024 offseason was about re-signing the team’s own players and starting quarterback Baker Mayfield was at the top of that list. Tampa Bay signed Mayfield to a three-year, $100 million deal with $50 million guaranteed. It’s a reward for Mayfield, who revived his career with the Bucs by throwing for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns as Tampa Bay made it to the second round of the postseason.

He also earned MVP in his first Pro Bowl appearance. The hope is that another year in a similar offense and continuing to work with the likes of Mike Evans and others, Mayfield can continue to build upon what he accomplished in 2023.

Backing up Mayfield is Kyle Trask, a former second-round pick who is entering a contract year. Trask remains a bit of an enigma, as he didn’t win the starting role last year and has had very little playing time over his career due to the health of Tom Brady in Trask’s first two years with the team and Mayfield’s health last season. This could be Trask’s last year in Tampa Bay unless he has a great preseason that makes the Bucs think about re-signing him.

Third-string quarterback John Wolford is back on another one-year deal as he knows new offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s very well from their time together with the Los Angeles Rams.

What The Bucs Need At Quarterback

The need at QB mostly depends on how the Bucs view their room in terms of the backup quarterbacks. If they want to move on from Kyle Trask, it would make sense to take a chance on a quarterback in the middle rounds to bring him into their system this year and develop him. Should Tampa Bay be content with Trask as the primary backup for this season and they’re not in love with anyone in this year’s draft, then the team might not pick one at all.

Due to the fact that only $50 million of Baker Mayfield’s $100 million contract is guaranteed, this is really more of a two-year deal than a three-year commitment. This gives the Bucs the opportunity to get out of the deal if Mayfield starts to decline in that time frame before getting to the final year of his deal.

It would be beneficial if the Bucs could find a quarterback this year that could replace Mayfield down the road after watching and learning from him for a couple of seasons. But Tampa Bay can always revisit that scenario in next year’s draft.

Top Quarterbacks In 2024 NFL Draft

1.  USC QB Caleb Williams – Junior – 6-1, 214, N/A

The consensus first overall pick, Williams spent a year at Oklahoma before going to USC and playing another two seasons, following his coach Lincoln Riley. Williams has all of the abilities as a quarterback with an immense amount of talent. He has keen awareness, and arm talent for days with the ability to make every throw. He also attempts those throws at different arm angles as he’s always looking to make plays without putting the team in harm’s way.

Williams won the Heisman Trophy in his first year with USC. It was an incredible season in which he threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns to just five interceptions and rushed for 382 yards with 10 rushing touchdowns. In his three-year career he has 10,082 passing yards, 93 passing touchdowns, 960 rushing yards and 27 scores on the ground. Williams is going to Bears as the top pick in the draft.

2. UNC QB Drake Maye – RS Sophomore – 6-4, 223, N/A

Maye has the size that teams want in a quarterback. He’s agile enough to make throws on the run and has a quick release to move the ball down the field with accurate throws. Maye comes from an athletic family, as he has a brother that played briefly in the NBA while another was a pitcher at Florida. His dad, Mark, played quarterback at North Carolina and spent a little time with the Bucs in the NFL.

While Maye can sling it, he knows how to put touch on the ball as well. The issue he runs into is at times he can play with reckless abandon trying to make a play and solve the team’s problems in one play when that’s not realistic. Maye experienced two different offenses with the Tarheels – the first being one that would just throw it all the time. The next was when Maye worked with former Bucs’ QBs coach Clyde Christenesen, who became UNC’s offensive coordinator. This was a more NFL style balanced offense. Maye excelled in each situation. He finished his career with 8,018 passing yards and 63 touchdowns.

3. LSU QB Jayden Daniels – Senior – 6-4, 210, N/A

The reigning Heisman Trophy Winner in college football, Daniels is as electric as it gets as a quarterback. He’s a nightmare for opposing defenses with his dual-threat ability as a runner and a passer. As soon as defenders think they have him for a sack Daniels is able to escape and make the big play. Daniels is not just a run-first quarterback, though with his explosive ability it would be difficult not to be. He has an internal clock and knows when pressure is coming and brings a great deal of intangibles to the next level.

Daniels is willing to make all the throws even into tight spots. He doesn’t always make the best reads as a passer and also benefited from a great receiver group at LSU. While durable in his career, Daniels has a thin frame, which may cause some concern against NFL defensive linemen. He spent three seasons at Arizona State and another two at LSU. In his Heisman season, Daniels threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns to go with 1,134 rushing yards on 135 attempts and 10 touchdowns.

4. Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy – 6-2, 219, N/A

McCarthy was the leader under center on Michigan’s national championship team. On a team loaded with talent everywhere, McCarthy guided the offense and kept them on pace throughout their great run. There’s no question that Michigan was a run-heavy team, but when called upon McCarthy showed toughness and poise as a player. He was great under pressure in the Rose Bowl against Alabama, getting the Wolverines a score late in the game to send the game into overtime. In other words, he’s a gamer.

McCarthy is big on third downs and makes a lot of the short-to-intermediate throws that are necessary. He does not have a cannon for an arm, so throws his deep balls might be a thing to worry about. He has a great deal of experience as a three-year starter, going for 6,226 yards and 49 touchdowns in his career.

5. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. – RS Senior – 6-2, 216, 4.58

Bucs fans will know Penix well as he’s a local product who played his high school football in Dade City and Tampa. Penix Jr. began his career at Indiana, where he played for four years and completed 59.4% of his passes for 4,197 yards with 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. But he suffered four season-ending injuries with the Hoosiers, including two torn ACLs and two shoulder injuries.

Penix transferred to Washington in 2022, where he guided the Huskies to an undefeated season last year and a 37-31 playoff win over Texas before losing to undefeated Michigan, 34-13, in the national championship game. Penix completed 65.4% of his passes for 4,903 yards with 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and was only sacked 11 times last season. In his first year at Washington in 2022, Penix completed 66% of his passes for 4,354 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Penix, who is a lefty quarterback, needs to work on his touch, but can throw it deep down the field.

6. Oregon QB Bo Nix – RS Senior – 6-2, 214, N/A

Another quarterback who has history at two different places. Nix began his career playing three seasons for Auburn followed by his last two seasons with Oregon. Nix is an accurate thrower with a great frame as a quarterback. That allows him to extend plays when possible and still make the right play in the air.

At times Nix will get frantic and scrap all of his reads. He has to play within his fundamentals or else it all goes haywire. Between the two schools he had 15,352 passing yards and 113 touchdowns with 1,613 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns over five seasons.

7. South Carolina Spencer Rattler – RS Senior – 6-1, 211, 4.95

The former Oklahoma quarterback fixed some necessary elements of his game over the past two seasons at South Carolina and lived up to his vast potential. Rattler completed 68.5% of his passes for 10,807 yards with 77 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in college.

He has excellent arm talent as a thrower, always looking to move the ball down the field. He has the arm strength to do so and is also patient enough to let the plays develop. Rattler doesn’t necessarily move too well in the pocket and will chuck the ball around throwing silly interceptions. There’s also some questions about his personality in making plays for him over the team, but the experience going to different schools should have humbled him a bit.

8. Tulane QB Michael Pratt – Senior – 6-4, 217, N/A

Pratt has the reputation for being a winner, and his record as a starter the last two seasons at Tulane was a remarkable 21-3. He went 11-2 as a starter in 2022, helping Tulane finish ninth in the final AP poll. Last year, he missed the Ole Miss game due to a knee injury, but went 10-1 as a starter for the 11-3 Green Wave. While he has an NFL-caliber arm, he does not have elite arm strength. Pratt’s accuracy did improve throughout his career, including from 63.6% as a junior to 65.4% as a senior.

Pratt is not a prolific passer, as he only had five 300-yard games in his 45 career starts. But what he does well is put points on the board and avoid turnovers. A strong play-action passer, Pratt passed for 90 touchdowns and just 26 interceptions at Tulane. His last two seasons were incredible, as he threw 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 2022, while passing for 22 TDs and only five INTs last season. He didn’t have the benefit of a true QBs coach at Tulane and went through four different offensive coordinators. Pratt is a natural leader who could grow into a starting role and eventually succeed Mayfield in Tampa Bay.

9. Florida State QB Jordan Travis – RS Senior – 6-1, 200, N/A

Travis was one of the best quarterbacks in college football and in the running for the Heisman Trophy last season until a gruesome injury ended his season. That also ended Florida State’s hopes of making it to the college football playoff, as the committee valued one player over the whole team despite the Seminoles going undefeated. Travis has fantastic mobility and escapability in the pocket, constantly keeping his eyes down field to find the open receivers. He can run to create plays and will do it, but it’s not always his first choice. He makes accurate throws and knows how to stay calm, cool and collected even in high pressure situations.

The knock on Travis is arm strength. He doesn’t throw with a ton of zip on the ball, especially down field despite having two great receivers. We’ll have to see how Travis recovers from his injury, but he seems to be on the mend. Travis had 8,715 passing yards, 66 touchdowns, 1,950 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns in his career.

10. Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman – 6-1, 211, 4.80

Spending six years at the collegiate football level, Hartman has a wealth of experience between five seasons at Wake Forest and one at Notre Dame. Hartman has a high football IQ, putting great touch on his passes. He has that typical leadership quality that teams look for in their starting quarterback.

With that said, Hartman lacks true arm strength and tends to fold under pressure when the pocket collapses around him. He’s mobile, but doesn’t have escapability that one would want. Hartman had a good showing at the Senior Bowl to help out his case during this draft season. In his long career, Hartman racked up 15,656 passing yards over six seasons with 134 passing touchdowns to go with 978 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns.

Best Of The Rest

11. Tennessee QB Joe Milton III  – RS Senior – 6-5, 246, 4.62

Milton has great size and a cannon of an arm that was shown off at his pro day with a 70-yard throw. But pro days are set up to make their players look good and throwing against air with no defenders around you doesn’t really prove much. Milton was benched in 2021 after two games where Hendon Hooker took over. He didn’t start again until Hooker tore his ACL in 2022 and went into the NFL draft that year, giving Milton the chance to start again in the 2023 season.

Milton is a one-read type of quarterback that holds onto the ball way too long. That was very present at the Senior Bowl in 7-on-7 and 11-11 drills. While he has great physical traits, he lacks the intangibles of a productive quarterback. In his career Milton has passed for 5,353 yards and 37 touchdowns alongside 661 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

12. Kentucky QB Devin Leary – RS Senior – 6-1, 215, N/A

There’s a direct connection between Leary and the Bucs with offensive coordinator Liam Coen being his coordinator at Kentucky. Leary had an up-and-down career at North Carolina State due to some injuries before transferring to Kentucky where he played for Coen last season. His best season was in 2021 when he threw for 3,433 yards with 35 touchdowns and five interceptions for the Wolfpack. A season-ending injury shortened his senior year in 2022 before he moved on to replace Will Levis at Kentucky.

While Leary only completed 56.3% of his passes for the Wildcats, he did throw for 2,746 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in Coen’s offense. Leary lacks the ideal size for the NFL, yet is the same size as Baker Mayfield. The fact that he has familiarity with Coen’s offense is a plus, and he has a pretty strong arm.

13. Western Kentucky QB Austen Reed – RS Senior – 6-1, 220, 4.82

Reed has been around the block having gone to three different schools in his college career, which was redshirting at Southern Illinois, followed by transferring to West Florida and then Western Kentucky. He led the Conference USA in passing yards with 3,40 yards in his last season at the school.

Reed knows how to lead receivers by making the proper throws and is generally accurate with it. He’s comfortable moving in the pocket and isn’t afraid to throw into tight windows. That’ll get him into trouble at times as he’ll turn the ball over with costly decisions. While his arm strength isn’t too bad, it’s not the strongest of the group.

14. BYU QB Kedon Slovis – RS Senior – 6-2, 223, 4.55

This is another experienced quarterback that has played at many places as Slovis has played five years of college football for USC, Pittsburgh and BYU. He had many talented receivers at USC, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, but overall was very inconsistent. He was a good leader, though, as Slovis was a team captain at all three stops.

Slovis has good mechanics and solid arm strength. He can’t really extend plays much and needs talent around him to succeed. He threw for 11,689 yards and 80 touchdowns in his career.

15. South Alabama QB Carter Bradley – RS Senior – 6-3, 213, 4.82

Bradley got an invite to the Senior Bowl this year but that was because his school is directly in the area where the game is held. He originally spent time at Toldeo before transferring to South Alabama. Bradley knows how to go through his progressions in a proper amount of timing to find the open mind. Pocket awareness isn’t to be worried about.

He has a bit of a slower delivery that’ll need to speed up at the NFL level. Bradley can put velocity behind the ball but isn’t accurate when he does so. Over his college career Brandy had 8,373 passing yards and 61 touchdowns.

16. Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa – RS Senior – 5-11, 185, N/A

Taulia is the younger brother of Dolphins staring quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. While sharing in a couple of similar traits as his brother, Taulia mainly played in an RPO system at Maryland after transferring from Alabama. Tagovailoa is accurate enough and has solid fundamentals.

He just doesn’t have the physical capabilities that suit well for the NFL and didn’t perform well in the post-season all-star game. Tagovailoa had 11,256 passing yards through five seasons. He also had 76 touchdowns.

17. John Rhys Plumlee – RS Senior – 6-0, 203, 4.51

Plumlee had a local pre-draft workout with the Bucs. He initially played at Ole Miss before transferring to UCF where he was a team captain and honorable mention All-Big XII. Plumlee is a generally inconsistent quarterback that has inaccuracy throwing and making decisions on when to dish the ball.

He’s a dual-threat quarterback that has a lot of interest, so that can give teams some interest. Plumlee threw for 5,838 yards and 34 passing touchdowns. On the ground he ran for 2,556 yards and scored 28 times in his career.

Bucs’ Best Bets: Quarterback

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 1-3: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler

If the Bucs are going to draft a quarterback on Day 2 it’s most likely going to be Rattler, whose game and career arc resembles that of Baker Mayfield’s. Rattler, like Mayfield, had to overcome some questionable elements about his reputation and has redeemed himself over the past season with a very good year at South Carolina and a great showing at the Senior Bowl. Both Rattler and Mayfield have similar builds at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds and have cannons for arms while being mobile, but not overly fast. Drafting Rattler would allow the Bucs to have him sit and learn from Mayfield while he competes with Kyle Trask for the backup QB spot.

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 4-7: Tulane QB Michael Pratt

If Tampa Bay drafts a quarterback on Day 3 it would most likely be either Pratt or Kentucky’s Devin Leary, who played for Liam Coen at Kentucky last year. But Pratt’s advantage, aside from being a taller, more athletic quarterback, is the touch that he can put on passes and the fact that he’s a winner. Pratt’s leadership and playmaking ability turned Tulane into a Top 25 team the past two seasons. He’s a gamer who is highly competitive and does what it takes to win. While he only has above average arm strength, Pratt has a lot of intangibles to like and would be a solid pick in the fourth round.