“Position Investment” Data On Jason Licht Held Up
April 28th, 2024
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
The steady growth of sports gambling has Joe paying more attention to some of the cool data that comes along with those peddling in statistics — not grades and opinion, hard numbers.
So Sumer Sports, led by former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, is trying to make it as a data firm that can pull in big money from NFL teams in addition to growing a reputation with fans.
Joe has monitored Sumer Sports since it launched and actually talked to Dimitroff about it personally in Arizona last year at the NFL owners meetings. So Joe has strong trust in their numbers.
On their Thursday night draft show, Sumer Sports shared a weighted positional history called “percentage of draft capital” for Bucs general manager Jason Licht’s 10 years of drafting.
Loosely explained, that data factors in where a guy was selected as each pick in the draft has a different “capital value.”
Per Sumer Sports, Licht (from 2014 – 2023) spent 20.2 percent of his draft captial on defensive line (including outside linebackers), 19.2 percent on defensive backs and 15.8 percent on the offensive line.
And what did Licht do with his first three picks of the 2024 draft? Licht went offensive line, defensive line and defensive back.
Considering Licht also picked an offensive lineman in Round 6, Joe suspects Licht’s new “percentage of draft capital” spent might be damn near an even split of D-Line, O-Line and defensive backs.
Licht definitely has patters to his draft history, and they’ve been working super well through the second half of his tenure.
April 28th, 2024 at 12:23 pm
Washington, SEC, FSU, and small azz schools whose programs go defunct shortly after Licht drafts a kid from there year in year out. In Licht we trust.
April 28th, 2024 at 12:26 pm
We needed……..G/C Edge 3rd WR CB RB, TE We got all of them…
The only position not addressed was ILB……
April 28th, 2024 at 12:27 pm
Hey joes, O/T–when you gonna review the UCFAs for this season?
Joe doesn’t obsess over undrafted free agents. If Joe finds one especially interesting, Joe will write about him. Ultimately, Joe writes about what moves Joe, not to soothe fans interested in a specific topic. –Joe
April 28th, 2024 at 12:34 pm
Football isn’t the most complicated sport in the world, the trenches win football games and Licht understands that.
April 28th, 2024 at 12:51 pm
Dan. Yep million percent!!! Exactly where the game is won and lost. Jason knows that. Built a Super Bowl team once has them in contention again last 4 years. The winning should continue this year as well. Solid draft again
April 28th, 2024 at 12:54 pm
Hey, the past 4-5 drafts the Cheifs had a heavy split of DL, OL, DBs as well. It’s a successful formula.
On one side, give your QB time to pass, he will find an open guy more likely than not, even if it’s a UDFA (like Cyril Grayson vs the Jets). On the other side, it’s prevent that from occurring by all means.
April 28th, 2024 at 1:42 pm
Jersey. Licht didn’t build a superbowl team we brought in 3 hall of famers and a pro bowl runningback on offense. And on defense he brought in 3 pro bowlers and maybe one of them might be a hall of famer which Suh and that’s we won the superbowl in 2020 . Now drafting Wirs was a good pick and was the last OT out of the big 4 they’re where calling the OT that year. You build a team by bringing in old players that’s not in the league right now. This is the time for him to build a superbowl team. But right now today this is not a super bowl roster. Baker Mayfield is a game manger type of quarterback which means you have to have a good to great team around him to win a superbowl or even make it to the NFC Championship. But having a 9-8 season in a trash division is not a super bowl contender. And this year our schedule will be much harder.
April 28th, 2024 at 2:05 pm
We know how….
April 28th, 2024 at 2:23 pm
O’Neil – Licht drafted 15/22 starters their Super Bowl year and acquired 3 influential and highly productive vets before Brady arrived in Jensen, Shaq and JPP. That’s 18/22 or over 80% of the starting roster Jason built before Brady ever arrived.
Tom and Rob were obviously the missing link to put the Bucs over the top, but any good QB can get this team to play offs because of how Licht has drafted over the past six years.
It was recently quantified by another publication that Licht has a 90% hit rate, tied for 3rd best in the NFL, with 80/86 players he has drafted since 2018 are still active and playing in the NFL.
Say what you will but Brady needed the Bucs just as much as the Bucs needed Brady. The results speak for themselves.
April 28th, 2024 at 2:53 pm
@A Bucs Fan
Couldn’t have worded it better myself!
April 28th, 2024 at 3:00 pm
Ira is right, and this draft didn’t change anything. We still lack the type of player that will put people in the seats. Or the type of player that will grab the attention of the national media.
April 28th, 2024 at 3:22 pm
I like these draft guys. Bucky said he watched Barry Sanders and Dunn. He should watch Ricky Bell, too, if he can find his highlights. Barton looks formidable. Spytek is smiling. GO BUCS!
I hope two of them will stop saying “You know” every 5 words.
April 28th, 2024 at 3:32 pm
A Buc Fan beat me to it, well said. I was wondering what ONeil meant when he says Licht didn’t build a SB team, we brought in… haha. Who is we?
Maybe this year we aren’t a “contender” but who knows how the season breaks. As soon as next year, franchise cornerstones will be locked up, we will have a lot more cap space and including the ‘25 draft we will have 25+ contributors on rookie deals. That’s how SB contenders are built. A 9-10 win this year and 40-50 million in cap space next year will put the Bucs firmly in the conversation because we have a great GM.
April 28th, 2024 at 4:02 pm
Any person with marginal football knowledge knows that the bread and butter of any football team is in the trenches. You can have Joe Montana, 3 Jerry rices, and an emmitt smith on your offense, but if you have an incompetent line you will have a bad offense. A qb can’t throw from his backside and a RB can’t run draped in 4 DL behind the line. Same goes for D line. You can have 2 Primes and 2 Ed reeds back there but if you have a suspect DLine that doesn’t affect the QB it will be a long day.
April 28th, 2024 at 4:17 pm
Also like what A Buc Fan said.
April 28th, 2024 at 4:36 pm
A Bucs Fan – mic drop!
Oneil is still salty about Jameis lol.
As for this data – it makes total sense. Football is won and lost in the trenches, so you need to hit on those every year in some aspect or another. Can never have too many DBs or WRs either, and I suspect the reason the WR % is lower is because we’ve had such studs as our #1 and #2 for so long now.
April 28th, 2024 at 4:41 pm
Interestingly, the same Sumer Sports outfit is predicting just 8 wins for the Bucs in 2024, with only a 36.1% of making the playoffs.
They have the Saints at 8.2 wins and 44.7% of making playoffs, and Atlanta at 8.8 wins with a 50% chance of making the playoffs.
Underdogs again! At this point, I love it. It’s who we are.
April 28th, 2024 at 7:23 pm
With this draft and Rah Rah in Atlanta we should finish 11-6 easy win the division.
April 28th, 2024 at 8:21 pm
I don’t understand, why there is so much trust in JL, look at all of his mistakes, and you guys love him so much, a real GM is what you see in Philly… look at there draft and FA’s they are able to attract and we don’t do anything, and it’s sad because we beat them and still can’t attract players, look at the UDFA, he signed yesterday and today, he has no clue! He drafts the same type of players, year after year, we need a QB, CB & a LB and what did we do nothing!!!!
April 28th, 2024 at 8:37 pm
HeavyE you mean the team the Bucs sent packing in the playoffs?
April 28th, 2024 at 8:42 pm
Unbelievable.. I don’t give a crap about Jamies is that the first thing you run to when facts is being presented? Licht havtnt
April 28th, 2024 at 8:44 pm
Lchit haven’t built a super bowl team and yes he had to bring in those players to win and save his job . That’s a fact that can be and has been proven.
April 28th, 2024 at 8:51 pm
A Bucs Fan – That’s exactly what an intelligent fan sounds like ! You nailed that one. O’Neil is the definition of what not to say or listen to. Not that I disagree with everything he says , just mostly. Suh was also on the team before Brady , as was our top tier Oline ! If not for them , Brady would have been sacked 50 times. Instead he was sacked the least in the NFL for the entire 3 years he played with our Bucs. Our Dline was just as good as our Oline, getting sacks, forcing turnovers. And we had the best draft since our Bucs took Sapp and Brooks in 94. Wirfs and Winfield are on their way to following 99 and 55 to Canton, baring injuries. Go Bucs and real Bucs fans !
April 28th, 2024 at 8:52 pm
Bucs fan. You forgot about AB as well he had the one of the biggest impact on the team that year. And yes Baker is a game manger and if the bucs have him throwing 40 to 45 times a game we will lose more than we win . Licht has made some decent draft picks. But don’t forget he missed on the whole 2016 draft class. But to act like this is a superbowl roster is just crazy lol 🤣🤣. You mean to tell me a superbowl roster couldn’t dominate a division like ours was last year? Come on man you have to want more from the team than just being a meadicore team. I’m sorry I but I want to be a dominant team and not celebrate mediocrey!!
April 28th, 2024 at 9:00 pm
Tampabay DJ. Let me ask you this did Licht draft Suh or JPP no . Those guys made their names from other organizations not the bucs. Again I believe in building a team threw the draft and adding free agents as being apart of the help not the main reason why we win . No body respect our 2020 superbowl as a team. They only say Brady was the reason why we won the superbowl but it’s crazy because I was labeled the guy who hated Brady because I don’t believe he was the only reason why we won the superbowl. And now when I do say him and the other free agents was why we won now I’m wrong about that!! Lol 🤣🤣
April 28th, 2024 at 9:04 pm
HeavyE – That’s gotta be the worst and least thought out comment I’ve ever seen ! First off , Philly is not as good as the Bucs. And they can spend more money because they have a QB and 1st round WR still on rookie deals. We just stomped Philly in a year the Bucs had to navigate through one of the worst cap situations in the NFL. Now, the Bucs are getting out of cap he’ll, and Philly will be there very soon. Philly didn’t have a very good draft imo , and the opinions of pro experts. And the only Free Agent splash they made was overpaying a RB that has a huge injury history , and he’s not even better than the RB they had in D. Swift. Unless you think Devin White is their savior ? You know nothing about football, stick to Madden and fantasy football, or soccer for that matter. Go Bucs
April 28th, 2024 at 9:05 pm
orlbucfan Says:
April 28th, 2024 at 12:27 pm
Hey joes, O/T–when you gonna review the UCFAs for this season?
Joe doesn’t obsess over undrafted free agents. If Joe finds one especially interesting, Joe will write about him. Ultimately, Joe writes about what moves Joe, not to soothe fans interested in a specific topic. –Joe
_________
So Brad Culpepper hasn’t contacted you yet Joe?
I would think if Judge makes the cut you might have a new law firm wanting to get in on the JBF action.
Dolman who?
😁
April 28th, 2024 at 9:07 pm
unbelievable Says:
April 28th, 2024 at 4:36 pm
A Bucs Fan – mic drop!
Oneil is still salty about Jameis lol.
__________
It ain’t real salt, that just be the sickle cell you tastin’
April 28th, 2024 at 9:13 pm
O’Neil – You are WRONG about everything. The Bucs weren’t supposed to win 5 games last year because they were so cap strapped. So what do you think will happen this year ? Baker made plays that even Brady couldn’t. Game manager ? He was a top 10 QB in just about every category. He made plays when the play broke down. He threw 13 TDs to Evans, and he was running for his life most of the time. Now, he has a better Oline , OC with experience calling plays , and a Defense that isn’t going to lose games for the Bucs. Your thinking is small, not smart . You only see what the mainstream media is putting in your head. Go root for the AINTS if you don’t like our Bucs.
April 28th, 2024 at 9:23 pm
O’NEIL – JL didn’t build a Super Bowl team ?? Then how did our Bucs win the Super bowl, and was a bone headed defensive breakdown away from winning back to back , refs had a hand in that too . But everything you have said is trash ! That’s not my opinion , that’s fact ! I swear, some of you people are never happy about anything. Misery loves company, and you are the definition of that.
April 28th, 2024 at 9:28 pm
To control cap costs you have to draft trenches and DBs. You can draft WRs and QBs to control cap costs too but the Bucs have Mayfield, Godwin and Evans so for now that isn’t mandatory. But the Bucs did draft McMillan so Licht is hitting all the premium positions minus QB through the draft.
April 28th, 2024 at 9:30 pm
O’Neil – Get your facts right before spewing your mislead opinions. This is why JL gets paid millions to run an NFL team, and you get paid no attention for the fictional words you speak. You couldn’t make a Pee Wee football team good., so stop embarrassing yourself by thinking you know better than anyone on the Bucs payroll, including the Custodians . Go Bucs
April 28th, 2024 at 9:31 pm
I wish I could like comment because some people have good ones
April 28th, 2024 at 9:31 pm
All_da_way – Exactly 💯
April 28th, 2024 at 9:37 pm
Tampa DJ. You are the one who believes the media not me and I don’t care what the media say about the bucs I go by what I see in the field. And the Baker being to 10 in every stat is not true. Baker is a game manger type of quarterback and we have 3 other teams that he played for that said this . And I get it that’s what everyone says go root for the saints or for another team especially when you bring up the facts. Or bring up Jamies name because I don’t hate the guy like y’all most of yall do . Our defense was the reason why we made the playoffs what happened to Baker against the saints when they put the game in his hands he sucked. What happened to Baker both games against the Panthers defense stepped up and our kicker. It’s on to be a game manger and Baker at 29 years old ain’t going to get better. Baker height is the reason why he can’t be a elite quarterback he’s to small and he’s slow. That’s who he is and you don’t have to agree with me it’s ok . That doesn’t mean I’m rooting against Baker I’m just laying out the facts.
April 28th, 2024 at 9:40 pm
JL didn’t build a Super Bowl team ??? Then how did our Bucs win the Super Bowl ? And came within a broken defensive play of winning back to back Super Bowl’s , plural. Won the division the last 3 years, and with zero cap last year
April 28th, 2024 at 9:42 pm
Let me ask all of you who thinks Licht is so great what’s our record the past 2 years it’s 17-17 that’s not a good record that’s average which means meadicorey their goes your facts on Jason Licht.
April 28th, 2024 at 9:50 pm
DJ. Bro you keep talking about a division that we couldn’t dominate and it is the worst division in football and you bragging about 8-9 and 9-8 seasons this is why we can’t be one of the greatest franchises because our fan base loves medaicorey. This is why no other fan base or even the media who you guys love so much don’t respect the bucs because you guys love meadicorey. How about you guys go root for another team because it obvious that you don’t want or believe we can have one the best franchises in the NFL. I believe we can get there but we have to have demand more than just meadicorey.
April 28th, 2024 at 10:12 pm
oneil and heavy….lol, smoking that stuff i guess….thats why i stay away from drugs and people like them, for “fine examples” keep me going
April 28th, 2024 at 10:50 pm
Oline (5) + DLine (4) + DBs (4/5) = 13 or 14 of 22 starters.
55% of draft picks towards those 3 positions is statistically in line if not slightly under-drafting for both lines and DBs.
The strength of your team largely depends on line play.
Teams with the best offensive and defensive lines tend to be the best teams.
Thankfully GM Licht (a former OLineman himself) understands this and drafts accordingly (last 5 drafts the 1st rd selection was for either OLine or DLine)
April 28th, 2024 at 11:00 pm
Brad Culpepper hasn’t played for the Bucs this century? Yeah, that long ago.
Maybe Joe might write something about the kid next weekend at rookie minicamp.
April 28th, 2024 at 11:03 pm
The only guys on the Super Bowl-winning team Jason Licht didn’t have a hand in drafting/trading for/signing were Lavonte David and Will Gholston.
To say Licht didn’t build that team is not just asinine, but a complete and total lie.
What next, Licht didn’t draft Jameis?
April 28th, 2024 at 11:16 pm
Joe and the others. It’s all about how you view building a team to me building a team is not going out and get guys that made their names on other teams. Suh, Brady, JPP, AB , Gronk and Fournett all made their names on other teams. In fact I don’t think none of them will retire a bucs . But if that’s what you call building a team than have at it . What happened once those guys left we have a 17-17 record which means a mediocre team. Those guys have been gone for a few years now we’re in the 2024 season and they are not here anymore. I get it Joe to you and others Licht is a hall of famer. But now it’s time for him to put or shut up. Brady gets all the credit for that superbowl and if it wasn’t for Brady we wouldn’t have had AB or Gronk and probably Wirs because Licht never drafted a offensive lineman in the first round until Brady came. That’s why many of the people including on this site called Brady the GM . So let’s see what he does now. And remember he missed on the whole 2016 draft class.
April 28th, 2024 at 11:23 pm
Mad Max. I’m not a puppet like you and probably most of the people on here. The past 2 years the bucs has been 17-17 record and that’s a fact. And not to mention we have the hardest schedule in the NFL so let’s see what happens. I will call it like I see it rather y’all like it or not. Jason Licht did ok this draft but the runningback was a bad pick to me .
April 28th, 2024 at 11:31 pm
Joe. Where did I lie at you just push narratives about Licht because you like the guy and that’s cool.
April 29th, 2024 at 3:40 am
Oh youre a puppet but dont want it…. all i had to do was pull your string and there you went…
Master Of Puppets, Metallica
April 29th, 2024 at 12:36 pm
Hey Joe,
“Brad Culpepper hasn’t played for the Bucs this century? Yeah, that long ago.”
And yet as of Today Brad Culpeper is still #4 on our Buccaneers sacks totals.
He may have played last century, but he was a very good Buccaneer!! One of my favorites in the Dungey era… Sapp’s as well…
I do hope his son gets a chance to stick. Dad was a difficult guy to defend… especially next to Sapp….