Before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected quarterback Kyle Trask in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the team first informed veteran quarterback Tom Brady about the move and got his blessing before taking the former Florida Gators signal-caller. Turned out it wasn’t the only role Brady played during the 2021 NFL Draft as head coach Bruce Arians told “The Rich Eisen Show” that he used the veteran quarterback to scout wide receivers before they made the selection. “Look at these receivers and see if there is something you like,” Arians said to Brady, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post, adding that “I will critique your ability to critique receivers.” According to Arians, Brady did a good job scouting wide receivers.
“There are certain things he likes. He likes really good, big, fast receivers,” the veteran head coach said. With Brady’s help, the Buccaneers selected wide receiver Jaelon Darden of North Texas in the fourth round. During his college stint, the 5-foot-9 Darden is known as a good and fast receiver.
Darden joins stacked Buccaneers’ wide receiving corps
In 47 games with North Texas, Darden set school records with 230 career receptions, 2,782 receiving yards, and 38 receiving touchdowns while ranking second in total touchdowns. Aside from Darden, the Buccaneers took outside linebacker Joe Tryon in the first round, Trask in the second round, tackle Robert Hainsey in the third round, inside linebacker KJ Britt in the fifth round, cornerback Chris Wilcox and inside linebacker Grant Stuard in the seventh round.
As of now, the Buccaneers are stacked at wide receiver with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Scotty Miller, Jaydon Mickens, and Justin Watson occupying the depth charts. The Buccaneers also added a pass-catching running back in Giovani Bernard, who signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay after he was released by the Cincinnati Bengals after eight seasons with the team.
Sean McVay praises Brady
In Super Bowl LIII, Brady led the New England Patriots to a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams and coach Sean McVay. For that reason, it would be easy for McVay to hate Brady. However, McVay said during his podcast, “Flying Coach” with NFL Network’s Peter Schrager that it’s not easy to dislike Brady once you get to know him, per Henry McKenna of USA Today.
McVay said he went to the Kentucky Derby after their loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII where he saw Brady with his current and former teammates. “He’s kind of the guy that brings it all together. They’re going on trips,” McVay said, adding that he has listened to the admiration that players and coaches who spent time with Brady say about the quarterback. “He’s one of those guys that you want to hate on, but you can’t think of anything but, ‘Golly he’s unbelievable.,” he added.
