The Pick Is In — Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023 NFL Draft

Liam Blutman and Matthew Townsend

Howdy folks! Welcome to The Pick Is In! That’s right, we’re back for another run with this experiment and can’t wait to see what our GMs, err, writers can cook up. If you’re unfamiliar with this series, lemme paint the picture for you. Our writers will be stepping up to the plate for a NFL franchise and act as if they have full control of the team on draft day. For each team, we’ll have two or three writers step into the front office and take over as general manager. You’ll see picks made from No. 1 overall to a sixth-rounder, bold picks will be made in unique spots, and trades will be cooked up. To highlight some of our success from 2022, we saw the Bengals trade up to take a star named Tariq Woolen in the mid 40s, the Packers snagged a stud in Jalen Pitre with the 28th overall pick, and with the 98th overall pick, the Saints struck gold with the valuable Zach Tom. This year will be no different. Our GMs will once again be showcasing their unique abilities to find intriguing talent. Whether you know it or not, the draft has already begun and it resumes with The Pick Is In. Welcome to the 2023 NFL Draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock…

Liam Blutman:

The Pick Is In: Colby Sorsdal OL — William & Mary (6th Round, 181st Overall)

Colby Sorsdal
Photo Credit: @WMTribeFootball on Twitter

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have nine selections in the upcoming draft and I get to use one of them! Yay for me! A position group that I really think the Bucs could use an upgrade is the offensive line. I’ll be using a Day 3 pick, and there’s no better way to support our trenches than with a versatile piece to the puzzle. We went to the FCS for this one. Colby Sorsdal, come on down to Tampa Bay!

Sorsdal caught my eye at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas. He’s a 6-foot-5, 304-pounder that plays tackle and guard. His profile is super intriguing and can be headlined by a 2.93 20-yard split, 9-foot-4 broad jump, and a 4.7 shuttle. The 23-year-old might soar under the radar, but he’s a hidden gem. Sorsdal has super strong legs and displays such good footwork regardless of his size. He does a fantastic job at being able to recover, which makes sense when we consider the fact that he moves so gracefully and bends like a straw. His upper half is equally as impressive as he’s got terrific hand placement and packs quite the punch. He’ll be really strong in the run game from the second he enters the league. I love the way he gets downfield and paves the way for his runners. Colby opened up such wide gaps in William & Mary’s running game which loves to pound the rock. As he told me in Vegas, he expects his pass protection to improve as he keeps putting in the time and the effort. I agree, he’s got such a good base to work off of… so many intriguing skills.

Colby Sorsdal is a relatively unheard of prospect, but I’m telling you he’ll be sticking around the NFL for years to come. This isn’t a guy that’ll sell jerseys or put fans in seats, but he’s just a dang good offensive lineman that knows what it takes to win and has a solid foundation to invest in. The talent is there. The potential is real. Sorsdal makes for an immaculate value pick on late Day 3, and I’m thrilled to land him in Tampa Bay.

Matthew Townsend:

The Pick Is In: Tuli Tuipulotu DL — USC (3rd Round, 82nd Overall)

Tuli Tuipulotu
Photo Credit: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Among all the teams to make the playoffs in 2022, I’d argue the Bucs are in the worst spot. Tom Brady is finally (probably) retired, and they have the least cap space in the league currently. Things don’t get better, as they are in the middle of the pack in terms of cap room in 2024, and most of their money is invested in aging players. They have signed Baker Mayfield as a stop gap at quarterback, but I don’t think anyone believes in him as a long-term answer. Tampa needs a rebuild, and that starts with getting quality players in the draft at premier positions. For the Bucs, one of the most important positions over the last couple years has been DT. Vita Vea is the keystone to their defense and makes the entire operation run smoothly. When we’ve seen him go down with injury, the defense gets significantly worse. He still has a few years of his prime left, but it will be important to surround him with talent for both insurance and so teams can’t focus on him as much in schemes. To support him, I grabbed Tuli Tuipulotu out of USC. 

I received a good amount of slander for this list in the preseason, and while Jalen Carter had another fantastic year and probably should’ve been higher, I’m glad Tuli backed me up by leading the nation in sacks. That leading number in sacks (13.5) wasn’t just for interior linemen, that’s any position in any conference. This breakout seems to have come out of nowhere for a lot of people, after just 5.5 sacks in his 2021 season, but the potential was blinding for me. Tuli has the versatility to play both inside and outside, but my best guess is that he’ll wind up playing a 3-4 DE at the next level. As a sort of tweener, he has both good burst and good power. His instant get-off from the snap isn’t great, but he gets to top speed quickly and flies through gaps. His strength is fantastic, and his most frequent wins are on his bull rush move, which is among the best in the class. Outside of his bull rush, his best pass rush move is his spin move, which again is among the best in the class. 

He is known in USC circles as a real coaches player, a grinder who will put his body on the line to make plays. He also has good vision into the backfield and closes down running lanes with ease. He has a high motor and constantly tries to chase down run plays from behind. He comes from a strong bloodline, as both his brother Marlon and cousins, Talanoa Hufanga and Fili Moala, were drafted to the NFL. He has been in locker rooms and around the game for a long time and has great character. He has shown a tendency to miss tackles, but as long as he keeps his effort up, he will be a plus defender against the run.

For me, it’s shocking to see Tuli being mocked even this low. Getting plus pass rush out of interior defensive linemen is rare, and if you can find someone that can do that, you snatch them up. Then you find someone that has strong NFL bloodlines, elite production, and is only 20 years old and won’t turn 21 until he’s in his first training camp. He should be going in the late first or early second, and I will die on that hill. He is going to be a stud at the next level, and the Bucs get a steal here in the third.

About the author

Liam Blutman
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I am a diehard UCLA fan that has enjoyed (?) mediocrity year after year. My favorite CFB moment was witnessing UCLA comeback from 34 down against Texas A&M. Being at the Rose Bowl for that historic moment is something I’ll never forget. I have written about CFB since I was 14 and my favorite thing to do is give under-the-radar athletes the recognition they deserve. You might know me from @NoContextCFB !

Matthew Townsend
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I’m a USC fan of 15 years who majored in Math at UC Riverside, and graduated in 2020. I’m a big fan of using analytics and statistics to shape how I view college football. I've been watching and betting on sports for as long as I legally could. My favorite college football memory is Tua coming in at halftime of the championship game to come back and lead Alabama to a national title.

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