On Thursday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM Jason Licht spoke to the media about the upcoming NFL Draft in Detroit. Licht answered questions about everything from the teams’ offseason moves to this point as well as Draft specific topics.
The media in the room first prodded him about the recent acquisition of veteran pass rusher Randy Gregory and how he would affect the Buccaneers’ approach to the Draft. He was very complimentary of Gregory’s skillset and fit with Tampa defense. Licht seemed to be confident that bringing Randy Gregory onto the roster wouldn’t necessarily affect who was drafted. The way Todd Bowles mixes up stunts and blitz packages, I would look for the Buccaneers to draft a rotational pass rusher in the first two days.
Video: Bucs GM Jason Licht said he’s glad to have Randy Gregory on board but that doesn’t necessarily change their desire for another edge rusher from the draft. pic.twitter.com/dymZbwtsCr
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 11, 2024
He spoke in a roundabout way on fan expectations versus what the scouts and coaches see on the field. It’s no secret that the Bucs overperformed in 2023, winning their Division for the third consecutive year. By playing way above what was expected, Baker Mayfield bought alot of goodwill not only with the fanbase but also with his front office. With exception to a few positions, Tampa Bay’s Draft Room can have a chance to add several picks that are the overall best player available (BAA) rather than drafting for need. Drafting for need out of desperation to fill a position backfires more often than it works out.
Licht made mention of his affinity for the “trenches” and seemingly foreshadowed their intention to look heavily at linemen from both sides of the ball. The Bucs’ needs include a couple of interior offensive linemen, including a Center, when Draft Night comes. He took time to shoutout his staff for their hard work and staying power over the previous few years.
When asked about the skill positions, namely wide receivers, Jason pointed out “you can’t have enough of those”. It’s highly likely Tampa drafts a Wide Receiver sometime in the middle 3 rounds, and this is the ideal Draft to do so, being the best WR Draft class in the past decade. Stud wide receivers like Keon Coleman from Florida State come to mind as nice fits in Tampa Bay, but that is the fan in me more than the writer.
The most interesting part of the interview, for some, was Licht’s comment that he would “not rule out” drafting a Quarterback. I am sure there are some of the more inflammatory outlets or blogs that will (intentionally) interpret that as some sort of shade thrown Baker Mayfield’s way, but it certainly was not. There is logic in evaluating young quarterbacks, even when you have a franchise starter, because as we’ve learned in recent years, anything can happen in full contact sports. Sixty six different quarterbacks made an NFL start last year which seems like an astronomical number until you see that 68 started the year prior. Drafting a QB in a middle to late round would be great insurance for the Bucs’ entering year one of Baker Mayfield’s new deal.
Jason Licht has used his ability to be in tune with his staff over the last 2 years since Tom Brady departed to turn over a major portion of the roster and make this Tampa team alot of people counted out into a perennial contender. They were quite literally one drive away from potentially going to the NFC Championship in 2023, fighting tooth and nail against the Detroit Lions until a game sealing interception with 90 seconds left. This young team will only improve from here, in part because of the stellar work by GM Licht.
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