In a Thursday column on PewterReport.com, two Pewter Reporters will debate a Bucs topic with different viewpoints. Which Pewter Reporter wins the debate? You get to decide in the comments section below.

This Week’s Topic: Who Could Be The Surprise MVP Of Bucs Rookie Mini-Camp?

Point: Jalon Daniels Can Be The Catalyst For The Weekend’s Highlight Plays

By Bailey Adams

As of late, the quarterback play at Bucs rookie mini-camp has left a lot to be desired. That’s typically been because the quarterbacks have been tryout players rather than draft picks or even undrafted free agents. The exception was last year, as Connor Bazelak was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Bowling Green. But even though Bazelak clearly did enough to catch on with Tampa Bay and is still around right now, he wasn’t overly impressive during rookie mini-camp last May.

That’s part of the reason why I think former Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels could emerge as the surprise MVP of mini-camp this weekend. The bar is low for the level of quarterback play we tend to see from rookie camp, and I’m expecting the former Jayhawks star to soar high above that bar.

Bucs QB Jalon Daniels – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Mark J. Rebilas

Daniels was a dual-threat playmaker at Kansas, throwing for 9,282 yards and rushing for 1,451 between 2020 and 2025 while totaling 90 touchdowns. I think he brings a lot of juice to this weekend’s camp and in the end, I think he winds up being the catalyst for some of the standout plays over the couple of days of practice that we’ll see at the AdventHealth Training Center. He has the arm talent to push the ball vertically to the likes of third-round pick Ted Hurst and speedy undrafted free agent Eric Rivers, and I think he’ll showcase his ability to make throws with good anticipation.

Plus, despite the fact that this is a non-contact mini-camp and quarterbacks wouldn’t get touched even if it was, I think we’ll see some of the escapability that made Daniels so special during his career in Lawrence. He can extend plays while keeping his eyes downfield, much like Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield does so well, plus he’ll pick up free yards when they’re left open for him, similarly to the way Mayfield does that as well.

So, in a rookie mini-camp setting that has typically been about takeaways and defense in recent years, I think we come away from this weekend wowed by some big-time throws Daniels makes and the mobility he shows in and out of the pocket. The one worry I have, though, is the fact that he threw 19 interceptions over the last two years of his Kansas career. He’ll need to limit the mistakes and come through with the big plays in order to break through with surprise MVP honors, but I think he’s capable of doing just that.

Counterpoint: Keionte Scott Could Be This Year’s Jacob Parrish At Bucs Rookie Mini-Camp

By Scott Reynolds

I certainly hope Bailey Adams is right about Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels putting on a good show in this year’s rookie mini-camp. Lord knows there has been a lot of bad quarterback play in recent rookie mini-camps when the team has had try-out QBs throwing the ball. As a Kansas State alum, I saw Daniels go winless against my Wildcats during his six years at KU, which delighted me to no end. Yet I came away having an appreciation for Daniels as a competitor and the way he plays football.

Yet I remember last year’s rookie mini-camp where former K-State cornerback Jacob Parrish, the team’s third-round pick, stole the show with a pair of pick-sixes – one in each practice. One of those interceptions came when he was plastered on first-round pick Emeka Egbuka, which was pretty impressive. And it proved to be a sign of things to come as Parrish had a really strong debut in red and pewter, starting every game during his rookie season and producing two interceptions on the year.

Bucs DB Keionte Scott – Photo by IMAGN Images – Jerome Miron

That’s why it wouldn’t surprise me to see Miami defensive back Keionte Scott be this week’s MVP of the Bucs rookie mini-camp, and do what Parrish did a year ago. Rookie mini-camp, OTAs and mandatory mini-camp are more like flag football than regular football because there is no hitting allowed and the pads don’t come on until training camp. The passing game – and pass defense – usually takes center stage as a result. And that’s why I think Scott can shine on the Bucs practice fields on Friday and Saturday.

Scott arrives in Tampa Bay with more notoriety and fanfare than Parrish did a year ago. The Hurricanes made it all the way to the national championship game before falling to Fernando Mendoza and Indiana in the end. Scott had two pick-sixes last year for Miami, including one against Ohio State in a nationally televised game in the college football playoffs. And I could see him doing that in his Bucs debut this weekend.

While all eyes will be on first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr., Scott’s teammate at Miami, and linebacker Josiah Trotter, the team’s second-round pick, those two may not end up making as many splash plays because the pads aren’t on. That’s why I think Scott has a chance to “pull a Parrish” and make some notable plays in coverage during the rookie mini-camp. And like Parrish, hopefully Scott can parlay that into a successful rookie season with the Bucs.