Buccaneers named one of NFL's best drafting teams ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been excellent when it comes to developing their own players.

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

Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM Jason Licht has always been known for his talent for drafting new players. While his work in free agency helped bring the 2020 Bucs to Super Bowl stardom, the core of that team was made up of players he drafted, such as wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, defensive tackle Vita Vea, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and tackle Tristan Wirfs, among others.

When the 2025 NFL Draft comes around on Thursday, he'll try to add even more draft hits to his resume. And per a new artcile from the Athletic detailing the best drafting teams of the last five years, historical precedent says he'll probably be successful.

The Buccaneers are fourth in the league on the Athletic's list, which uses Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value stat to grade all 32 teams in the last five years. Tampa Bay came out with an AV grade of 8.94, barely below the Baltimore Ravens' 8.95.

Here's what writer Nick Baumgardner had to say about Jason Licht and the Bucs' ability to draft:

"Wirfs is only 26 and has already become the first player in NFL history to earn first-team All-Pro honors at both right and left tackle. Tampa Bay also snagged Antoine Winfield Jr. in 2020 and has continued to grind the middle rounds as well as any team in the league (Cade Otton, Bucky Irving, Cody Mauch)."

Tampa Bay's homegrown talent has been a huge reason why it's been able to win the NFC South for four years in a row. While not every pick of Licht's has worked out, it's impressive how much mileage he's gotten out of his own players — last year, 22 of Tampa Bay's 24 starters in Week 1 were drafted by the Bucs, which was a league best.

The entire offense returns for Tampa Bay in 2025, but the defense needs some shoring up, and that's where you can expect Licht to go in the first round to hopefully boost that AV stat up even more in the coming years.

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READ MORE: Should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trade for Jalen Ramsey?

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