Jason Licht Doesn’t Rule Out Drafting A Receiver At No. 19
April 10th, 2025
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
Everyone and their brother thinks Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht will draft defense, defense and more defense in the draft when it begins two weeks from tonight.
In fact, “this Joe” wouldn’t mind at all if the entire draft was nothing but defensive selections for the Bucs.
Recently, at the owners meetings in Palm Beach, Bucs coach Todd Bowles sparked a tsunami of a statement when he said teams win by scoring points and he wouldn’t pass up a stud receiver if he was on the board at No. 19.
Joe still has a difficult time believing those words actually came out of Bowles’ mouth. It felt like an episode of “Gilligan’s Island” when, as a result of spending time in some weird futuristic contraption hatched by The Professor, Thurston Howell III spoke with Mary Ann’s voice.
Today, speaking about the draft at One Buc Palace, Licht acknowledged that despite having Mike Evans and a recuperating Chris Godwin, he wouldn’t be opposed to pulling a lever on a receiver.
“Yeah, we could always use receivers,” Licht said. “I think Todd even said you’ve got to score points to win.
“So we’re fortunate to have those two [Evans and Godwin]. And who knows how long they’ll play? Could be longer than what people are saying.”
Then Licht said the Bucs always want to restock the wide receiver room.
“We always want to try to keep that group fresh, and, you know, look for the next J-Mac [Jalen McMillan].
“We’re not going to overlook that position at all, if everything falls that way for us.”
So maybe, just maybe, it’s not outrageous to think Ohio State receiver and Godwin clone Emeka Egbuka could be wearing pewter and red this fall.
(If the Egbuka video doesn’t appear below, click here.)
3+ minutes of Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka cooking on All-22 to the greatest song of all time.
• Safest prospect in the Draft. But make no mistake, the ceiling is NOT limited. Immediate impact player in the NFL.
Hope you enjoy… pic.twitter.com/dj8Shnj1am
— SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) March 15, 2025
April 10th, 2025 at 3:15 pm
LB3 @19
He will do for the passing game what Bucky did for the running game
April 10th, 2025 at 3:18 pm
At this point everything is a smoke screen. We have covered WR, CB, OLB and DL.
April 10th, 2025 at 3:24 pm
I think we draft Tet if still available.
April 10th, 2025 at 3:29 pm
Like the look of that highlight tape!
At this point I have the guys I think I want… but have no idea what the Bucs are after. It does seem like edge isn’t a priority but see how the first 18 go and it’s just very likely that they take BPA regardless of position. Highest guy on their board and I am fine with that… hopefully it’s an edge DT or CB but this Emeka looks awesome and I will gladly take some WR insurance.
April 10th, 2025 at 3:39 pm
Licht is gaslighting the other GM’s with that take. First 3 rounds at least will be defense. I hope.
April 10th, 2025 at 3:40 pm
Chris Godwin clone!
April 10th, 2025 at 3:46 pm
Can he block?
April 10th, 2025 at 4:03 pm
No team is falling for this smoke screen lol. If we do draft a WR it’ll prob be somewhere between rounds 5-7
April 10th, 2025 at 4:13 pm
They were fully exposed by teams using middle of the field and our soft zone approach. The safety out of south carolina or jihad Campbell would immediately make an impact in those spots. Use 2nd round pick on a corner and dline depth in the middle rounds.
April 10th, 2025 at 4:15 pm
Kyle Williams from Washington St. 6’5″ with 4.3 speed, and he could probably be had in the 3rd round
April 10th, 2025 at 5:10 pm
Maybe one of the most overplayed songs but hardly the greatest.
April 10th, 2025 at 5:25 pm
Joe,
I’ve always respected Greg Cosell’s evaluations—though I disagreed with his assessment of Johnny Manziel. That said, with only 28 defensive tackles listed in this class, the idea that 20 will be drafted in the first three rounds just isn’t realistic. The numbers don’t support it.
April 10th, 2025 at 5:29 pm
That said, I do see real value at the position on Day 3—particularly for teams looking to bolster rotational depth with tough, scheme-friendly players.
Cam Horsley:Reliable run defender with strong hands and sound leverage.
JJ Pegues:Quick, disruptive, and built to attack zone run schemes.
Cam Jackson:Heavy anchor; swallows doubles and clogs lanes.
Desmond Watson:Immovable mass inside; eats space and crushes gaps.
April 10th, 2025 at 5:41 pm
Kyle Williams is a very Nice receiver with good hands & great break away speed. His 2024 tape shows him running away from DBs taking it to the house.
14 TDs
1200 yards
70 receptions
Over 17 yards avg per catch
I am all for the BUCS drafting him and believe he would be a great add to our receiving group!
Kyle ran a 4.4 flat 40 verified @nfl combine.
With a 4.40 forty on that day , it certainly is not a stretch(especially watching his film) for him to be a 4.3 something super fast turn on the after burners stud.
This is not a knock on him at all, just an IMO evaluation.
Kyle Williams is 5’11 in height & weighs 190 lbs.
Even though he is smaller in size, he plays outside X receiver more than inside
at Slot. He is not in luv with blocking at this point in his journey. Still needs to work on effort & technique but he is a dynamic playmaker that would be great late 4 especially anywhere in the 5th round . GO BUCS!!
April 10th, 2025 at 5:47 pm
Matthew Golden. Fastest receiver in the draft who happens to be a good route runner also. From what I understand he’s a good locker room guy, a selfless worker. He’d have two of the best to learn from.
April 10th, 2025 at 5:49 pm
There are a lot of strong receiver prospects in this year’s class—plenty with starting traits. And even a few potential gems could slip to Day 3:
Jaylin Noel
Jayden Higgins
Elic Ayomanor
Taj Felton
Nick Nash
Ricky White III
All bring something unique to the table—wouldn’t be surprised if one of them outplays his draft slot.
April 10th, 2025 at 5:56 pm
You win by scoring more points than the other team. So if someone falls, absolutely I’d be good with taking them. I think Evans has at least two more years as an ALL-PRO caliber WR, and we all hope Godwin is good to go, but it never hurts to have back-up plans. Also, you start three WRs, and the Bucs have three, but again one of those is pretty old, another is coming off a major injury, and the other had a promising rookie WR but isn’t a #1, at least at this point.
April 10th, 2025 at 6:05 pm
The WR I think the Bucs would take, if available, would be Tetairoa McMillan – even if that would play havoc on TV and radio announcers. The guy isn’t as big as Evans, but is pretty close (same height but weights quite a bit less, however players tend to add weight when they get to the NFL). If you were going to take a 1st round WR, I think he’d be the guy because you’d view him as an eventual plug-in replacement for Evan – at least in terms of being the big body big play WR.
Anywho, no idea if he’d be available or not. I see him going all over the place in mock drafts, from top 8, all the way down to Green Bay taking him at 23.
With that all said, I seriously doubt the Bucs will take a WR. But, if there is a huge run at edge and corner, and someone falls because of it, then pick the guy who you think will be a star.
April 10th, 2025 at 6:26 pm
BTW, I just saw the Colts cut Matt Gay, and the thing that stuck out in the story is that Matt Gay is 31 years old – the same age as Jameis Winston. Huh? I went back and looked and best I can tell he was in college for 6 years. I never realized he was that old.
April 10th, 2025 at 6:30 pm
“They were fully exposed by teams using middle of the field and our soft zone approach.”
What was truly exposed. How everybody seems to wish to gloss over the best defender on the field being lost pretty much for the entire season who happens to play safety and fills those gaps and covers up the mistakes.
If AW is healthy and plays up to his former play making game changing safety ala Palamalu, and they find a decent ILB who can stay on the field…perhaps SVD?
Find an ILB who does not run a 4.76 40!!!! He took the place of a guy who ran a 4.42!!!
So take out an ILB running a 4.42…lose the top safety in the league…and have your #1 DB who missed FIVE games and was limited by injury in others.
That’s all the coach’s fault right?
April 10th, 2025 at 6:48 pm
If we drafted Tetairoa McMillan, we’d have TMac and JMac.
We’d have the Mac Attack!
I’m down with it.
April 10th, 2025 at 6:55 pm
I agree with Munch— I don’t see them drafting a wide receiver until the later rounds, unless it’s Tetairoa McMillan. I also don’t see them taking a left tackle, quarterback, or center in any round.
April 10th, 2025 at 7:29 pm
Remember when the Bucs drafted Chris Godwin in the 3rd Round? That’s where I’d like the Bucs to start looking, 3rd or 4th, this year or next.
Rod Munch: Didn’t Matt G go to a college in Utah? Maybe had a mission he had to go on? Just a guess, I’m at work and don’t want to look up his last name. Hahaha
April 10th, 2025 at 8:37 pm
Another one I found that might be there in the 5th or late 4th…. Donte Thornton. 6’5 4.3 speed…dont understand why he’s not being talked about that much by teams. Looks like great value if we hit D with those first three to four picks.
April 10th, 2025 at 10:52 pm
SlyPirate Says:
April 10th, 2025 at 6:48 pm
If we drafted Tetairoa McMillan, we’d have TMac and JMac.
We’d have the Mac Attack!
I’m down with it.
————-
Mac Attack is pretty awesome – could carry us well into the next decade!
April 10th, 2025 at 10:55 pm
Joe in Michigan – That’s what I thought too, but reading his profile it says he played soccer for two years at a college, then switched to football for 2 years, then transferred to Utah for another 2 years. It’s just remarkable he was a rookie in Winston’s 5th year, yet he’s only a couple of months younger. I just never realized he was that old.
April 10th, 2025 at 11:12 pm
MadMax – I had been reading up on Thorton before, he’s got great measurables but played for four years in college and didn’t have a ton of production. Watching his highlights, his speed leaps off the screen – he just runs away from guys. He doesn’t really do anything after the catch unless he’s got nothing but green in front of him, but I’m OK with that when you’re talking about this type of a WR. He doesn’t really use his size at all, and I didn’t see anything where he was making Evans like plays where the QB is just tossing it high, but I don’t know if that’s a QB issue or a limitation on him. A big plus for him is that reading some scouting reports, I don’t see him having issues with drops – but they all also ding him for not being much of a route runner.
I don’t know if the Bucs would have a lot of interest in him because like you said he’s seen as a 4th round value, maybe slips into the 5th, and with the Bucs needing corners and linebackers and safeties, those are rounds where you can still get some quality defenders while Thorton would very much be a developmental WR. If he slipped to the 6th for some reason, like Palmer did, then certain he’d be worth taking a flyer on.
April 11th, 2025 at 2:21 am
Thanks for the response Rod, great post.
April 11th, 2025 at 4:44 am
Egbuka looks good if they could get him. Sounds like Licht is thinking ahead. He has a vision.
Agree with some others commenting; Licht will find a gem in the later rounds for our next WR, not early on. However, if someone he has his eyes on is still there at 19, he may do it.
April 11th, 2025 at 8:50 am
go for a value pick 3rd or later. I think the Marshall QB switched to receiver.
April 11th, 2025 at 9:04 am
I would draft this guy in a heartbeat!!! The music he chose for his highlight real alone is worth a draft pic!!!
April 11th, 2025 at 11:51 am
Mary Ann >> Ginger