Bucs GM Jason Licht would've drafted breakout star earlier if he knew how good he was

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM spoke on his foresight into the players he picks in the NFL Draft.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht is very good at his job, particularly when it comes to drafting. Last year, 20 of his 22 starters in Tampa Bay were drafted by the Buccaneers — an NFL high. But even he doesn't quite know whether a pick will turn out the way it does.

Take his last draft class, for example. Licht was very confident in it, and as it turned out, he should have been, as players like center Graham Barton, running back Bucky Irving and wideout Jalen McMillan all contributed down the line. But while he felt good about players like Irving, he didn't know they'd be that good — Irving was one of the best running backs in the league last year, and per Licht himself, he probably would have picked him higher if he had known that

"If I would have known what Bucky [Irving] was capable of, I probably would have taken him in the second round or the first round," Licht said. "We knew that we had a special group of guys, the individuals, but you never know until they get out there and they start playing."

The Buccaneers went 10-7, with Irving rushing for over 1,000 yards, Barton holding down at center and McMillan coming on in the second half of the year to the tune of eight touchdowns. Licht mentioned that while they had a good feeling about the draft, it's impossible to tell just how good a group of players will be.

"To say that we knew that it was gonna be what it was, no. But just like the last two drafts previous to that, we came out giving high fives saying, 'We got great guys', if anything," Licht said. "We thought, at the time, we got good players, but you never know until they're out there."

Regardless, Licht seems to have done a good job these past few years. And hopefully, he'll be able to high-five some more of his staff once the 2025 NFL Draft ends.

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READ MORE: Buccaneers keeping close eye on ‘consensus first-round pick'

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