The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the four-time reigning NFC South champions, though they haven’t advanced past the Divisional Round since Tom Brady led them to a Super Bowl victory in 2020.
They entered the draft this year with clear needs on defense, though they shocked the NFL world by taking Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka at No. 19 despite already rostering Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan.
However, if there’s one front office in the league that deserves the benefit of the doubt during draft week, it’s the one in Tampa.
Jason Licht Explains Buccaneers’ NFL Draft Strategy
On the latest episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, the former NFL punter brought on Buccaneers GM Jason Licht to talk about the team’s impressive reputation at the draft.
McAfee brought up the fact that all 38 of the Buccaneers’ draft picks from 2019-2024 (excluding seventh-round draft picks) were on NFL rosters last season, questioning Licht about his jaw-dropping ability to continuously draft NFL-caliber talent year after year.
“Well, first of all, I’ve got a phenomenal staff around me. The only thing I’ll take credit for is hiring well,” the Bucs’ general manager responded.
Licht then described a meeting that took place “roughly five years ago” where he and the team’s scouting department got together to discuss what differentiated successful draft picks from the busts.
“It was the person. [We realized] we were rarely missing on the player, we were missing on the person. And what were the qualities of a person that made them successful?” Licht revealed.
"I've got a phenomenal staff around me..
We put the players on the draft board like everybody does but then we take the guys that don't love football off..
We're drafting great players that are great humans"@jasonrlicht #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/W0sGmqIFfd
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow)
After citing some of the best players in franchise history, including linebacker Lavonte David and wide receiver Mike Evans, the general manager concluded that the team has chosen to prioritize great people, rather than just great players.
“It’s really not that hard. We put the players that are worthy of being drafted on the draft board like every team does, but then we just kind of take the a**holes and the d*****bags off, and the guys that don’t love football and guys that have proven they don’t like it, that are difficult to deal with, and we just kind of mitigate our risk,” Licht explained. “We’re taking great players that are great humans.”
Despite the questionable first-round pick, the Buccaneers still came away with an impressive draft haul. PFSN graded their rookie class a B+, citing the team’s well-rounded strategy that landed them three excellent defensive prospects after the Egbuka selection.
Last year, the Bucs ranked third in Offense+ and 16th in Defense+, and the latter was only that high because they feasted on some poor competition in the second half of the season. The pass rush ranked 24th in sack rate when not blitzing, while the 35-year-old David is on an expiring contract and doesn’t have a feasible in-house successor at linebacker.
By drafting cornerback Benjamin Morrison (No. 53 overall), defensive back Jacob Parrish (No. 84), and edge rusher David Walker (No. 121), Tampa will receive an infusion of impact talent on the defensive side of the ball next season, assuming Licht’s track record holds up.
