“I Didn’t Think It Looked Good”
March 24th, 2025
Buried gem.
One day NFL Network will host a show called Draft Confessions featuring current team executives sitting in dark shadows telling draft truths through a voice changer.
There would be weeping, and maybe a revelation that the executive reads mock drafts and doesn’t trust his scouts. Admissions of good luck, dumb luck and bad luck would flow freely.
Maybe there would even be a retired GM willing to speak outside the shadows.
Oh, well. Perhaps in Joe’s lifetime it will air.
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht had a bit of a confession himself last week during his visit to WDAE radio.
“Running back wasn’t very deep last year. And I didn’t think it looked good going into the draft, but we were able to get Bucky Irving,” Licht said. “Sometimes it just works in your favor if you just make sure you take the right guy, and at the right place.”
Licht said it so well: “just make sure you take the right guy.”
That’s Joe’s reply when fans bark about pretend rules like, “you can’t draft X position that high” or “you can’t spend that much on that player” or “you don’t need a strong backup there.”
March 24th, 2025 at 11:09 am
If Bucky ran a 4.4 or higher, he would have been a 1st / 2nd round pick.
March 24th, 2025 at 11:11 am
I never read or listen to stuff about mock drafts. I don’t see the point.
March 24th, 2025 at 11:11 am
Love the idea. Wonder what licht would say about the Winston, JTMs, Hargreaves, White and Trask selections. He would need to wear a mask for those. They all stunk. like a deal mullet, they all started to stink at various times.
March 24th, 2025 at 11:14 am
The ones saying those things are clueless dolts who wouldn’t know how to manage a pop warner team let alone and NFL franchise.
March 24th, 2025 at 12:45 pm
That’s tough because you never know if you get the right guy till about at least 5 or 6 years later. Great example diva white. Killing it in the beginning of his career then fell off. He deff was the right guy at the right time but time only tells if you got the right player or not. You can do all the scouting and interviews and have the best staff and still get it wrong. I like Jason’s approach tho. High character and love the game.
March 24th, 2025 at 1:16 pm
#1bucsfan – I like the high character approach currently employed also. Only thing is sometimes you need a couple bad boys like Sapp or Ray Lewis to kick it up a notch. We’re a little too vanilla and dead pan face on the sideline doesn’t help either.
March 24th, 2025 at 1:21 pm
drdneastup…
Agree on JTS & Hargreaves.
White and Winston both started off pretty hot and every draft analyst and talking head had them going roughly where they went. It was either Winston or Mariota, neither amounted to much. Both Winston & White fizzled for different reasons but were pretty strong in the first couple years in the league. I can’t blame Licht for picking them, any GM would have.
Trask should have been picked a little lower is all. He wasn’t second round material… but certain things needed to happen during a season so he could have maybe had a chance to show out… but the starting quarterback injury never happened, thankfully.
I think picking a kicker and a punter where he did, or drafting them at all when you just grab somebody in free agency, were much bigger mistakes. Hopefully he learned his lessons on those and never drafts another football player who kicks a ball for his job. Their fragile psyches can’t be trusted.
March 24th, 2025 at 1:32 pm
Message to the grade back and get more picks crowd. Trading back doesn’t mean there are good picks available late.
March 24th, 2025 at 1:49 pm
It’s a crap shoot at best even when you try for the high character, smart guys. Trask had a great Sr. year and it showed where he was picked, jury still out as to full potential but he’s not starting so that says something. Camarda wasn’t a bad 4th at all he just fell off the deck. Winston was the choice and that was a Lovie Smith choice as well, JL was hired after Smith so even if he wanted Mariotta doesn’t matter. Vita was a surprise though I did read someone said he was on the radar and don’t be surprised if Tampa took him.
March 24th, 2025 at 2:02 pm
Joe, you should patent that idea about having that show. It would be awesome. And the show’s song could be Ushers – Confessions. Most of us would watch it too.
March 24th, 2025 at 2:02 pm
True. He has great acceleration, elite change of direction, and a tackle avoidance instinct you just can’t coach.
But his top speed is mediocre at best. He’s always caught from behind.
March 24th, 2025 at 2:25 pm
Draft hype is worse than Super Bowl hype.
Just draft the damn players and play the damn game.
I tire of the liar’s poker.
March 24th, 2025 at 2:26 pm
Would be a great show! I’d love to heard Mark Dominick and Bruce Allen lol they has more whiffs then Carlos Pena
March 24th, 2025 at 2:39 pm
If he had saquan speed he probably would have ran for 2k last year. Those 30 and 40 yarders are house calls for Barkley.
March 24th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
In years long past there used to be a lot of agreement amongst draft gurus about who would go where and they were usually pretty darn close. Now mock drafts look like secret Santa drawings and they go every which way with almost no agreement.
March 24th, 2025 at 6:59 pm
I wish someone would write a book or produce as show about all the Draft experts and their predictions after said draft. I know sometimes stories about a certain years draft is done years later to see who did what or even do a redraft story.
I want to see one where the experts predictions are quantified, examined for correctness and given a grade based on success or failures. Seems like a million NFL draft experts across the media spectrum and seems after draft only hear about the ones who got it right praising themselves especially if long odds or outlier pick.
Or did I miss this and already available for any drafts.
March 24th, 2025 at 8:31 pm
A long-term backup QB is a fine return for a second round pick, as long as he can play well enough to win a game or two here and there, once he gets a chance. I am very happy Trask re-signed and I bet the GM and coaches are, too. We will see if he ever gets a chance.
March 26th, 2025 at 8:38 am
Tucker does have elite speed. Actually, more so than Barkley!