“It’s An Offensive Dominated League Now And You Want As Many Playmakers As You Can Get”
April 13th, 2023
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
Interesting take from Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht today.
Did he tip is draft hand?
Licht was at One Buc Palace for his annual predraft news conference. That’s where general managers deliver their share of misdirection and note that they’re all-in on every single position.
Licht, however, was reflecting a bit on draft philosophy while answering a question from Sage JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman.
“It’s an offensive dominated league now and you want as many playmakers as you can get,” Licht said with a reflective tone after noting teams’ valuations on running backs have changed over the years.
It was an interesting line from Licht with the draft two weeks away and the Bucs being led by a defense-first head coach.
Is this part of the reason the Bucs aren’t opening up the vault for linebacker Devin White? Because they’ve already invested a ton on defense? Would Tampa Bay prefer to spend on a playmaker? White is an excellent player, but he has just two forced fumbles and 16 tackles for loss through the past two regular seasons.
Also, if Licht is being candid, does that take mean the Bucs plan to go offense with their No. 19 overall pick? Licht drafted a defensive lineman with the Bucs’ first pick last season (Logan Hall) and the year before (Joe Tryon-Shoyinka).
Joe’s willing to bet a hearty handful of dollars that the Bucs go offense with their first draft pick two weeks from tonight.
April 13th, 2023 at 1:49 pm
he ain’t wrong!!!
April 13th, 2023 at 1:49 pm
Gibbs is the most dynamic playmaker in this draft. Trade back a few spots if able and take Gibbs
April 13th, 2023 at 1:50 pm
RB early
April 13th, 2023 at 2:03 pm
We need another Wirfs-clone to man the other tackle position.
April 13th, 2023 at 2:13 pm
What D Rok said!
April 13th, 2023 at 2:20 pm
Get more fatties. Ugly big big uglies. That are strong and fast. And smart, and team-first.
April 13th, 2023 at 2:24 pm
Goatfarmer Says:
April 13th, 2023 at 2:20 pm
“Get more fatties. Ugly big big uglies. That are strong and fast. And smart, and team-first.”
Yep! And if we can draft one that carries trees around for fun, BONUS! LOL.
April 13th, 2023 at 2:37 pm
I see them taking a tackle at 19 not a rb. Too much value at that position in the 2nd rd and beyond in this years draft, like the kid from Bama.
April 13th, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Smoke and mirrors
April 13th, 2023 at 3:02 pm
The last 5 years, 4 of our 5 first picks have been defensive players… the one exception was Tristan Wirfs.
I’m a firm believer that at least 1 of your first 2 top picks should always be guys who play in the trenches. Every. Single. Year.
April 13th, 2023 at 3:03 pm
Yea, kind of makes sense they may take an offensive player first after defense the past two years, so now i am thinking they will offense with first pick though i think they should still go pass rusher with the first pick.
looks like it could be either Hooker, Robinson or best tackle available.
April 13th, 2023 at 3:06 pm
Paris Johnson or Darnell Wright at 19.
April 13th, 2023 at 3:16 pm
Aside from just the usual offense vs. defense calculation all teams make, it is clear that the biggest lost from after last season was The GOAT. And since it seems impossible to replace the GOAT the EGOAT (even greater … )at QB this season, getting more talent around the quarterbacks we have is of course the smart play. Personally, the best investment at pick #19 would be in a left tackle, but Jason may have something else in mind.
April 13th, 2023 at 3:21 pm
Bijon 👀👀👀
April 13th, 2023 at 3:36 pm
“It’s an offensive dominated league now”
—————
Yeah, so let’s go from leading the league in passing to being a boring run first team that scores 12 points a game.
Great idea.
BTW, who lead the league in rushing? Well, hint, it’s the team that traded away the #1 overall pick it earned by being the worst team in football.
April 13th, 2023 at 3:39 pm
The trade-back gang always makes me laugh. Every draft you guys want to trade back and take some guy that will not be there when the actual draft comes around. Truth is, the draft is very dynamic and it depends on who’s picked ahead of you and who’s available according to your draft board.
April 13th, 2023 at 3:57 pm
We need big uglies to win in the trenches. Draft the next Wirfs type and let’s move on.
April 13th, 2023 at 4:12 pm
It is a passing league so get guys good on both sides of the ball that attacks that aspect of the game.
April 13th, 2023 at 4:13 pm
Chump Change. They just sold The Commanders for 6 Billion. How much will the Glazers get for the Bucs.
April 13th, 2023 at 4:21 pm
Shedrick Jackson would be nice
April 13th, 2023 at 4:28 pm
The only acceptable pick on offense in the first round is for a Tackle. No QB, no RB, no TE in the 1st. This is a deep draft for RB and TE and those can be picked up in rounds 3-5 — especially if we manage to get some extra day 2 picks.
April 13th, 2023 at 5:07 pm
1 – OT
2 – Edge/OLB
3 – ILB or Safety
Any drafting of “offensive playmakers” – regardless of how tempting a given prospect at a certain spot might be – needs to wait until day 3.
Bolster the trenches with higher end talent and fill the glaring holes on this roster first. Then worry about taking flyers on “playmakers” with later picks. R. White and Vaughn will be a solid 1-2 RB combo. And you already have Evans, Godwin and Gage as exceptional passing targets.
If Hooker were available in the 2nd round – that would be the only acceptable deviation IMO… If there’s good value on a QB prospect you like – you have to take that chance regardless of other plans…
April 13th, 2023 at 5:30 pm
If that’s the plan, see if we can trade back a bit and pick up Gibbs. He’s electric.
April 13th, 2023 at 6:07 pm
1. Trade out of the first round to get additional picks.
2. Draft for the trenches on both sides of the ball
3. Don’t draft a kicker
4. Rinse and repeat
April 13th, 2023 at 7:25 pm
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT BUCS FANS
Y’all get pumped about OL. We all LOVE Wirfs. We HATE bad OL play. We force Joe to write articles an Smith, Jensen, Hainsey, Wirfs, Stinnie, Leverrette every week. How many fan bases even watch the OL? How many get fired up, week-in-week-out, about an OT? How many know who the backup OL even are?
Fans of other teams would be talking about RB, WR, QB, and sexy fantasy players. They’d be talking about Bijon Robinson without realizing that’s a completely wasted pick if the defense is living in the backfield. 4Net was hit behind the line on almost every first down because the left side of the line was so bad.
Let’s get the biggest, baddest, LT and LG in the draft. Let’s be excited about. Then, we can talk about sexy, “playmakers” next season.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:32 am
It’s funny how people think we can just draft the next Wirfs. Look at how many 1st round tackles have been taken since Wirfs draft class. Not one is remotely close to Wirfs. So quit acting like a first round tackle will solve all the problems. Yes OL needs to be addressed but it may not make sense in the 1st, Wirfs is a generational talent not an everyday commodity
April 14th, 2023 at 10:47 am
I agree with Licht for the reason that they already have some good playmakers on offense and offense has an advantage with the NFL rules protecting the quarterbacks and receivers. Defenders are at a disadvantage going up against good passing teams.
If Licht can straighten out the mess of the offensive line in draft then the offense can get back to being more explosive. The definitely need some speed at WR so in middle rounds, thats where they need to go. Evans, Godwin are fine but neither of them have to be double teamed deep.
Get the young tackle in round one and in round two if there is another stout offensive lineman go for him. Then get that speed WR. After that all defensive players.
If anyone offers them a first rounder for White, make the trade, please. Or a second and third, make that trade. I would keep him and make him play out his contract if he has no more value than that.
April 15th, 2023 at 9:13 am
Harrison or Campbell at 19