Buccaneers Tabbed as a Favorite to Land No. 1 Draft Pick in 2024
The 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers already know they have something to prove in the 2023 NFL season after crawling to an 8-9 regular season record in 2022. Following the season, the Bucs went through somewhat of an overhaul; bringing in new players, shedding some others, and accumulating some fresh faces on the coaching staff.
Now with everything set in stone - outside of the pending quarterback battle between Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield - the Bucs' sights are set on what they will be able to accomplish in 2023. The Buccaneers themselves are high on what they will be able to do, but others around the league, sportsbooks included, are not giving the team very much optimism for an above-average season.
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According to BetMGM, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the second favorite to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft at +850 odds. The only team that has better odds to be worse and ultimately acquire the number one pick in '24 are the Arizona Cardinals. The Houston Texans round out the top three with +900 odds to secure the spot.
The Cardinals are somewhat of an unknown and their success this season seemingly lies on how soon Kyler Murray can come back from his knee injury last season, and even then who knows how the Cardinals will fair following the abundantly clear departure of WR DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans are new, young, and looking to get started with their rebuild, so things could go either way in Houston.
The Buccaneers may not look like a great team on paper, but expecting them to not even put up a fight throughout the season and come out with a record that would place them outside of the top-three worst teams in the NFL is beyond me. The talent across the field is still there and if Baker Mayfield becomes the next starter in Tampa Bay and somehow becomes his old self prior to his shoulder injury then the success rate of the Buccaneers in 2023 should be enough to keep them out of that number one spot in the draft.
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There is great value in taking the Bucs here, but for those loyal 'Krewe' members it may be hard to take the non-emotional route and bet against your team for the No. 1 overall pick.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.
