Buccaneers Earn Superlative From ESPN With Use of Top Draft Pick

General manager Jason Licht certainly has a type.

Jason Licht has built himself a bit of a reputation when it comes to how he handles business during the offseason. He rewards his star players by keeping them home in Tampa Bay and seemingly always puts together solid drafts, even with a few misses — not everyone can bat 1.000.

Licht has done a tremendous job since taking over as the franchise's general manager and he once again gained deserved praise this offseason for retaining his guys and a great draft. Licht's work sometimes flies under the radar, but ESPN's Bill Barnwell handed out superlatives to all 32 NFL teams, and within that, he gave the Bucs the superlative of the team most likely to use its top pick to beef up the line of scrimmage — a Jason Licht specialty. Barnwell mentioned Licht's picks going toward the defensive line, like Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and Logan Hall, and the offensive line, like Graham Barton and Tristan Wirfs.

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"Bucs GM Jason Licht might be the new Howie Roseman. While the Eagles GM has understandably been recognized as a man singularly focused on improving his team's offensive and defensive lines, Licht might be even more consistent when it comes to using key draft capital to shore up his team's big bodies.

Licht went back to the well this April in using his first-round pick on offensive lineman Graham Barton. A college left tackle, he's expected to move inside to center, where he'll fill in for retired standout Ryan Jensen. There's always risk in moving a player to a new position at the pro level, but Barton was regarded by some as the best interior line prospect in this class. It's often easier for college tackles to kick inside as opposed to players traveling in the opposite direction."

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Yes, Jason Licht and the Bucs have paid attention to the trenches and done a stand-up job at securing their trenches in the early rounds of the NFL draft the past few years, but what isn't talked about enough is the number of hits that they have had in the mid-late rounds as well.

Licht is not the most talked about or popular general manager in the league, but he sticks to his guns, which tends to work out for him and the franchise. It is a deserving accolade for them and with the addition of Barton in the first round of the draft this year the Buccaneers offensive line should improve off an up-and-down 2023.

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