Bucs’ Best Bets: Quarterback

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 1-3: Utah State QB Jordan Love

Love left school after a junior year in which he threw for 3,402 yards with 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, which was the most in FBS. Love excited the NFL scouting community, including Tampa Bay, after he completed 64 percent of his passes for 3,567 yards with 32 touchdowns and just six interceptions. In 2018, Love led the Aggies to an 11-2 record and a No. 22 ranking with the only two losses coming to ranked teams Michigan State and Boise State. But Utah State lost almost all of Love’s offensive weapons, which led to him trying to do too much last season, too many mistakes and a 7-6 record.

NFL scouts would have liked Love staying in school for his senior year, but he does have an intriguing skill set. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound Love has good size, large hands, decent speed and a very strong arm. Love had a good showing at the Senior Bowl, and there is some thought that he could be a first-round pick. But he’s not ready to start, and his high interception total will give some teams pause. The Bucs won’t use the No. 14 overall pick to draft him, but if Love slides to the second round they may be tempted. After parting ways with Jameis Winston, the team could use an heir apparent to Tom Brady in a few years and Love might be an ideal choice. – Scott Reynolds

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 4-7: Iowa QB Nate Stanley

With the arrival of Brady in Tampa Bay and the team’s win-now mentality, it’s highly unlikely that the Bucs will draft a quarterback until Day 3. This is not a particularly deep draft at quarterback, but one third day signal caller that fits Bruce Arians’ need for a tall, strong-armed pocket passer is Stanley, who was a three-year starter at Iowa and threw for 8,297 yards with 68 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Stanley has the courage to stand in the pocket and throw the deep ball all day long, which makes him a good fit in Arians’ scheme. And his 4.81 time in the 40-yard dash was close to that of Love’s 4.74 time, and much faster than Winston’s 4.97.

What impresses the Bucs and others about Stanley is the fact that he’s a winner with a 26-12 record, including a 10-3 mark as a senior when he lost most of his offensive weapons, including first-round tight ends Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson, prior to the 2019 campaign. Stanley also went 3-0 in the Hawkeyes’ bowl games, including an impressive 49-24 win over No. 22 USC in the Holiday Bowl last year. Stanley’s shining moment came as a sophomore when he passed for 226 yards and five touchdowns in a 55-24 rout of No. 6 Ohio State. What’s keeping him from Day 2 consideration is his career 58.3 completion percentage and the fact that he needs to work on his mechanics and footwork to become a more accurate short and intermediate passer. Stanley would be a solid developmental quarterback behind Brady as a fifth- or sixth-round pick. – Scott Reynolds