Grading Jason Licht (Round 6 & 7) — A Draft Series
April 29th, 2021
Time to think a little and assess the record of Super Bowl general manager Jason Licht when it comes to the NFL Draft.
Next up are Rounds 6 & 7.
What a diehard fan you are! You love our Bucs enough to read about sixth- and seventh-round draft picks. Joe appreciates your love.
Grading a GM in the NFL Draft requires considering what moves were made — and the ones that weren’t and possibly should have been.
It’s also a challenge to score a team-building move versus a best-player-available move.
Then there’s the massive elephant in the room: a team’s record and a player’s impact.
Injuries are tricky because while a GM cannot be blamed for injuries, GMs love their medical and training staffs, and those doctors/trainers evaluate prospects’ health and performance to project potential injuries – and prevent them. So logic says injuries can’t always be called bad luck.
The eighth draft of Licht’s Tampa Bay tenure is here – so it’s time for fans to man up and grade Licht.
Presenting … Rounds 6 & 7.
2014 – Robert Herron (6th)
2015 – Kaelin Clay (6th), Joey Iosefa (7th)
2016 – Devante Bond (6th), Danny Vitale (6th)
2017 – Stevie Tu’ikolovatu (7th)
2018 – Jack Cichy (6th)
2019 – Scotty Miller (6th), Terry Beckner, Jr. (7th)
2020 – Khalil Davis (6th), Chappelle Russell + Raymond Calais (both 7th)
The Bucs packaged a 2020 7th-rounder and DeSean Jackson to score the pick that landed NFC Championship hero Scotty Miller, who certainly looks like a legit weapon. Defensive tackle Khalil Davis had a few excellent flashes last season, and LB Jack Cichy is still around as a special teams guy/bubble player.
The Bucs did get production from LB Devante Bond before he was popped for performance-enhancing drugs and released, and fullback (alleged “superback”) Danny Vitale never made the Bucs roster but is a member of the Belicheats after opting out last year because of The Sickness.
Of course, the grading must factor in the low success rate of late-round picks.
Joe’s agonizing a bit here, but will check in with a C+ grade for Licht.
What say you?
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April 29th, 2021 at 1:09 pm
Is the 2016 draft, the worst in Licht’s history? Worst in Bucs history?
Vernon Hargreaves Noah Spence Roberto Aguayo Ryan Smith Caleb Benenoch Devante Bond Danny Vitale
April 29th, 2021 at 1:13 pm
Can’t give Licht or any GM too much flack for the 6th and 7th round. And Licht did manage to find a stud in “Scooter” Scotty Miller out of Bowling Green. But that’s his only good pick and there were several notable undrafted free agents that we could have picked but didn’t.
So I’ll give him a C
April 29th, 2021 at 1:17 pm
Brady was a 6th round.
April 29th, 2021 at 1:20 pm
6th and 7nd rounders are undeveloped prospects. It’s pretty clear that the previous staffs haven’t done a great job developing players. This would impact the bottom of the draft more.
A.
April 29th, 2021 at 1:23 pm
Scotty and Jack are still on the team and Scooter gives us a deep threat. Since it’s hard for a 6 or 7th rounder to even make the team, I find it hard to grade Licht. Basically by the 6th round you are picking practice squad players.
April 29th, 2021 at 1:24 pm
This article screams: Use late round draft picks as trade bait.
If Licht has any picks in rounds 5-7, he should trade them for next year’s draft picks. They are a waste. It’s better to stockpile so you can do more later.
This has been a really good series, Joe.
April 29th, 2021 at 1:32 pm
– Clay played 4 years in the league
– Bond played 3 1/2 years for the Bucs as a special teamer and backup LBer – was still in the league as of last year with the Bears
– Vitale is still in the league with the Patriots
– Jack Cichy has been with the Bucs on and off for the last 3 years. He has NFL talent – is a good ST player and a decent emergency back up at LBer. Just keeps getting hurt unfortunately.
– Scotty Miller – the gem of the bunch obviously. A very solid and reliable #3 WR who tracks the ball well, hangs on to catchable balls and has speed that only a handful of players in the NFL possess.
– Khalil Davis – too early to judge – but he’s still with the team and has been well spoken of by coaches and teammates alike as a DL player with real potential.
Players drafted in these rounds typically have about a 10-15% chance of sticking around the league for any length of time.
6 of Lichts 12 late draft selections have managed to do that – so he’s running well above average with just that. Add the major hit of Scotty Miller into that mix and a grade for those efforts should be no less than a B+.
April 29th, 2021 at 1:38 pm
Licht does better with UDFA than late round picks……
April 29th, 2021 at 2:03 pm
We have a boatload of fa next year.
At least 1 retirement, but probably 3 or 4. (McClendon, Suh, JPP, Gronk)
Maybe TB hangs em up. Especially with another ring.
Use excess picks to trade up or trade for picks next year when we’ll have more holes.
Godwin is worth 16 mil, at least. Davis will command 12 mil or more. Cappa and Jenson at minimum 10 mill apeice.
Whitehead is worth a few mil. Ro and Lenny won’t come cheap.
A few extra picks next year will help a lot, even if it’s just to move up.
April 29th, 2021 at 2:08 pm
The 6th and 7th round are fringe guys who may not even make the roster. Yet Licht managed to nab Scotty Miller, who would be a starter in 3WR sets on most teams. Add Cichy and Davis, that makes his recent 6th/7th round grade an easy A.
April 29th, 2021 at 2:11 pm
Place yer bets everybody. Round and round and round she goes and where she stops nobody knows, not even JL just yet.
April 29th, 2021 at 2:11 pm
Fact: Licht’s 6-7 round picks mirror Dominik’s 1-2 round picks when it come to success.
April 29th, 2021 at 2:37 pm
Tampabaybucfan Says:
Licht does better with UDFA than late round picks……
———————————————–
It might seem that way based on # of “hits” (like Brate, Barber, Auclair, etc) – but every year they bring in 15-20 UDFAs and only get a couple late rd draft picks on average per year. So % wise – hes actually doing much better with the late draft picks – as it should be…….
Its very much an advantage for the team to have a 5-7th rd pick become a good player as opposed to a UDFA – because a UDFA who plays well out the gate will get paid more sooner than a 6th rd pick who is locked into their small late round contract for 4 years…
April 29th, 2021 at 6:21 pm
“Fact: Licht’s 6-7 round picks mirror Dominik’s 1-2 round picks when it come to success.”
Not a fact, Dominick in 2012 had a solid draft with Lavonte David, Doug Martin, Mark Barron and Keith Tandy.
April 29th, 2021 at 10:11 pm
Theres some guys here that lasted in the NFL way longer than they were supposed too. Vitale has really hung around as an NFL player. Joey I was around for a while too with the Patriots. Stevie T was a good story who was around a while until he retired handing it over to Suh and Vea. Cichy couldn’t never stay healthy for a full time role but his special teams role is big. Scotty Miller makes it an A as the icing on the cake. Terry Beckner and the others recently are too early to call even Davis. Good series Joe this was awesome. I give Licht an A+ for his entire time here, but one last monkey on his back that he hasn’t done that all the other Bucs GM in the past have done is obtained 2 first round picks. McKay got Sapp & Brooks with his, Bruce Allmighty omg, got Trueblood & Joseph, Dominik got Mark Barron & Doug Martin. As if Licht really needed to do that at this point but if he were imagine what it could be. Best chance was that draft he selected Vea over James. I was upset at the time they didnt maximize trading out the top 10 for those two first Buffalo had that year. Nothing against the pick just felt we could got more and it had us set back until Brady got here. Maybe the trade that got Brady here honestly. Licht you da man just as Lovie said all those years ago. Provided great talent for Dirk as well its just his vision wasnt carried out because he or the QB were good for each other. Bruce got here and has really turned him genius. His best moves are drafting Mike Evans and Donovan Smith and Marpet. Good luck tonight Licht get your man and make your moves GO CHAMPS