The 2023 NFL Draft is just a few weeks away, ushering in endless speculation on which names Commissioner Roger Goodell will read from the podium. Free agency acquisitions and departures for all 32 teams in the league have resulted in mock draft shifts. This week's edition of the mock draft roundup series will highlight the most popular first-round projections for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pick 19 from a variety of outlets. Of the five outlets, two have the Bucs addressing the trenches with an offensive lineman. The Draft Network has Tampa Bay taking quarterback Hendon Hooker, while PFF selects Iowa's Lukas Van Ness and Sports Illustrated takes tight end Dalton Kincaid. Here is a breakdown of what analysts are saying:
NFL.com
- Pick: OT Broderick Jones, Georgia
- Comments: Jones gets after defenders as a pass protector and run blocker and fills a major roster hole for the Buccaneers at left tackle.
CBS Sports
- Pick: IOL O'Cyrus Torrence (Florida)
- Comments: O'Cyrus Torrence, who transferred from Louisiana, didn't miss a beat in the SEC. He was dominant for Florida last fall, he was dominant during Senior Bowl practices, he was dominant at his pro day, and if history is any guide, he'll be dominant in the NFL, too.
The Draft Network
- Pick: QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
- Comments: Baker Mayfield is not the long-term answer at quarterback, and considering that the Buccaneers even signed him, they don't view Kyle Trask as the answer either. Hendon Hooker could miss part of the 2023 season as he recovers from his ACL tear but can use the year to develop behind Mayfield as a bridge quarterback. The Tennessee product has clean mechanics, good mobility with his big frame, and good arm strength that will all serve to make him a valuable potential successor to Brady (or Mayfield, technically) in Tampa. Drafting him here in the first round would also give the Buccaneers the chance to exercise a fifth-year option down the road to get a full four years of film.
PFF
- Pick: Edge Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
- Comments: Tampa Bay could go in a few different directions here, but the best value pick felt like Lukas Van Ness, a 6-foot-5, 270-plus-pound defensive lineman with incredible power and flexibility to rush the passer. He racked up 46 pressures on 271 pass-rushing snaps last season and should add a degree of solidity to the Buccaneers' defensive line.
Sports Illustrated
- Pick: TE Dalton Kincaid, Utah
- Comments: Kincaid is a polished route runner and might be the best pass catcher among a deep crop of tight ends this year. Baker Mayfield probably isn't the long-term answer in Tampa, but he tends to play better with productive tight ends as security blankets.
