With new Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith bringing in a veteran quarterback whom he has coached before in Josh McCown, and with a promising young one already on hand in Mike Glennon, the Bucs' need for a quarterback in the 2014 NFL Draft isn't quite as dire as other clubs'.
But that doesn't mean they aren't considering a first-round investment in one.
The Bucs are hosting former Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater Monday, according to NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport, and the star passer has already visited most of the teams picking in the top 10 of the NFL draft.
Tampa Bay is among several teams with an early pick who could be in the market for a first-round quarterback, and Bridgewater is considered among the best options, along with Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, UCF's Blake Bortles and Fresno State's Derek Carr.
Tampa Bay has the No. 7 overall pick, and NFL teams are allotted 30 visits from prospects to their facilities. Those visits aren't planned lightly, and Bridgewater's visit to Tampa could be an indication that some or all of the aforementioned quarterbacks are on the Bucs' list of 30, as well.
NFL Media analyst Charles Davis projects the Bucs to draft Manziel in his latest mock draft.
Bridgewater is one of two Louisville players projected as first-round picks, along with safety Calvin Pryor, and might already be off the board when the Bucs make their pick. The Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders all have a need at quarterback and will draft ahead of Tampa Bay. And if Rapoport's report that Bridgewater has made the rounds among the clubs with top-10 picks is any indication, plenty of homework on Bridgewater has already been done.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
