TAMPA, Fla. – Last year, the Bucs wanted to get younger and faster. Going into this NFL Draft on Thursday, Bucs GM Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles have said there is no one specific need that is their priority. Both admit that anything is possible, and the team has needs in just about every area.
“We want to kick ass every year in the draft,” Licht said. “There are some years you’re going to depend on them more, like last year. We’re going to depend on this class too. We’re hoping to get some players to come in and contribute and help us right away.”
Licht and Bowles say they can use good players at all positions. Licht tends to lean on players in the trenches, especially picking offensive linemen from smaller schools.
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Licht prides himself on drafting good players that have good character. Licht has been able, for the most part, to find that out, thanks to a scouting staff that has been with Licht over his decade as GM with the Bucs.
“We’ve had a lot of stability here with my staff,” Licht says. “More stability than any other team. In terms of people staying here, which is a great thing.
With Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask, and John Woolford signed as quarterbacks, you’d think that’s one area the Bucs will not be looking at. Wrong. “You never know if someone (QB) is going to fall in your lap,” Bowles said. “You have to take a peek at him. We always look at quarterbacks in the draft. Quarterbacks are more than just the top five guys. There are a lot more quarterbacks that can help you, if not immediately, but down the line. Those are hard to come by. So anytime you try and get one, you’ll make sure you look at it.”
The Bucs will have seven picks, starting with number 26 in the first round.
We’ve all heard of the food store Trader Joe’s, well Bucs GM Jason Licht could be called Trader Jason. In his ten years of running the Bucs Draft, Licht has made at least one trade every single year during the three-day NFL Draft. Licht says when you hear about trades during the Draft weekend, it actually started a month or two ago.
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“In the past our trade-ups and trade-downs, we’ve started that process typically around now,” Licht said during his pre-draft press conference on April 11. “You don’t want to make rash decisions, at least I don’t, on draft day. Emotional decisions that can come back and bite ya.”
But no matter how hard each NFL team studies, meets with the players and return to their hometowns, Licht admits it’s a big guessing game as to which player will be available.
“You’re trying to target who might be there, Licht says. “We say this all the time. We say this to all the prospects that are coming in and visiting, the top 30 that no one knows how this is going to go. So if somebody is telling you they know where you’re going to go, they’re lying.”
The Bucs will be hosting a Draft Party at Raymond James Stadium starting at 8 pm Thursday. Doors and gates open for season ticket holders at 6:30. Non-season ticket holders at 7 pm. There will be giveaways and entertainment as well as appearances by Tapa Bay Buccaneers players and Legends.
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