Who’s Making The Bucs’ First-Round Pick?
April 13th, 2025
One of the great minds from Tampa to New Port Richey will not waffle on his stance for the Buccaneers’ first-round pick.
The mighty Sage of Tampa Bay Sports, Ira Kaufman, continues to say on his iconic podcast that Todd Bowles will be choosing the player the Bucs draft at No. 19 overall — unless that player lines up on offense.
Bowles’ input will guide the selection, Kaufman says adamantly. It’s no swipe at general manager Jason Licht, per Kaufman, simply the reality of the situation for a head coach with Bowles’ track record and current standing within his team.
It’s sort of Bowles’ turn, says Ira, especially with the team in a defense-first mindset.
Licht acknowledged it’s a defense year very candidly during his last visit to the Ira Kaufman Podcast.
“It’s just the cycle we’re in that we had to focus last year on offense [in the draft]. You know, not everything is, ‘You can put it on the [head] coach,’” Licht said.
“And, I mean, you guys [at JoeBucsFan] talk about The Lost Decade all the time. We’ve been going to the playoffs for five straight years now and Todd’s been here the whole time. But he’s been the head coach for three of those years. … I mean, I guess there’s expectation to win the Super Bowl every year, but I think Todd’s been doing a great job steadying the ship and pulling us out of some ruts [in 2022 and 2023] and keeping the faith and keeping guys positive, and we’ve done some great things …
“You never know what you’re going to get with a head coach and we know what we have with Todd. And we’re going to do whatever we can to help improve the team for him.”
Joe thinks it’s somewhat insulting to Licht to say Bowles is calling the shot with a defensive pick in Round 1. However, why would Licht want to draft a player Bowles doesn’t want? That’s a recipe for a mess and rarely something seen from good teams.
April 13th, 2025 at 8:25 am
Well Said!!!
We are lucky to have Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay!
TB in TB? Like Tom Brady in TB? It’s fate.
After the “lost decade” he’s right! We should all be supportive of our coach!
I really hope Baker and Todd Bowles get their Super Bowl this year.
Just to shut up all the two-faced, fair weather fans!
Go Bucs!
(Now get us some big nasty D-lineman and some tough gangster corners!
Go Bucs!
April 13th, 2025 at 8:26 am
Starks/Emmanwori/Harmon…or trade down with the right picks offered.
April 13th, 2025 at 8:37 am
Why would you let the coach who’s on the last year of his contract make that call? Considering Todd’s standing with the team, what exactly is that anyway? When the Glazers give Todd a new deal I’ll believe he has input. Until then, he’s going into next season as a lame duck coach. Money talks, BS walks, if the Glazers are 100% behind Bowles show him the money.
April 13th, 2025 at 8:40 am
You can be sure that Bowles will have a major input on the first couple of picks by the Bucs. He and Licht did well with Kancey and the jury is still out on Braswell. Tykee seems like a Bowles kind of guy, but I’m not sure how deep in the draft that Bowles digs – did he look hard at Zion as a 5th rounder?
April 13th, 2025 at 8:50 am
Joel and Bryan.
April 13th, 2025 at 8:59 am
Players I don’t want the Bucs to select in the 1st rd:
Anyone on offense
Starks UGA Safety because Smith is being moved to Safety
Any CB not named Travis Hunter because no others are worth it
Any ILB named Jihaad Campbell because no others are worth it
By worth it, I believe you can get one almost as good in the 2nd or 3rd round
So who do I want? DL – Edge or DT. There’s a huge Edge drop off after 30-40 picks. There’s also probably to be a dropff after around the 25th pick.
April 13th, 2025 at 9:07 am
Hey Joe, I just wanted to ask you why the other guys just keep putting up all the things that have been done this season, they change it around but still the same. Did they ever really have the story?
April 13th, 2025 at 9:10 am
Oh great! That means we’re drafting a safety rd 1……. jk
Licht is not going to draft anyone that Bowles has not pre-approved.
They go over and over and over all the possible scenarios and will be well prepared.
There’s a pool of 5-6 players they are focused on for rd 1 that are hoped/expected to maybe be available at #19…. all are HC approved….
Bowels will be sitting right there in the war room on draft day….
This ain’t the 80s when the Bucs once couldn’t even get their selection in on time and lost a player they wanted…. LOL
April 13th, 2025 at 9:14 am
I think it’s more like Bowles picking the player he wants then having to go to Licht and get his approval
April 13th, 2025 at 9:37 am
The word is Collaboration. Jason knows how to get input from all quarters. No doubt Todd will be in the room when they make the pick. They’ve probably already agreed on who the pick is based on multiple scenarios of who is available.
Jason probably learned his lesson, though, with Dirk Koetter and OJ Howard. Ultimately, Jason is accountable for the decision on who it is. Todd is accountable to see that the player performs and develops. Something Todd has shown he doesn’t accept.
April 13th, 2025 at 10:06 am
The team’s draft process is the same as it always is. There is consensus building, as always. Bowles doesn’t make the selection any less or any more than usual. However, the defensive needs are apparent, and Bowles’ opinion on what they need for the defense is critical. It’s a collective decision every year, including this one. Ultimately, Licht has final say, but he’s not the type of GM to ignore his coach’s opinion.
April 13th, 2025 at 10:43 am
No way, totally disagree. @Jeff is much closer to accurate with his ownership reply, but a coach one foot (involuntarily) out the door warm seated…is merely a defensive consult between positions and worth hierarchy there. Not the selector at #19 whatsoever. JL driving the bus, plus ownership watchful.
April 13th, 2025 at 11:10 am
i smell a rat. no way he gets the car keys here.
April 13th, 2025 at 11:22 am
Jackie Davidson.
April 13th, 2025 at 11:22 am
1st round – this is supposedly the strongest draft for DT’s in some time so whoever is avaioable from Mason, Harmon, Grant and Nolen who is available at 19 and fits Todd Bowles scheme should be the pick. If all are off the board, take the best Edge unless CB Johnson falls.
Bowles and Licht are great and developing lower round picks at CB, S and OL so those can wait. Edge has some strong prospects available for round 2 and a good ILB could be had in round 3.
2nd round – If 1st round pick was DT then Edge here. If the tip 4 DT’s were gone in round 1 by the 19th pick then go DT here and get a good one.
3rd round – If a top CB slips get here otherwise ILB
4th round – ILB or CB whichever didnt get picked in round 3
5th round – Get a swing OT here
7th round – a S with good special team s skills
April 13th, 2025 at 11:42 am
Pickgrin is correct, all the intel is shared and talked about after the last game is played and then the plan is mapped out depending on what Bowles & Licht see’s as team needs. And then the grocery list starts, first needs, etc. They look at so much film and dissect these players, it’s insane. Then there are the scouts with their input at meetings, there is just SO much collaberation in the building that goes on that there is not a stone left unturned as best as possible.
T Bowls: sound assessment.
April 13th, 2025 at 12:30 pm
Ezeirauku
April 13th, 2025 at 12:54 pm
If who we like or want is not there at 19, I would trade down. Pick up a late 1st and an additional 2nd.
April 13th, 2025 at 1:18 pm
A good GM will make sure that he has a good relationship with the HC and Bowles should get a very big say in who the picks are. That’s especially the case when you have a strong roster and are close to a championship. But Licht will be here long after Todd goes. If Todd has another mid season slump and we barely make the playoffs again he’ll be retired in ‘26.
Licht is certainly in charge.
April 13th, 2025 at 1:22 pm
One dream scenario:
Trade 19 to Giants (shadeur) for Giants second and third rounders.
2a DT Tyleik Williams
2b best available cornerback
3a LB Schwesinger
3b best available DB
April 13th, 2025 at 1:24 pm
Aqualung
Does this mean that Todd has been added to your “S”list?
“I mean, I guess there’s expectation to win the Super Bowl every year, but I think Todd’s been doing a great job steadying the ship and pulling us out of some ruts [in 2022 and 2023] and keeping the faith and keeping guys positive, and we’ve done some great things …
“You never know what you’re going to get with a head coach and we know what we have with Todd. And we’re going to do whatever we can to help improve the team for him.”
In two paragraphs Todd just destroyed a year of your posts!!!
April 13th, 2025 at 1:38 pm
You know Licht called Joe out for all the shade he’s been throwing.
He needs a new tag line to throw some love his way.
April 13th, 2025 at 1:45 pm
Derek Says:
April 13th, 2025 at 11:22 am
Please elaborate.
April 13th, 2025 at 2:50 pm
spbf – see won/ lost record, playoff record, defensive decline, worst pass defense over two years in the league, player regression, “not knowing why” the defense was better in the second halves of games in the closing weeks…..yes he said that. And more.
I give him top scores for being a great HR guy, and I’m not and haven’t called for him to be fired. I have called for him to be a 100% head coach, which is already more than a full time job, and hire a full time defensive coordinator, also more than a full time job. Right now he’s half of both which equates to none of neither.
When we had a full time HC and Todd was the latter, we went 36-18 over three years, including playoffs where we went 5-1. The defense was very good….except for covering Cooper Kupp in BA’s last game.
Todd hasn’t destroyed anything, especially not opposing quarterbacks. I don’t know what the rrhoid on your backside is from, but try a sedative or have a drink and relax.
April 13th, 2025 at 2:58 pm
“You never know what you’re going to get with a head coach and we know what we have with Todd. And we’re going to do whatever we can to help improve the team for him.”
Thumbs up!
April 13th, 2025 at 3:03 pm
Aqualung,
Todd Bowels record is 27-24 (3 games over .500) – 3 years
Jon Gruden record was 57-55 (2 games over .500) – 5 years
So Bowels has a better winning percentage than Jon Gruden, in less time.
And, while I agree his record could be much better, it’s improving each year.
April 13th, 2025 at 3:06 pm
Also, worst pass defense over two years?
That’s because the past 2 years were focused on the offense for Baker Mayfield. That’s what Licht meant by “the cycle we’re in that we had to focus last year on offense”.
It is now the turn of the defense.
April 13th, 2025 at 3:09 pm
Not seeing the connection between the post title and the quotes from JL 🤷🏼.
Seems more like a vote of confidence for Todd in general vs a statement/s on the draft.
As others have stated…. It will be a collaborative effort with many more people than just Todd and Jason involved.
The only real questions are which positions we’ll target 1st on defense and whether we’ll add another offensive piece at all on offense.
April 13th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
I thought it was interesting that last season another coach said the same thing when asked why the offense needed a wake up during games…. Why they were seemingly “going thru the motions” for stretches. When the ginger Messiah said he didn’t know why that was all the dummies who wanted him to replace Todd said nada.
Anybody remember that?
April 14th, 2025 at 2:03 am
What?
April 14th, 2025 at 2:29 am
Avoid the whataboutism. Last year, this team winning only 10 games was the cellar, the lowest bar, the low level alarm that things are off. Of the 8 losses, two were convincing losses that the Bucs weren’t in. Todd didn’t have the team ready at all for Denver, and Baltimore has Todd’s number every time.
The other 6 losses were all winnable games, some lost by incompetent game management, most by soft sieve pass defense, and several by sloppiness in execution (which comes back to the head coach and how you prepare your team).
Jason and the Glazers know, and Todd must also. Nelson’s forced fumble is the reason Todd is still the head coach. That’s a fact.
April 14th, 2025 at 2:41 am
Todd said nada. Yes, everyone remembers that.
April 14th, 2025 at 3:17 am
LOL…Then it’s settled Todd will draft a CB and turn him in to a safety. Then to a slot.
Jason will have his input.
Go Bucs!
April 14th, 2025 at 4:30 am
Yes, Todd does “Steady the ship.” He’s the positive and humble guy that has been there. We are lucky to have him as the coach.