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USATSI

Five quarterbacks went in the first 15 picks of the 2021 NFL Draft, and then zero went in the next 48 ... until the reigning Super Bowl champion Buccaneers stepped in with the final selection of the second round. Despite Tom Brady committing to play into and beyond his age-44 season, Tampa Bay snapped the QB drought on Friday with its second pick of the draft, adding Florida's Kyle Trask as a potential successor. Not only that, but the Bucs also sparked a Day 2 run on signal-callers, with both the Vikings and Texans drafting QBs in two of the subsequent three picks.

After Trask went No. 64 to close the second, Minnesota used its first of four third-rounders -- the No. 66 pick acquired Thursday in a trade back with the Jets -- to select Texas A&M's Kellen Mond. Immediately afterward, at No. 67, the Texans followed suit, making Stanford's Davis Mills the eighth QB to come off the board in the 2021 draft.

Each of the picks could have major ramifications.

The Bucs are obviously committed to Brady, who just this offseason signed an extension through 2022. And if anyone's likely to stick around longer than expected, it's probably the longtime Patriots QB, who nonchalantly threw 40 touchdowns and won his fifth Super Bowl MVP at age 43 in 2020, his first year in Tampa. But Trask, widely considered one of the best traditional pocket passers of the class, at least gives the Bucs a similarly styled QB to develop. Tampa Bay also had only career reserve Ryan Griffin under contract as Brady's backup, so the Gators product also gives the club added 2021 insurance. Anyone concerned about the Bucs using such a premium resource on a Brady understudy, meanwhile, need only look at how much the team has retained win-now pieces of late.

The Vikings adding Mond injects some intrigue into their starting QB role, mostly pertaining to 2022. Kirk Cousins is a proven starter who's found success in Minnesota's run-heavy system, and he's signed for the next two seasons. But the Vikings can also easily get out of Cousins' deal following 2021, after which they could save $35 million via trade. The team has also lacked any true developmental option since signing Cousins in 2018. Mond drew some criticism coming out for his consistency and decision-making, but he was also considered a potential surprise first-rounder because of his vast starting experience and powerful arm.

The Texans, meanwhile, may have made the most notable QB selection by taking Mills. Like Mond, the Stanford product was speculated as a potential surprise Day 1 pick because of his prototypical size and arm talent. A green resume, with just 11 career college starts, was the main mark against him as a prospect. But his arrival is especially noteworthy because of the uncertainty surrounding Houston's QB room, where veteran Tyrod Taylor was added amid a litany of legal allegations -- and previous trade requests -- from former first-round star Deshaun Watson. While Mills is a long shot to open the year as the Texans' QB, he seems like a fair bet to enter the lineup at some point in 2021.