Bucs To Meet With Day 3 Quarterback Prospect

After meeting with him informally at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month, the Bucs will soon get a closer look at Houston quarterback Clayton Tune ahead of this month’s NFL Draft. On Tuesday evening, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport listed Tampa Bay as one of the teams that will either be hosting or working Tune out on the coming days.

Tune was a longtime starter and three-year captain at Houston, totaling just under 12,000 passing yards while throwing for 104 touchdowns to 41 interceptions from 2018-2022 as a teammate of Bucs defensive tackle Logan Hall. He is coming off of a monster final season with the Cougars in which he completed 67.3% of his passes for 4,074 yards and 40 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. This past year also saw him put up his best rushing season, as he totaled 546 yards and five scores on the ground.

The Bucs, of course, are looking to replace Tom Brady after he retired for good this offseason. They have an intriguing quarterback battle brewing between 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask and free agent addition Baker Mayfield. But that doesn’t preclude the team from drafting a quarterback this month.

Speaking at the Senior Bowl back on Feb. 1 — the day Brady retired — Tune had plenty to say about the seven-time Super Bowl champion and noted that his retirement opened up another spot for a prospect like him.

“He’s been playing as long as I’ve been alive. Grew up watching him. Really admired his game and seeing him retire is a pretty cool deal,” Tune told Pewter Report. “Obviously, he’s had the best career in the NFL that anybody’s every had. Hard to argue with that. It opens up another spot for a guy like myself to come in there and play. I’m sure he’ll be calling games in the NFL, which will be fun to watch. So, I’m happy for him and was fortunate to watch his career.”

Tune measured in at 6-foot-2 1/2, 220 pounds at the Combine and put on an impressive display testing-wise. He was one of just two quarterbacks in the 2023 class to post a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.80 or above. At the Combine, he finished in the top five among quarterbacks in the 40-yard dash, vertical, broad jump, three-cone and 20-yard shuttle.

During his media session in Indianapolis, Tune sounded intrigued by the idea of stepping into a situation with the Bucs where he’d have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as his top two receivers.

“I think it’d be great. I’d love to go to Tampa Bay and go in there and obviously have some weapons to play with,” he told Pewter Report. “I think it’d be a great scenario and I’d love to do it.”

Bucs Could Target Tune On Day 3 — If He’s Still Around

Houston QB Clayton Tune Photo By: USA Today

As Rapoport mentioned when reporting who Tune will visit with in the coming days, the quarterback class feels wide open after the top guys. Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker are the consensus top five, but after them, there’s little separation between the mid-round prospects.

Given their current situation and the class they have to choose from in 2023, the Bucs likely won’t target a quarterback until Day 3 of the draft. It may even be late on Day 3 considering the other needs the team will have to address. If Tune is around that long, it seems like the Bucs have enough interest to at least consider selecting him and rounding out their quarterback room with the rookie out of Houston.

But will Tune fall that far? The Draft Network’s Keith Sanchez gives him a fifth-round grade, and PFF ranks him as the No. 9 quarterback in this year’s class. PFF’s Big Board has him at No. 167 overall, which would indicate a fifth-round grade as well. Some mock drafts have him falling to the sixth or seventh round, too.

Tune is far from a finished product, as he has some footwork issues to work out and needs to prove that he can handle making reads under pressure. But he fits the mold for what new Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales appears to be looking for, as he talked in his introductory press conference about wanting the quarterback to be a facilitator. Whereas the previous scheme relied on the quarterback to a high degree (and it could afford to given who that quarterback was), this new-look offense will be much friendlier to whoever is under center.

Where would the Bucs be comfortable selecting Tune — or any other quarterback if they want one at all — in the draft? They have two options at the position already in Trask and Mayfield, plus they have needs at edge rusher, defensive line, safety, offensive line and tight end. They could also use depth at receiver and running back, as well as linebacker. There’s certainly no guarantee that Tampa Bay drafts a quarterback at all. But Clayton Tune appears to be someone worth keeping an eye on.