The Bucs added their quarterback of the future on day two of the draft bringing quarterback Kyle Trask From the University of Florida to Tampa to be the successor to Tom Brady.
Trask broke two Gator records last season, passing for 4,283 yards and 43 touchdown passes.
Trask will be in a perfect spot in Tampa, learning from the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.
He will also be less expensive than either Blaine Gabbert or Ryan Griffin, which is important with the Bucs salary cap situation.
The big knock on Trask is his arm strength and his footwork. Quarterback coach Clyde Christensen and Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich attended Trask’s pro day workout and came away impressed with his arm strength.
“I think sometimes when you’re accurate and have a good sense of timing, your arm doesn’t show up, and that’s why we went up to his workout and saw for ourselves. I think it’s very accurate. I think that’s one of his strengths. That jumps out at you when you watch the film.” Christensen said.
Trask was kind of dumbfounded that his arm strength was such an issue. He addressed that in his chat with the media. “I’ve shown on film that I can make every single throw on the field, and I don’t think arm strength is a huge weakness of mine. But of course, I’m always looking to get better. I’m always trying to get bigger, faster, stronger. But I think I have plenty of arm strength to make all the throws there is to make in the NFL.”
The other knock-on Trask is his lack of mobility and overall speed, but as coach Bruce Arians said, we draft quarterbacks to throw the football.
“We don’t draft guys to run. We draft guys to throw, and he’s accurate as hell. Really excited about him. People always want to compare people. To me, he’s a lot like Brad Johnson.” Quite the compliment from head coach Bruce Arians.
Trask is no threat to Tom Brady. Jason Licht said he spoke with Brady and told him that they were considering taking a quarterback in the draft. Brady was on board with that decision.
“Tom’s the ultimate team guy, and I don’t think Tom is worried about anybody taking his job. We had some casual conversations throughout the past few weeks that a scenario might come up where we could take a quarterback. He was totally fine. He understands what’s best for the team. Tom is going to play as long as he wants to play. He’s earned that right.”
On what Kyle Trask will bring to the Buccaneers, Licht said there is plenty to like.
“There’s a lot to like about him. He’s a big kid, tough, very smart, a great teammate, great leader, plenty of arm talent, he’s a quick processor, and he’s played very well there. The guy’s a fighter, a competitor, and, once again, a great team player. We’re looking forward to having him in the building and, in time, developing”.
Trask will get the opportunity to learn how to be an NFL quarterback without actually having to play in a game and learn on the job.
Trask was in Texas watching the draft with his family and could not be more excited to be a Buccaneer. “I’m just super excited for this opportunity. They believed in me enough to give me this opportunity. They’re going to get everything I’ve got.”
The Bucs just re-signed quarterback Ryan Griffin and would like to re-sign Blaine Babbitt to compete with Trask for a roster spot.
