Jason Licht Believes Buccaneers Got Faster and More Physical With Friday's Haul In NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't drafted a skill player through the first two days of the 2023 NFL Draft but General Manager Jason Licht has been pleased with the team's haul. The Buccaneers beefed up the trenches on both sides of the ball with the selection of former North Dakota State offensive lineman Cody Mauch and former Louisville defensive end YaYa Diaby on Friday.

Both players are bringing a blend of athleticism and physicality to their respective sides of the ball. Diaby posted a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine while Mauch finished second among offensive linemen with a 7.33-second 3-cone drill.

"It doesn't always work out where what we thought was our number one, number two, number three need... We thought all these positions were positions that we felt like we could use and upgrade and get better at," Licht said to the media after Mauch and Diaby's selection. "Overall, I think Todd [Bowles] said it as well, we wanted to get faster and more physical and we feel like we really did that."

Mauch noted that he wasn't sure where the Buccaneers projected him at the professional level. Licht was quick to clarify that the franchise plans to start him alongside the interior and could flex out second-year player Luke Goedeke to offensive tackle.

"We see him as a guard. We see him as an interior play – we'll start him off at guard. At the Senior Bowl, he played some center, played some guard, played some right tackle, played some left tackle there," Licht said. "He's played up and down the line – he did a really good job at all of them. Right now, we see him as a guard. As you know, we love guys – we're not the only team – but we love guys that can play them all. We'll see how he fits in."

People are already making comparisons between Mauch and veteran center Ryan Jensen. Whether it's the long, red hair or some other aspect, Licht is excited to watch the two work together. To his credit, Jensen is already embracing the meme on social media.

"I love it – absolutely love it. [Center Ryan] Jensen has been texting ever since he took him, 'He and I are going to mess some things up.' He didn't use the word mess," Licht said. "If you could somehow clone Jensen and [tight end] Ko Kieft together, you get Cody Mauch. It's great. Who doesn't like that? I talked about it the other day with offensive line – the guys that you have fun watching, it just so happens that we were watching him together for the 18th time. He was one that we have a lot of fun watching."

Tampa Bay has invested in multiple offensive linemen over the years that began their careers at small schools. Licht describes Mauch as a great athlete who has a lot of passion for the game.

"His extracurricular activity when the whistle is still echoing, his pure passion for the game, his athleticism is really, really underrated – he's a great athlete. [He's] really quick, really flexible, [has] great bend. You see when he's going for a little shot at the end how quickly he gets up," Licht said. "He's a great athlete. He's a great puller, he's great in space. He's going to have to get a little stronger like all offensive linemen, especially coming from a smaller school – I think he was the first non-power-five player taken. We don't see that as a limitation, we just think it's going to make him better as we pull him along."

Right out of the gate, Diaby's explosiveness is something that caught Licht and the Buccaneers' attention. Plus, he possesses multiple impressive physical traits, including roughly an 82-inch wingspan.

"He's a very good athlete, he's very strong – he's got speed to power, which is hard to find. I've found over the years that the guys who don't make it don't have an element of power," Licht said. "You can be fast as hell off the edge, but if you don't have any power to combine with it then you get figured out by NFL tackles. He's got speed, he's got power and he's got great effort."

"He's very explosive. He's big, he's long – I believe he's got like an 82 [inch] wing[span]," Licht continued. "We really liked what we saw with him on tape and then meeting with him, he's all about football and that's kind of been the theme of these guys the last couple of days. Very excited about him – physical, fast, his best football is in front of him and that's what kind of excites us about him."

Licht doesn't think that Mauch or Diaby are finished products. Tampa Bay believes that both players will continue to ascend toward their potential.

"I think none of them – from pick one to the last pick – are a finished product. I think they all need work at everything," Licht said. "I feel like sometimes we expect them to go out Week 1 and dominate or certainly by their first year, they had to have dominated or been a great player when it takes time for some of these players. [Sometimes] two years to reach their full potential."

The Buccaneers enter the final day of the draft with five selections. However, barring a trade, things won't get started for the franchise until round five when Tampa Bay picks No. 153 and No. 175 overall. The team also holds two picks in round six (No. 181, No. 196) and one seventh-round selection (No. 252).

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