A Receiver At No. 19? Jason Licht’s Not Against It
April 4th, 2025
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
Joe still cannot believe the tectonic plates that moved under Joe’s feet earlier this week when Bucs coach Todd Bowles confessed that you win by scoring points.
That was at the NFC coach’s breakfast. Bowles said if there was a superior playmaker on the Bucs’ draft board at the No. 19 overall pick later this month, he’d have a hard time passing.
The day before, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht was asked point blank if there was a stud receiver on the board at No. 19 if he could talk himself into selecting the guy.
“It certainly could be,” Licht said of drafting a receiver in the first round. “It certainly could be – it depends. But it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“Mike [Evans] could play another three years. Chris [Godwin] could play another five years, who knows? You know how it is in the league now, explosive offenses … we’ve had a lot of success with that.”
The following is why Joe would not lose sleep if the Bucs drafted a receiver.
Sooner or later, Mike Evans is going to get tapped on the shoulder by Father Time. Joe sure hopes it is later but who the hell knows?
And Bowles already stated Godwin is not a lock to be ready to roll by Week 1. Then there’s Jalen McMillan. Joe likes him a lot but before he got hot at the end of the year, he was in the witness protection program.
Joe doesn’t think you can have too many weapons on offense. The key weapon, the Bucs already have, thankfully: Quarterback.
April 4th, 2025 at 7:10 am
Tyler Warren!!!! If he falls to us at 19 could anyone imagine wha
T this offense would look like. 2020 Bucs all over again especially if we can get some help on defense with the rest of the picks
April 4th, 2025 at 7:17 am
Agreed. If Warren is there you have to take him. The kid is dynamic and special. He would make our offense unstoppable.
April 4th, 2025 at 7:21 am
Yea..I think after the signing of a “hungry” Reddick – WR is definitely in play at pick 19.
April 4th, 2025 at 7:41 am
I say best player available… We should’ve traded up last year before the Rams grabbed Verse… Licht can’t draft DE’s/OLB’s but the FA signings and trades have been money. Stick to what we know… I’d grab warren or tetairoa mcmillan imo if they’re available
April 4th, 2025 at 7:42 am
Signing Reddick, resigning Hall expecting him to be healthy (Bowles said he was sprinting now) and signing Walker gave us a ton of flexibility in the draft.
Too many people here in the comments act like it’s the same defensr that played through much of the season but forget that some of these injuries are fluky. We’ll have a lot of players back just recovering from injuries and you just never know where the injury bug is going to hit position wise season to season.
I’m always mind blown by comments I read like Winfield Jr played terribly last year. LOL I guess if you’re not playing or you’re playing hurt, then you’re suddenly not a good football player. From all pro to scrub in a single season. Just a stupid take. He has never been injury prone, just happened to have a really bad injury last year.
April 4th, 2025 at 7:49 am
I remember first brining this up last year not long after the draft. With Mike and Chris we as fans enjoy what is arguably the top WR duo in the league. The importance that these two are to the offense cannot be overstated. Age and injury is something else that can’t be ignored. Not a popular opinion but if a top flight receiver were to fall to the area of the first couple of rounds I would not be adverse for them to make the move. Bucs Nation would understandably be aghast. They do have other major needs, But if you are trying to fill those shoes that is what it would take. I don’t expect this to happen but you never know.
April 4th, 2025 at 7:49 am
No!
Edge or DT at #19
Offense is very good and Defense needs help at every position
I could see a BPA OLineman drafted at #19 if the ‘value’ for a certain player at that spot was considered overwhelming – but other than that we need to be putting most draft resources towards the defense – and the higher picks need to go to premium positions – Edge, CB and DT.
April 4th, 2025 at 8:14 am
LB3 @19
April 4th, 2025 at 8:15 am
I’m pretty sure Licht has learned his lesson in drafting for need. Stick to your draft board. If there is a run on Defense and the number 1 or 2 offensive player is still there draft them! You’re not doing this team any favors by drafting projects and hopefuls.
April 4th, 2025 at 8:36 am
I know he’ll probably be gone before we pick, but drafting McMillan’s brother would be awesome in many ways!
April 4th, 2025 at 8:39 am
Btw I know they’re not actual brothers but they *could be* lol
April 4th, 2025 at 8:41 am
‘Joe doesn’t think you can have too many weapons on offense’.
In principle I’d agree with you Joe (who wouldn’t love more weapons for their QB?). But in practice, we’ve all seen any number of teams that are REALLY GOOD on 1 side of the ball, but REALLY SUCK on the other side of the ball. And that normally results in them going nowhere, IF they’re fortunate enough to even make the playoffs.
Last season’s Bengals were a good example of that. Their offense was solid, ranking #6 by scoring 472 points … 27.8 PPG average. But their defense pretty much sucked, ranking #25 by allowing 434 points … 25.5 PPG average. They ended the season winning 5 in a row to finish 9-8 but missed the playoffs.
That was the biggest ranking differential that I found from last year (#6 offense to #25 defense … 19 differential). Most teams are a lot closer than that (such as our Bucs with the #4 offense and #16 defense … 12 differential). Even that’s ratheer large considering that the Super Bowl champion Eagles had the #7 offense and #2 defense … 5 differential.
POINTS SCORED or POINTS ALLOWED is nothing more than a decent performance measurement, and I think that the resultant rankings are a good way to measure the BALANCE that a TEAM had for that season. Get both of them into the Top-10, and you SHOULD have a playoff contender. Only 6 teams had offenses AND defenses that both ranked in the Top-10 last season: Ravens, Broncos, Eagles, Lions, Vikings & Packers. All 6 made the playoffs, and 1 won it all.
April 4th, 2025 at 8:42 am
Are u serious!! We had the top five offense in the nfl despite injuries to Evans n Godwin with our weakest link being, yes, our DEFENSE, that caused us defeats in multiple games n we’re talking receiver first round. This is not 2014 draft. Good wrs can be found later rounds n free agent. We’re set at wr even if Evans retired today. Let’s go defense rounds 1-4.
April 4th, 2025 at 8:49 am
I love Egbuka because I love Chris Godwin but uh, the Bucs have Chris Godwin on a fresh contract. If his ankle has him a shadow of his former self Mayfield still has Evans and McMillan. After those two the Bucs have no clear #3 but the do have three RBs who all proved they deserve touches in the pass game plus Otton is no slouch. His hands and blocking are solid and he keeps knocking me out with his balance and how rough and rugged he is after the catch. Both top TEs will be gone by 19 but that’s no big deal. I don’t want to take touches from any of these guys. Plus that rookie with the glasses who was built like Napoleon Dynamite seemed to be making a niche for himself and Trey Palmer could have a bounce back year.
Luther Burden is a weapon so I could maybe live with him as the Bucs choice at #19 but if the Bucs pull an Al Davis and reach for Golden for his 40 time I’m afraid I’ll be way more than a little disappointed.
Issac Teslaa or either of those WRs from Iowa St and Washington St expected to go early on day 3 would be reasonable. Both those other WRs I can’t name looked fantastic but I’m not going to bother looking up their names because there just aren’t enough targets in this run first offense to justify an investment at WR this year.
April 4th, 2025 at 9:13 am
If that guy is on the board at No. 19, Joe’s gotta wonder if someone found him with a bong mask just before the draft started.
April 4th, 2025 at 9:13 am
I hope we go defense. The defense was atrocious last year.
April 4th, 2025 at 9:15 am
HopeIn1Hand, being confused enough to think we were a run first offense is what got us beat by Washington. Even more than the defense not having enough horses. I think we’ll draft defense.
April 4th, 2025 at 9:18 am
Sounds like receiver depth is going to be an issue in the first half of this coming season. Additionally Mike does pull hammys often, so yes the Bucs should absolutely address WR in Rd 1 or 2
April 4th, 2025 at 9:25 am
Id also be open to taking a Tight End in Rd 1 as well. Imagine the Bucs with Otton and having dual stud TEs in this offense. Could clear more holes for the running game along with boosting the play action passing attack even more!!! That would be epic!!! Baker would throw for 5k yards and 50 plus TDs.
April 4th, 2025 at 9:26 am
Just best available. We need help everywhere
April 4th, 2025 at 9:53 am
Joe Says:
April 4th, 2025 at 9:13 am
Tyler Warren!!!!
If that guy is on the board at No. 19, Joe’s gotta wonder if someone found him with a bong mask just before the draft started.
————
Laremy toking is a way better pick than Heargraves. Whoops!
April 4th, 2025 at 10:26 am
Tyler Warren would have to grope an Uber driver to fall to the Bucs …
and these days if he did that, Bucs wouldn’t draft him anyhow because he wouldn’t fit the culture. LOL
Following our current model, Jameis may never have been drafted by us.
April 4th, 2025 at 10:39 am
Joe says:
“Bucs coach Todd Bowles confessed that you win by scoring points.”
If this is a confession, it’s that TB zero has a severe learning disability that needs to be addressed.
How is this considered a good thing? He didn’t know this until five minutes ago?
I’m sorry but this does not inspire confidence in the direction of the football team.
What good is another top end receiver if the HC prefers FGs over TDs, especially in postseason?
I say that defense wins championships and Bowles needs all the help in the word.
28-27
April 4th, 2025 at 10:40 am
If Tetairoa McMillan is there he has to pull the trigger. He may be the only guy I might trade up for. Can you tell that i Like this guy?
Go Bucs!
April 4th, 2025 at 10:47 am
KA Bucs you are correct I’ve heard too.many Bucs FANS going doom & gloom over secondary in transition not disappearing. WE had a inordinate #if bigtime injuries last season it was probably a fluke Inaseveral cases . The BUCS just are due a retool to younger players & at several positions. That player is already onthe roster
April 4th, 2025 at 11:07 am
No to this. Go with strength of the draft, which aligns with our needs.
And gang, if Warren were to crazily somehow make it past Indy at 14, teams would easily jump us to get him, cause the dirdy birdzz at 15 are going DE for sure. So a given team would jump to 16-18 for Warren. No point in discussing it, and no JL would not go up for him.
April 4th, 2025 at 11:07 am
No to WR
April 4th, 2025 at 11:20 am
It’s probably going to be a defense player just by how board will fall, but it Tetairoa McMillan and Tyler Warren are on the board I see them choosing those two over defense. I just have a feeling the two guys are going to be higher on Licht’s board than any defense player available.
April 4th, 2025 at 11:27 am
What, no Jihad?
If you scan all the mock drafts, Campbell is mocked to the Bucs 70%+ of the time.
Do the draft gurus know something about his shoulder that we don’t? I honestly trust Licht/Bowles to eval that situation thoroughly regarding availability, timing and course of recovery.
The others are random mix of Georgia edge/safety & there’s the edge rusher from Boston College. Will be fun to see how many gurus are wrong/right in 3 weeks. GO BUCS!
April 4th, 2025 at 11:48 am
We’re in a great position to take BPA because this FO has proven they are good at finding talent in just about every round.
We have to find a WR somewhere. Age, injury history and playing style of our guys make it almost a sure thing one of the top three will go down at some point.
If you can find him on day three great but if he’s there in round one or two as BPA you turn that card in.
April 4th, 2025 at 11:53 am
I agree with Pickgrin.
Edge/DT or CB round 1.
April 4th, 2025 at 11:55 am
Liar’s Season – GMs and HCs are trying to hide their real plans. Bucs going Edge or ILB.
April 4th, 2025 at 12:00 pm
Wr at 19 is the last thing, the dumbest thing possible
April 4th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
I agree with Joes. The gap between combine workouts and the draft is ridiculous. It seems like national pundits are just making stuff up, suggesting absurdities. Predicting all these trades in the top 10, suggesting Shadeur Sanders slips out of the first round.
In any event, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jason said they’d consider taking a longsnapper with the first pick at this stage.
Let’s get on the clock and go.
April 4th, 2025 at 12:32 pm
They need to go defense if they want to win now. WR would be building for the future. It would be tempting but there is so many holes in defense.
April 4th, 2025 at 1:41 pm
Or, maybe the Joes and Ira…
April 4th, 2025 at 1:43 pm
Baloney, this draft is about defense and getting to the SB. Typical coach and gm double talk. Bucs Are drafting defense at 19.
April 4th, 2025 at 2:59 pm
Godwin will miss 8 games. Evans is now injury prone. Jalen is too frail and is a constant injury risk. WR at number 1 is the team’s number one priority.
April 4th, 2025 at 5:32 pm
I think at the end of the day you do what’s best for the present and future of the Tampa bay buccaneers while also being beholden to the way the board falls. For instance, if a talent like Tet McMillan falls to 19 and the blue chip CBs and edges are off the board, you turn in that card with McMillans name on it without blinking an eye. You take the best player at a current or soon to be area of need. That how you built a great team. You can’t be pigeonholed into taking a lesser talent because you NEED a guy to plug in right away.
April 4th, 2025 at 6:22 pm
We need a backup clipboard holder for Trask in case he sprains a jaw muscle while eating lunch. It’s outrageous nobody’s talking about it.
April 4th, 2025 at 11:07 pm
2nd rd…..Higgins
April 5th, 2025 at 1:49 am
If there’s no one they love on the d-line or corner in the 1st and a good WR is there, you have to go WR.
Evans’ hamstrings are another year older. Godwin off the injury. I’m dubious of McMillan, he wasn’t trusted as a #3 for most of the year and has the most embarrassing lowlight reel I’ve ever seen from a WR.
April 5th, 2025 at 2:23 am
Get a good hot dog roaster.