With the 48th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Buccaneers have selected North Dakota State offensive tackle Cody Mauch.
The Bucs moved up to take Mauch, trading the 50th and 179th picks to the Packers to get the 48th. The trade meant the Bucs leapfrogged the Steelers at No. 49, and they presumably feared the Steelers were going to draft Mauch.
Although he played at a lower level of college football and was a late bloomer, the 24-year-old Mauch generated a lot of attention for playing very well in 2022, his sixth year at North Dakota State. The Bucs took notice.
Mauch is known as much for his look — long red hair, two missing front teeth — as for his play. The Bucs hope he’ll come to be known as a starting offensive lineman in Tampa for years to come.