The Bucs’ second round pick of Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask definitely caught the attention of many. Trask looks to be the possible eventual successor to quarterback Tom Brady, who could be here for two more season. This also means that Trask might not even seen the field until 2023 barring unforeseen circumstances.

Trask spoke with the Tampa media following his selection and expressed his excitement about coming to the Bucs. He talked about his meetings with their offensive coaches, why he feels he can play on any stage in the NFL, and what learning from Brady will be like, amongst other topics.

Here is a full transcription of his press conference.

On coming to the Bucs and learning from Tom Brady
“First of all, I’m just super excited at the opportunity. I had some great conversations with a lot of the offensive coaches from the Buccaneers. Towards the end of the round when their pick was coming up I always figured there was some potential there. Luckily they believed in me enough to give me this opportunity and they’re going to get everything I got.”

On not having a high expectation of playing because of Brady being ahead of him
“They definitely have a great system going on down there in Tampa Bay. The opportunity to learn from one of the greats that I watched growing up, being one of my favorites, to have that opportunity is truly remarkable. Nevertheless, I’m going to come in, work my tail off and do whatever I can to help this team.”

Florida QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: USA Today

On the critics concern about his arm strength
“First things first, I think I’ve shown that on film that I can make every single throw on the field. I don’t think arm strength is necessarily one of the huge weaknesses of mine. Of course, I’m always trying to get better, I’m always trying to get bigger, faster, stronger. I think that I have plenty of arm strength to make all the throws that there is to make in the NFL.”

On his comfortability with the Bucs and how sure he was that this could be a destination
“I definitely wasn’t a hundred percent sure about anything just because I know how crazy the draft can be. I tried to keep a very open mind and I was super excited when I saw that Tampa, Florida number call me. It was a feeling like no other. They were one of my most favorite teams throughout this entire process. When I saw that Tampa Bay, Florida, it was unbelievable.

On what made the Bucs one of his favorite teams throughout the process
“I just think the organization is in a great spot right now and I got along so great with all of the offensive coaches in all the zooms and being able to talk with them at pro days and things like that along the way. I’m just really looking forward to getting started and putting in that work and doing whatever I can to help the team.”

On working with Brady
“I’m definitely looking forward to it. He’s definitely one of my favorite quarterbacks growing up, so to have the opportunity to learn a lot of knowledge from one of the greats is a great opportunity for me. I can’t wait to get this ball rolling for sure.

On his ability to read things out on offense
“To have that decisiveness and to get the ball out of your hands and to know what to do. But overall, those things all come from preparation. I think that’s one thing that helped me excel at the college level is the amount of time and effort I put into preparation. Whenever I’m out there on Saturdays, I was able to know exactly what to do with the ball.”

On if he got to watch the Bucs much this year and see what Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich like to do offensively
“I got the opportunity to watch them a lot. Luckily being in Gainesville, Florida, the local channels were playing the Tampa Bay games so I did watch them quite a bit. I really like what they do on offense. That’s why it seemed like such a great fit in my mind. Just the style of play and the personality and the character of the players and the coaches. I just think there’s a lot of great people in the building right now. Obviously I’m not there yet, but just from the outside looking in, it just seems like an organization in the right spot. I’m really excited to get started and learn as much football as I can.”

On what the first meeting with Brady will be like
“I’m sure it’ll be pretty surreal. I’m definitely looking forward to it. Most of all, I’m looking forward to the amount of knowledge I can absorb from being in the same room as him. I can’t wait to get to work.”

Bucs QBs Tom Brady, Ryan Griffin, Blaine Gabbert – Photo by: USA Today

On how he can continue to improve at the next level
“That was a big question mark that people had in college and I feel like I proved them all wrong. Everyone said I hadn’t started for a long time and then I went out on the biggest stage and played at a high level. I feel very confident in my ability to play on any stage and I’m just continuing to workout, learn the game and further my knowledge. This transition, obviously the speed of the game is going to be faster, but I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it. Once I get to work and get this ball rolling, everything will be good.”

On how much communication did he have with the coaches
“Throughout this whole entire draft process there’s only a limited amount of times that they can really contact you. I definitely had a feeling that they were interested. I’d say about a month ago when a lot of the zooms started ramping up, I was on a lot of zoom calls with Leftwich, the GM and things like that. That’s when I knew when I saw Tampa roll around each time.  When their name popped up on the draft I was checking my phone because I knew there was potential interest there. I knew they had that faith in me. As far as my feelings right now, it’s totally surreal for me. I’m just trying to soak it all in and enjoy the moment. Once this is done, just get back to the grind.”