Last year’s draft for the Buccaneers has the potential to blossom into something special. The NFL Draft is one of the most important pieces to an NFL franchise. Selecting the right players is key to your team’s success for future seasons. When you choose a player in the NFL draft, you sign that player for four years. That gives you financial control over the player’s salary for the future. Being able to draft well guarantees that you can field a competitive team at a lower cost than paying high-end free agents. 

Jason Licht, the Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s General Manager, has been excellent at drafting quality players for the franchise. His first-ever selection as general manager was future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans. He is also responsible for drafting impact players such as Tristan Wirfs, Calijah Kancey, and Antoine Winfield. 

The Early Rounds

This past draft class could be one of Licht’s best. It started with selecting Graham Barton with the 26th pick in the draft. Barton started as a center for the Buccaneers and helped solidify the offense line. Chris Braswell was chosen with their second-round selection. Braswell played last season in a reserve pass-rushing role. He has 17 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. In round three, Tykee Smith and Jalen Mcmillan were selected.

Tykee Smith started at nickel corner for the Buccaneers. He had a few injuries this past season but played great when on the field. He has 53 total tackles and tied with Zyon McCollum with a team-leading two interceptions. Jalen McMillan caught a touchdown in his first NFL game and stepped up to fill the shoes of Chris Godwin when he went down with his season-ending ankle injury. He finished the season with 461 yards and eight touchdowns.

Licht’s Homerun

Licht’s homerun pick was Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the draft. Not only did Bucky rush for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns. But he took over the starting role at running back and helped flip the Buccaneers rushing attack from one of the worst to one of the best. He added to his impressive rookie campaign with 392 receiving yards. Three of his catches went over 25 yards. 

Our Wait And See Depth Guys

The Buccaneers ended their draft by selecting Elijah Klein the offensive guard and Devin Culp the tight end. Klein did not see the field in a starting role this season but Devin Culp came on late towards the end of the year to help replace the injured Cade Otton. Culp caught his first NFL touchdown and got 88 receiving yards.

Coming out of college, Klein was raw in his film at UTEP, but he possessed the ability to finish blocks. His development will be monitored over the offseason and into next season, with the goal for him to be a starting guard on the Buccaneers’ impressive offensive line. Culp has impressive receiving ability as a big-bodied tight end who can stretch the field. His blocking ability is what kept him from being drafted earlier, but in the right packages, he could be an excellent red-zone option for Tampa in the future.

What Is The Jason Licht Secret?

Drafting for the NFL is hard. Each team has multiple scouts who watch hundreds of hours of film on potential prospects. A theory on how to be successful is to create your big board of prospects and where you value them. It is always safer to draft the best player available on your board. There are some cases where needs at certain positions are too important, and this can change focus. 

Bucky Irving is a great example of drafting the best player available. Going into the draft, Rachaad White looked to be the starting running back for the Buccaneers this season. However, adding to a skill position room is never a bad idea. Drafting Bucky, who has a different skill set than White, gave the Bucs different options at running back. Running back wasn’t necessarily the biggest need for Tampa Bay, but it turned out that Bucky Irving played a massive role for them this past season.

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