The Bucs interviewed five quarterbacks at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week. Four of the five were formal, and NFL teams are only allowed 45 formal visits.

The Bucs had formal interviews with Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler and Tulane’s Mike Pratt. The team also had an informal visit with Kentucky’s Devin Leary, who played for new offensive coordinator Liam Coen last year.

With Tampa Bay very interested in re-signing Baker Mayfield to a long-term contract, why would the team burn 10% of its formal interview allotment on the quarterback position?

There are a couple of reasons, beginning with the obvious. If Tampa Bay can’t reach an agreement with Mayfield and he leaves in free agency, the Bucs will be forced to draft a quarterback as the free agent market is rather weak at the position.

The top three quarterbacks in this year’s draft, USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels are expected to be drafted in the Top 5 – likely with the top three picks. McCarthy and Penix are widely believed to be in the second tier of quarterbacks along with Oregon’s Bo Nix, whom the Bucs are not interested in.

McCarthy and Penix have a chance at being on the draft board when Tampa Bay is on the clock with the No. 26 pick.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Rattler gets mixed reviews from talent evaluators after an up-and-down career at Oklahoma and South Carolina and is projected to be a mid-round pick in rounds 3-5. Pratt is also viewed as a mid-round pick in the same range, while Leary is likely to be a late Day 3 selection.

The next reason why the Bucs could be interested in drafting another quarterback is that backup Kyle Trask is entering a contract year. The former second-round pick has yet to show that he can develop into a starting-caliber quarterback after two years of sitting behind Tom Brady and backing up Mayfield last year.

Tampa Bay may want to give Trask some competition for the backup job and have another viable candidate ready to fill in just in case there is an injury to Mayfield, or to develop into a starter to replace Mayfield at the end of his next contract.

Here is a look at all five of the quarterbacks the Bucs interviewed in Indianapolis and what they could bring to Tampa Bay should the team draft them.

Bucs’ Combine Interviews At QB Position

Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy – 6-2, 219 – Junior

Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy – Photo by: USA Today

J.J. McCarthy beat out Cade McNamara for the starting quarterback job in 2022 and compiled a 28-1 record at Michigan that culminated in a perfect 15-0 season in 2023 and a national championship. He’s added some necessary weight to his frame and is a pretty good athlete.

McCarthy made a big jump in Michigan’s pro-style offense in his second year as a starter, but still has room to grow with his reads and his timing. He has a good arm in terms of velocity and accuracy, but functioned best in concert with the Wolverines’ stout defense and running game. McCarthy needs a good supporting cast around him as he doesn’t have the natural arm talent to carry an offense.

McCarthy’s Passing Stats At Michigan
2021: 34-of-59 passes (57.6%) for 516 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs
2022: 208-of-322 passes (64.6%) for 2,719 yards, 22 TDs, 5 INTs
2023: 240-of-332 passes (72.3%) for 2,991 yards, 22 TDs, 4 INTs

McCarthy was a good scrambler at Michigan and had 161 carries for 632 yards (3.9 avg.) with 10 rushing TDs.

Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. – 6-2, 216 – 6th Year Senior

Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

Michael Penix Jr., a Tampa area native, is a favorite of former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians. After spending four injury-riddled seasons at Indiana, Penix transferred to Washington, where he became an instant starter and thrived when surrounded by NFL talent along the offensive line and with three NFL-caliber receivers and a tight end to throw the ball to.

Penix is left-handed, and that’s not for everyone, as right-handed quarterbacks dominate the league. He throws a good, accurate deep ball, and Penix’s production over his two seasons with the Huskies prove how consistent he’s become. Penix, a pocket passer, was 25-3 as a starter over the last two seasons, and led Washington to the 2023 national championship game.

Penix’s Passing Stats At Indiana
2018: 21-of-34 passes (61.8%) for 219 yards, TD
2019: 110-of-160 passes (68.8%) for 1,394 yards, 10 TDs, 4 INTs
2020: 124-of-220 passes (56.4%) for 1,645 yards, 14 TDs, 4 INTs
2021: 87-of-162 passes (53.7%) for 939 yards, 4 TDs, 7 INTs

Penix’s Passing Stats At Washington
2022: 362-of-554 passes (65.3%) for 4,641 yards, 31 TDs, 8 INTs
2023: 363-of-555 passes (65.4%) for 4,903 yards, 36 TDs, 11 INTs

Penix had two torn ACLs and two shoulder injuries at Indiana before transferring to Washington, where he remained healthy for the past two seasons. Not known for his mobility, Penix logged 134 carries for 265 yards (2.0 avg.) and had 13 rushing touchdowns in six years in college.

Tulane QB Mike Pratt – 6-2, 217 – Senior

Tulane QB Michael Pratt – Photo by: USA Today

Mike Pratt was a four-year starter for the Green Wave, where he showed remarkable improvement each year despite having four different offensive coordinators in college. Pratt was 21-3 in his last two seasons as a starter and is a very effective game manager with enough arm strength and touch to effectively move the offense and score touchdowns. He had 49 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions in his last two seasons at Tulane.

Pratt helped Tulane have the biggest turnaround in college football history, going from a 2-10 record in 2021 while being displaced due to Hurricane Ida to a 12-2 record in 2022 and a Top 10 finish. Pratt and the Green Wave won at Big XII champion Kansas State that year, in addition to a comeback win over Caleb Williams and USC in the Cotton Bowl.

Pratt’s Passing Stats At Tulane
2020: 140-of-254 passes (55.1%) for 1,806 yards, 20 TDs, 8 INTs
2021: 190-of-329 passes (57.8%) for 2,390 yards, 21 TDs, 8 INTs
2022: 215-of-338 passes (63.6%) for 3,009 yards, 27 TDs, 5 INTs
2023: 185-of-283 passes (65.4%) for 2,406 yards, 22 TDs, 5 INTs

Pratt is a very good athlete who is capable of scrambling for yards, as well as being a red zone scoring threat. In four seasons at Tulane, he had 447 carries for 1,147 yards (2.6 avg.) and scored 28 rushing TDs.

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler – 6-0, 214 – 5th Year Senior

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler – Photo by: USA Today

Spencer Rattler began his career at Oklahoma backing up Jalen Hurts in Lincoln Riley’s prolific offense. A highly touted recruit, Rattler came to the Sooners with a reputation for being cocky due to his appearance on the Netflix series QB1. Rattler led OU to a Big XII championship and a bowl win over Florida, but struggled with turnovers at the start of the next season and was benched in favor of Caleb Williams.

Rattler transferred to South Carolina, where he had some success and developed into a more consistent passer, but still turned the ball over too much. At 6-0, 214 and equipped with a big arm, Rattler reminds some of a less talented Baker Mayfield. He’s had to overcome a bad rap about his attitude and he has similar build to Mayfield from a stature standpoint. Rattler helped his draft stock by outperforming Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix at the Senior Bowl, where he was the best QB.

Rattler’s Passing Stats At Oklahoma
2019: 7-of-11 passes (63.6%) for 81 yards, TD
2020: 214-of-317 passes (67.5%) for 3,031 yards, 28 TDs, 7 INTs
2021: 140-of-187 passes (74.9%) for 1,483 yards, 11 TDs, 5 INTs

Rattler’s Passing Stats At South Carolina
2022: 264-of-399 passes (66.2%) for 3,026 yards, 18 TDs, 12 INTs
2023: 275-of-399 passes (68.9%) for 3,186 yards, 19 TDs, 8 INTs

Rattler was one of a few QBs who ran the 40-yard dash, and his 4.96 time was less than ideal. While he’s mobile, Rattler is not known as a scrambler, evidenced by his 297 career carries for 410 yards (1.4 avg.) with 16 rushing scores.

Kentucky QB Devin Leary – 6-1, 215 – 5th Year Senior

Kentucky QB Devin Leary – Photo by: USA Today

After Devin Leary played under new Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen for one season at Kentucky, it’s no surprise to see Tampa Bay interview him informally at the Combine. At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Leary resembles Baker Mayfield in his build, and has a similar playing style. Leary struggled with accuracy with the Wildcats (56.3%) and turnovers (12 INTs), but stayed healthy and wound up throwing 25 touchdowns, too.

Leary struggled with some injuries at North Carolina State before transferring to Kentucky for his final season. He’s also had bouts of inconsistency, but put together a really strong season in 2021 where he passed for 3,433 yards with 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions that showed what Leary is capable of.

Leary’s Passing Stats At N.C. State
2019: 101-of-210 passes (48.1%) for 1,219 yards, 8 TDs, 5 INTs
2020: 66-of-110 passes (60%) for 890 yards, 8 TDs, 2 INTs
2021: 283-of-431 passes (65.7%) for 3,433 yards, 35 TDs, 5 INTs
2022: 118-of-193 passes (61.1%) for 1,265 yards, 11 TDs, 4 INTs

Leary’s Passing Stats At Kentucky
2023: 209-of-371 passes (56.3%) for 2,746 yards, 25 TDs, 12 INTs

Leary has decent pocket mobility, but is not very elusive as a scrambler. Including lost yardage from sacks, Leary finished his college career with minus-81 yards rushing and six touchdowns on 178 carries (-0.5 avg.).