The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in control of the No. 19 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Some thought they could trade up to pursue a new quarterback for the future, or they could have even used that pick to get either Will Levis or Hendon Hooker.
They used that selection to get Pittsburgh DL Calijah Kancey instead, and while some fans were happy about the choice, others were not.
Bruce Arians: Baker Mayfield was a better prospect than any of the QBs in the 2023 draft.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 5, 2023
Fast forward to today, and it’s evident that the organization was more than satisfied with their current QB situation, as Bruce Arians recently claimed that Baker Mayfield was a better prospect than any of the quarterbacks in this class, per PFT.
Of course, that includes Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson, so his comments might be welcome with some skepticism.
Mayfield entered the league as the No. 1 pick just five years ago, so there’s still a chance he turns out to be a solid player.
He showed glimpses of great play at times and even managed to lead the Cleveland Browns back to the postseason.
Mayfield is young, and Arians sure knows one thing or two about evaluating quarterbacks, so maybe his tutelage is just what he needs to finally take a step forward.
Being put into a favorable situation and having a team that actually trusts you and your skills could be huge for a player, and maybe we shouldn’t rush to rule Mayfield out just yet.
Even so, the chances of him having a better career than any of the three QBs taken early in the NFL Draft seem quite slim at this point.
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Bucs GM Clears The Air About Possible Tristan Wirfs Position Change
