Buccaneers insider reveals the QB team could draft to replace Tom Brady (Exclusive)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking ahead to life without Tom Brady. The franchise was recently dealt a heavy blow when the quarterback announced that he was calling time on his career.
There are barely any quarterbacks of Brady's caliber in the NFL. The Buccaneers thus have a monumental task ahead of them in trying to fill the vacant position.
While many believe that they will go ahead with backup Kyle Trask as their starter, some are of the opinion that the team could well look elsewhere. With the 2023 NFL draft coming up, Tampa Bay insider J.P. Peters suggested the Buccaneers might find their answers in Hendon Hooker, who they could select with the 19th overall pick.
"I've been looking at a lot of tape of his recently because I think he's a very intriguing prospect. He's 25 and wowed everybody at the Senior Bowl. He didn't even play. But all of his interviews prove he's a very mature young man. He understands football, comes from the Josh Heupel system, which is very quarterback friendly. It also shows you if you're an accurate quarterback.
On Sportskeeda's BallFather podcast, he explained why Hooker would be the perfect option for the Buccaneers.
"He's great at distributing the ball. I think he understands the concepts really well and is a great thrower of the football... I think to me, being an NFL quarterback is about accuracy and throwing on time with anticipation. That's the most important skill you can have. He's athletic enough. He can run, so he can do all your RPOs and everything you need in terms of movement in the modern NFL offense."
Peters further went on to compare Hooker to another upcoming draft prospect as well as an NFL QB who took the league by storm last season:
"When I look at Will Levis throw and I look at Hooker throw, I just see the latter being a much better pure passer. I think a lot of people see a lot of Josh Allen in Levis, but I think for the modern game, I like what Hendon Hooker brings to the table. I think he can come in right away and he's played a ton of ball, very much like Brock Purdy did at Iowa State... Nothing's too big for him and I think Hooker is the same cat."
There are certain concerns Hooker will have to overcome if he is to be drafted by the Buccaneers. For starters, he must show the team he is ready to play after suffering an ACL injury late last year.
Apart from that, his slender frame is also a cause for concern for NFL teams, but it's nothing he can't work on as the 2023 season inches closer.
Buccaneers look to debut new-look offense under OC Dave Canales
The Buccaneers made a bold move by signing former Seattle Seahawks quarterback coach Dave Canales as their new offensive coordinator. The team that recently fired Byron Leftwich is in desperate need of changes on the offensive side of the ball. The Buccaneers believe Canales is the right man.
Canales has made a solid first impression thanks to his in-depth knowledge of the game and ability to read it from the perspective of a QB. He did wonders for the Seattle offense by overseeing Geno Smith's rise to become the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
ALSO READ - Buccaneers insider dissects team's new OC Dave Canales' first impression in Tampa (Exclusive)
The main concern when it comes to Canales is his inexperience in terms of calling plays. This is the 41-year-old's first OC gig in the NFL. The last time he called plays was back in 2004-05 for a JV high school football team.