Buccaneers Will Get Tom Brady Successor in 2023 NFL Draft

This is probably going to make some Bucs fans very angry.

When Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, a lot of fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were very unhappy. 

Why would the Bucs draft a quarterback when Tom Brady was on the roster and the team was clearly in 'win-now' mode?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Kyle Trask

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Passing over players like cornerbacks Benjamin St-Juste and Paulson Adebo, defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa, and wide receivers Dyami Brown, Amari Rodgers, and Nico Collins, who could have contributed last season, Tampa Bay instead chose a quarterback they could potentially develop into the heir apparent to Brady's starting job. 

And according to Pro Football Focus Michael Renner's Way-Too-Early 2023 NFL Mock Draft, they're going to get another one, in the first round this time.

"N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren called Leary the best quarterback in the country on the Tailgate podcast last month," writes Renner about the Buccaneers' selection of N.C. State quarterback Devin Leary. "While I wouldn’t go that far, Leary had himself one heck of a 2021 season. He earned an 85.1 passing grade with 31 big-time throws and only nine turnover-worthy plays as a redshirt junior in 2021."

N.C. State quarterback, Devin Leary

If this isn't enough to boil the blood of any fan of Tampa Bay's football franchise, the fact this pick comes at No. 31 in the first round may do the trick. 

According to this PFF mock projection, the Buccaneers will return to the Super Bowl in what we presume will be Brady's last season and lose to the Buffalo Bills. 

Some final righteous justice for Bills Mafia as they send Brady into retirement with a Super Bowl loss, and a whole heaping serving of frustration for fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Tom Brady

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But hey, it's just a projection, so there's nothing to get mad at...yet.

For more on this and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers check out James Yarcho and David Harrison on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!