Jason Licht: Being On The Same Page Leads To Draft Success
March 1st, 2025
Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht hammered the last two drafts like Hank Aaron with fastballs right down the pipe. How does he do it?
Simple, sort of, Licht explained.
Speaking this week from the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis at the combine, Licht rattled off the names of several of his personnel assistants. And he made sure to mention new Raiders general manager John Spytek.
But the reason for his draft success is based on a couple of things, Licht said. One is those scouts. They understand what Licht looks for in a player and understand the traits he covets.
Also, Licht added, the Bucs try to bring in players with the skillsets Bucs coaches need for them to thrive. In other words, everyone in the football operations wing of the Bucs has to be on the same page.
“But it’s the scouting staff that has done such a great job,” Licht said. “They know what I’m looking for, they know what Todd [Bowles] is looking for and we know the kind of person that we’re looking for and we see what a great locker room can accomplish and so we want to continue to keep those types of players coming in.”
Easier said than done.
But together with good scouts understanding what the big boss and coaches want, and having an incubator to develop talent, it has all come together for Licht and company in player procurement.
March 1st, 2025 at 11:27 am
All well and good. But, they sure missed on JTS. Compounded by repeatedly played him for THREE (3) years with very little success!
March 1st, 2025 at 11:30 am
Which scout pounded the table for Robert Agauyo?
March 1st, 2025 at 11:36 am
LOL Jmark!
Wow, since Todd is looking for super-human athletes that have supercomputer brains with unmatched versatility and can play every position at all-pro levels without any development coaching, it’s got to be a piece of cake.
March 1st, 2025 at 11:51 am
Licht and the staff have been great the last 5-6 years.
JTS was a miss and there are others of course but he was essentially a second rounder. Correct me if I’m wrong but that also seemed like a weak draft as far as the prospect pool is concerned.
The bigger mistake was taking Trask in the 2nd. Could have been a G or WR or CB, could have been useful then and now. Instead we had a bench warmer for 4 years.
JTS doesn’t even make the Mt. Rushmore of bad Licht picks. He at least played a bunch of games for a perennial playoff team. Hargreaves, Agauyo, Trask, and insert someone here … Noah Spence? Maybe. Those are rough picks.
March 1st, 2025 at 11:59 am
Folks, ALL 32 teams miss on players every year. It’s the teams that can successfully hit MORE than they miss that end up having winning teams. Every player drafted is a gamble till they prove themselves.
In the last 3 draft classes we’ve ended up with: DL Logan Hall, G Luke Goedeke, RB Rachaad White, TE Cade Otton, CB Zyon McCollum, Calijah Kancey, Cody Mauch, YaYa Diaby, Payne Durham, CB Josh Hayes, Graham Barton, Tykee Smith, Jalen McMillan, Bucky Irving, & TE Devin Culp who have ALL played well to fantastic for us. That’s an average of 5 players a year that successfully contribute. Not including a couple who still have a good chance to get better like Chris Braswell, Elijah Klein & SirVocea Dennis. That’s A fantastic average.
My guess is they will do the same this year.
March 1st, 2025 at 12:04 pm
Hargreaves was bad at pick 11.
OJ Howard was 19th.
Devin White was a 5th & Jameis a 1st … Shouldn’t picks that high stay with the team for many years?
Those other guys mentioned were way lower picks. A miss on the first rounder is more painful IMO… plus you pay them more for nothing. Years later you see where a team had a first round pick a couple behind ours and the dude’s an All pro. That’s the worst.
I admit that Jameis & White had their moments, but man they didn’t last long!
March 1st, 2025 at 12:35 pm
Not a fan, but you have to admit Jameis made the Bucs competitive at least. OJ Howard was OK, but got hurt and was never the same. White was OK early, but became a head case.
The others were never good.
March 1st, 2025 at 1:03 pm
Some of you guys make the dumbest comments .. what team hits on every draft pick? I’m waiting?
March 1st, 2025 at 1:05 pm
22 “starters” on a football team.
Jason Licht has drafted 1/2 of the Bucs starters (11) – in the last 3 years….
(McCollum, Otton, Goedeke, Hall, Diaby, Mauch, Kancey, Bucky, Tykee Smith and Barton)
PLUS – Rachaad White (high end back up), Sirvocea Dennis (future starter), Jalen McMillan (future starter), Chris Braswell(future starter?), Elijah Klein (future starter?)
PLUS – Good special teamers with some additional potential from rds 5,6 and 7 in Culp, Durham, Hayes, Palmer, Ramirez and Ko Kieft
PLUS – some excellent UDFAs that have all contributed quite a bit in Izien, Merriweather and Tucker.
THAT Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls is how you build a FOOTBALL TEAM!
March 1st, 2025 at 1:11 pm
Jmarkbuc Says:
March 1st, 2025 at 11:30 am
Which fans are still pounding the table about a busted pick from 9 years ago?
Might be time to let that go.
March 1st, 2025 at 1:20 pm
The Redskins copied Lichts philosophy.
March 1st, 2025 at 1:29 pm
The last study I saw had the average hit rate for all teams, all positions in the 1st round was under 50%. It was an average over 7 years. Some years it can be high 60s others mid 30s.
So naming a few draft bust kinda points out how well Jason has done during his tenure.
They will shy away from drafting athletes that haven’t produced stats in college after making the bet on JTS potential. There are a few day one and two Edge players who will not be rated very high on TB draft board because of JTS. That’s probably a good thing.
March 1st, 2025 at 1:36 pm
The aspect that confuses me is CBs. They seem to consistently draft ones that don’t fit Todd’s scheme. He wants zone-friendly twitchy ballhawks, but they keep drafting lanky, straight-line speed man corners. It’s bizarre
March 1st, 2025 at 1:39 pm
Jason must really love that pic you keep using……..
March 1st, 2025 at 2:27 pm
You guys are brutal for naming 3 or 4 players out of like 50 or so overall.
Think of the late round and UDFAs that have hit!!!!
Every team has picks that don’t work out.
These last 2 years have been special.
If they get 3 players this draft and add 2 more in FA, this team is a consistent playoff team that Could win it all.
Im happy with out drafts lately
March 1st, 2025 at 2:49 pm
You keep saying JTS was a miss but maybe our terrible defensive coordinator just cant develop players either. But meh, lets just keep giving her more players to fail with.
March 1st, 2025 at 2:56 pm
Well get on the same page with your staff on a pass rusher which you never have and corner and linebacker
March 1st, 2025 at 3:07 pm
It’s amazing how many people just focus on the relatively few mistakes made by Licht. I guess they didn’t suffer through the early years (Keith McCants, Eric Curry, Booker Reese, etc.) or the trials of the Dominic years……
Overall, Licht gets an A+. I would not want any other GM.
March 1st, 2025 at 3:11 pm
JTS will be an excellent representative for the new male cosmetics craze. That and hairstyle. Between his lack of notable offseason efforts to get better, he’s clearly been under-coached, not taught useful technique, and simply a headless chicken most of his snaps.
Adios Showinski. (Gene called him that for half a game, Dave Moore correcting).
March 1st, 2025 at 3:41 pm
Yikes. And Bruce Almighty/Chucky drafted their fair share of mistakes.
March 1st, 2025 at 3:59 pm
McCants…. We spent a #1 on a guy who JUST had reconstructive knee surgery
March 1st, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Hey, everyone lays an egg now and then. I can’t think of anybody I’d like to replace Licht with.
March 1st, 2025 at 5:27 pm
I think Booker Reese was a real winner. Jack Thompson wasn’t a draft pick, but WOW! What a dud.
March 1st, 2025 at 5:53 pm
Bottom line, Licht is clearly the best GM in franchise history over the first fifty years. My bet is he will hold that position after the next fifty years. Appreciate the man while he’s here.
March 1st, 2025 at 5:55 pm
Judging from the results of the last few seasons I would day they were drafting pretty mediocre players except for 2021 which was a total fiasco for the team.
March 1st, 2025 at 5:58 pm
He s made some solid picks over the years. Need pass rush desperately. Doesn’t sound like they will go after an edge rusher with 1st or 2nd pick. Hopefully they can get jihad campbell or Jason walker 1st round and another solid wide receiver in round 2 if godwin leaves
March 1st, 2025 at 5:59 pm
Jalon walker*
March 1st, 2025 at 7:14 pm
How does he do it? MadMax has a little influence…. we’re a team. He knows how better than me though…..i just try to get better every year.
March 1st, 2025 at 7:47 pm
Well let’s shake off the remnants of the Gregory signing and go find a frkn pass rusher. You are on the clock Mr. Licht
March 1st, 2025 at 10:01 pm
“All well and good. But, they sure missed on JTS. Compounded by repeatedly played him for THREE (3) years with very little success!”
I’m not trying to pick on the poster who offered this gem. He represents a LARGE contingent of the negative nellies here.
If it’s all well and good why not CELEBRATE instead of WHINE?
I appreciate the posters who bring some FACTS to back up their opinion besides ONE or TWO failures.
A real “FACT” would be a table charting the success ratio of each NFL GM over the past ten years. I’ve seen enough success that I don’t need to join the caterwauling over any perceived or real failures. But I’m a homer and also do not have evidence other than eyeballs and Division titles and playoff appearances to back my rah rah cheerleading.
I mean why should the Bucs even bother to compete this year since a Division title is meaningless for many in this crowd!!!
March 2nd, 2025 at 11:37 am
Licht is definitely top 5 or 6 GMs in the league can’t say the same about our head coach!
March 2nd, 2025 at 4:51 pm
Cheerpompom wavers don’t realize that the way to get better is to identify your defects, isolate them, diagnose a fix and then relentlessly repeat the process until the desired results are achieved. A good fan also does that. Criticism is healthy and productive. It’s not whining.
I think it’s on the coaching of the defense. Watch JTS go somewhere and end up with 9 sacks. Gus’s why? He’ll actually be taught technique, held accountable for sticking with it, and not be asked to cover wide receivers on 60% of his snaps.
March 2nd, 2025 at 11:57 pm
JTS was our Covid pick. That was an impossible draft to scout.