Bucs’ draft approach has netted starters and a handful of Pro Bowlers
· Yahoo Sports
Jason Licht understands the reality of today’s NFL. Patience is scarce, and expectations are immediate. Owners and fans don’t buy green bananas. They want results right away, especially from high draft picks expected to contribute from Day 1.
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But Licht has long resisted the urge to rush judgment. While he welcomes instant impact, he believes a rookie class can’t be fairly evaluated in its first year or two, sticking instead to a more measured timeline for development.
“The rule of thumb was always three years, and I still don’t want to get away from that,” Licht said. “In today’s day and age, it’s you want it now, and if your first- or second-round pick aren’t a Pro Bowler it’s a failure in some peoples’ eyes. You still want to give them three years.”
Licht this week will preside over his 13 draft with the Bucs. It will be nearly impossible to top the name of his first pick handed to the commissioner in 2014. Mike Evans tied Jerry Rice with 11 straight seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards and likely will be a first-ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Drafting and developing players is the lifeblood of any NFL team and is usually reflected in the win-loss record. It’s hard to quibble with Licht’s recent history: Five straight playoff appearances and four consecutive NFC South titles until both streaks ended last season. The run also included a Super Bowl 55 win over Kansas City to top the 2020 season.
Much of that success can be traced to the three-year odyssey with Tom Brady at quarterback. Those were spend-heavy years in free agency and some prior trades that brought the Bucs players such as tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Leonard Fournette, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul. The arrival of Baker Mayfield at quarterback produced back-to-back division titles in 2023 and ‘24.
“We’ve had some success; we’ve had some failures,” Licht said. “We try to learn from the failures. I’ll be the first to admit ... it’s now, in an ideal world, you want the class we are bringing in to help us this year and contribute and add to the roster. Which would be awesome, because I do think we have a good roster. It’s not as fast as what seems like the public wants, but you have to give it time.”
Seven players drafted by Licht have been selected to the Pro Bowl, several multiple times. But the Bucs haven’t had a draft class net a player chosen for the NFL’s all-star event since 2020, when tackle Tristan Wirfs was taken in the first round and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in the second.
Nonetheless, the Bucs have identified starters, if not all-stars.
“There’s a lot of reasons,” Licht said. “I think, first of all, I love my staff, scouting staff. ... They know exactly what I like, and they know what I don’t like. I want to give the coaches some say in this, too, because I want them to be vested with the players, and I want them to like the players that we’re bringing in, because it usually leads to a better relationship between them, the player and the coach, and leads to better results.”
Since 2020, the Bucs have drafted about 20 players who have started a significant number of games. But there have been some misses, too.
No players remain from the 2021 class.
First-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka emerged as a starter but never had more than five sacks in any one season, and the Bucs decided not to pick up his fifth-year option. The Bucs used their second-round pick on quarterback Kyle Trask, but he never started a game and only attempted 11 passes in his career.
In 2022, the Bucs netted five eventual starters: defensive lineman Logan Hall, tackle Luke Goedeke, running back Rachaad White, tight end Cade Otton and cornerback Zyon McCollum, a great value in the fifth round. Goedeke, Otton and McCollum have all signed extensions.
The 2023 class has been more about potential than production.
Defensive lineman Calijah Kancey has had trouble staying healthy, having missed 22 games over his first three seasons. A torn pectoral muscle limited him to only three games last year. Guard Cody Mauch and edge rusher YaYa Diaby are impact players. Diaby has led the club in sacks twice in the last three years but has never posted more than 7 ½.
2024 has also been a mixed bag.
First-round pick Graham Barton is improving at center, and safety Tykee Smith may have made the most impact plays a year ago. Bucky Irving rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a rookie before foot and shoulder injuries wrecked his 2025 season. Had Jalen McMillan not suffered a scary neck fracture in the preseason opener, who knows what he could’ve done? He’ll be no worse than the No. 2 receiver this year. All seven players from that class remain on the roster, which is rare.
The Bucs seemed fairly stocked at receiver, but Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka was that rare player where the talent and character was too great to pass up in the first round last year. He got off to a fast start with 25 receptions for 445 yards and five touchdowns in his first five games. The Bucs were confident enough in his potential to not sweat losing Evans to the 49ers as a free agent.
Second-round pick Benjamin Morrison missed much of his final season at Notre Dame after hip surgery, and a hamstring injury cost him most of training camp and the preseason. He never caught up, and his rookie year was sort of a bust.
Third-round pick Jacob Parrish made up for it. He was an All-Rookie player with 76 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, seven pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
A torn ACL in training camp cancelled David Walker’s rookie season, but the fourth-round pick from Central Arkansas could’ve been another star in his draft class. Licht and his staff killed it in the later rounds. Elijah Roberts, a fifth rounder from SMU, emerged as a starter late in the year and added two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Tez Johnson may have been one of the Bucs’ best seventh-round picks of all time. With injuries to Evans and Godwin, he stepped up with 322 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions, second only to Egbuka’s six on the team.
How will the 2026 draft go for the Bucs? If past is prologue, pretty well.
NFL draftThursday-Saturday, Pittsburgh.TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
Bucs picks: 15th (first round), 46th (second round), 77th (third round), 116th (fourth round), 155th (fifth round), 195th (sixth round), 229th (seventh round)
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