The Bucs are in a unique position in this year’s draft picking at No. 19 overall in the first round with also knowing what they need to add to their team. Depending on what goes on ahead of them, there’s a scenario that when Tampa Bay is on the clock none of the first-round prospects on their board are available. On the flip side, general manager Jason Licht could have four or five that would make him want to move out of their spot, get more picks and still draft someone that they had in mind.
It takes two teams to get a deal done, though. And because there’s so much uncertainty in this year’s draft because there are not as many quarterback-needy teams, it’s a mystery about what each team will do. But because the Bucs have to addresses a couple of more areas than usual, is Licht more inclined to make a trade and fill out the roster?
“I don’t know about more,” Licht said. “There have been years where I’ve thought about it more than others. It just kind of depends on how things fall. You can’t walk in and say ‘I am definitely looking to trade back.’ Because you don’t know what’s going to fall to you.”
Jason Licht Makes A Prediction Regarding The NFL Draft
That’s when Jason Licht made an overarching prediction about not even really the Bucs, but how this whole draft might shape up. There’s certainly talent this year with starter-caliber players, but maybe not the type of talent that we’ve seen in other years. And that’s partially why teams might be hesitant to make a trade.
Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
“I do think this year is going to be, I could be wrong, you’re going to see a little less of people wanting to move up and offering enough to make it worth your while just because I think the draft is pretty leveled out at a certain point,” Licht said. “You might be able to get the same level of player in the second round as you can in the fourth round at certain positions. So I think you’ll see a little bit less than that.”
Licht wanted to make sure as well that just because the draft is “leveled out.” That doesn’t mean it’s a big thing by any means. As we’ve seen, the Bucs know how to find value anywhere.
“I think it’s just the way this draft is,” Jason Licht said. “We’ve had some good production. My staff and the coaches have done a great job. The last three years – I would say combined, those drafts were elite when you put them all – add them all together. We want to try to keep doing it. It doesn’t always work out that way but keep doing it. I think this particular draft just seems it be a little bit more leveled out which I’m excited about. I’m not saying that’s something I don’t like about this draft. It’s something I do like about the draft.”
Evaluating Talent For The Bucs
The methodology of scouting has gone through changes over the years, as well has the college football landscape has changed. The new wave of NIL and the transfer portal have forced some teams to give snaps to younger players at the detriment to the better, older players just to keep everyone happy so they don’t leave. It impacts what NFL teams are looking at, too.
Bucs director of player personnel Rob McCartney and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
“I think that goes just back to evaluating your skills as an evaluator or scouts – my staff,” Jason Licht said. “You single out the player and you watch the player – I guess they’re playing more in waves now and they’re playing more sporadically than they did in the past. You’re still watching the player and evaluating when he’s in there. It’s a little bit tougher now, a lot of these players at multiple positions are playing less and less because the colleges want to make sure they keep the younger guys there in the pipeline without entering the portal.
“We talk to a lot of these seniors that are coming out and they had to be a team player and they had to allow the freshmen and sophomores play more even though they may be better, just so the team can keep the player. You see a lot more platooning now than you ever have.”
At the end of the day, the tape is still going to give teams the best results.
“I’m still going back to watching the tape and what he does when he’s in there,” Licht said. “Not necessarily evaluating the numbers of the production that he had. It’s what he did when he was in there.”
