Should Buccaneers Draft a Quarterback?

Pretty much everybody is expecting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to focus on defense in the first round of this April's NFL draft.

Whether it's an interior lineman, an edge rusher, an inside linebacker or a corner, Tampa needs to improve a unit that was 20th in the NFL in points allowed, and the draft is a good place to do that.

But it's easy to forget sometimes, with so much stock being put into the top prospects and where each team is picking, that the NFL Draft is seven rounds long.

That means that Tampa can address multiple positions of need, both for 2026 and beyond, and right now, it's fair to wonder if quarterback will be one of those positions.

This past season, Baker Mayfield looked among the best and the worst quarterbacks in the NFL, depending on the week.

For the season's first nine games, Mayfield was fantastic, throwing for 16 touchdowns compared to two interceptions. For the next eight games, Mayfield struggled, throwing for just one more touchdown (10) than interception (9).

Several of those picks came in key situations for Tampa Bay and contributed greatly to the team losing seven of its last nine games and, for the first time in the 2020s, conceding the NFC South to another team.

Mayfield is under contract for the 2026 season, and after that, he's a free agent.

It's unlikely that the Bucs will take a quarterback in the first round because of their need for defense and because there are a lot of questions surrounding this QB class.

Coming into the season, guys like Penn State's Drew Allar, Clemson's Cade Klubnik, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier were thought to be first-round material. But all of them either got hurt (Allar), had disappointing seasons (Klubnik, Nussemeier) or stayed in school (Sellers).

During the season, Oregon's Dante Moore emerged as a high draft pick candidate. But Moore, too, decided to stay in school.

Aside from Indiana's Fernando Mendoza -- who's virtually a lock to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. Everybody else has a lot of questions.

So if the Bucs want to draft a QB after the first round, what are their options?

If Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss loses his battle with the NCAA to get another year of eligibility, he'll head for the NFL. ESPN's Mel Kiper has Chambliss as the No. 3 QB behind Mendoza and Alabama's Ty Simpson.

The Bucs could also take a flyer on Allar, who is still the fourth QB on Kiper's board despite losing half of his senior season to injury.

Another option is for Tampa Bay to take a local hero in Miami's Carson Beck, who Kiper ranks at No. 5

In any case, there will be a lot to talk about for the next several months before the draft begins Thursday, April 23.

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