Jason Licht Emphasizes He’s Leaning Best Player Available To Open Bucs Draft
April 17th, 2026
“Seriously, Pete. I can make a good argument I should go offense at No. 15.”
Todd Bowles has not been shy about saying the following the past two offseasons:
A year ago, Bowles said he has no issue if the Bucs draft an offensive player in the first round. Some assembled in the Fourth Estate at the owners meetings that morning scoffed and chortled, not Joe. A defensive coach wanting offense?
And what happened? The Bucs welcomed Emeka Egbuka to town.
This past offseason Bowles again said he believes a team should draft the best player available in the first round, regardless of which side of the ball he plays on, and then attack needs beginning in Round 2.
Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht emphasized he is in lockstep with Bowles’ philosophy.
“I have no problem – no problem – if we view the player as a high-end, very high-end talent that’s going to make an impact at some point,” Licht said. “I have no problem [with that].”
That leaves the door open for Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq if Licht doesn’t pick an edge rusher at No. 15 (Joe is crossing fingers that draft pick is not wasted.)
Now if Licht trades back, Joe’s putting a little money on Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.
April 17th, 2026 at 7:08 am
Previous Article
Jason Licht Confesses He’s Looking To Trade Down
Article fresh out of the barn and current top headline!!!! Who? TOP!!!!! Headline!
Jason Licht Emphasizes He’s Leaning Best Player Available To Open Bucs Draft
Which is it man? (Joe)….. Mr. Licht is sending mixed signals
Also…….. I would not pick a defensive player as the 1st pick of the Bucs, unless of course the Bucs hire a DC first!!!
Todd Bowles made ‘Zero’ adjustments as the season went on last year and really needs to be held accountable for that.
Glazer Family: FIX THIS PROBLEM!!!!
April 17th, 2026 at 7:08 am
More than likely an offensive lineman will be the BPA at 15
April 17th, 2026 at 7:15 am
The Bucs biggest problem is drafting players from these mediocre programs
And when they get to camp, they’re not the player they thought they were
And then the fanbase start whining about developing these mediocre players
Players that come from established well organized programs
Are more pro ready players, they don’t need to be babysit, pacified
April 17th, 2026 at 7:19 am
I think Joe is struggling for content. The article below this one says Licht is looking to trade down. Which is it?
So you don’t think it’s possible to have a desire to trade down but be leaning best-player available? Trading down is not easy to accomplish. –Joe
April 17th, 2026 at 7:31 am
Mock drafts are wrong every year. There are always surprises. I believe there will be some players available at 15 that we don’t expect to be there. Hoping the Bucs can knock this draft out the park and make us fans forget about losing Evans and LVD
April 17th, 2026 at 7:34 am
Best Player Available is another overused fiction. Every player drafted is the “best player available.”
The Draft is purely subjective. Some GMs are just better at it. Licht has had some successes and a lot of failures.
I’d like to see Mike Washington, Jr. because I don’t think the midgets they have will hold up. Bucky was about a six game wonder. But he ain’t it.
April 17th, 2026 at 7:46 am
Bucky will be fine. The patch work O line was ok at pass blocking but bad run blocking. Look at the 5 times they got stuffed at the goal line.
April 17th, 2026 at 7:50 am
Only edge I’d draft at 15 would be Bain if he falls due to off field stuff, otherwise the rest of the edges from projected to go in the top 3 rounds are pretty close in talent
April 17th, 2026 at 7:52 am
This Teams #1 priority is to improve that Putrid Pass Defense of Todd’s. Anybody that is Great at Rushing the Passer should be the pick. Not really a question about which direction THEY SHOULD GO IN.
April 17th, 2026 at 7:59 am
Anybody ever go car shopping and chose the best vehicle available?
lol
April 17th, 2026 at 8:03 am
Here is some truth:
JL has no idea who will be available or who he is picking
One or two trades before the Bucs pick at 15 can change everything
Trading down requires a player someone really wants along with the draft capital
To move up
It’s all just speculation and content.
The only thing for sure is Mendoza going #1. After that is the fun part so just sit back and enjoy it.
April 17th, 2026 at 8:07 am
No matter what, here is his quote: “We Got Our Guy”.
April 17th, 2026 at 8:07 am
Duh
April 17th, 2026 at 8:20 am
Every team says they got their guy. Cant really say publicly at press conference announcing newest rookie on the team “Dammit boy we sure are disappointed in the way the rounds shook out and had to settle for Bob here. Certainly hope you can get your act together, Bob, and prove us wrong about your mediocre talent. Who wants odds on that happening, eh?”
April 17th, 2026 at 8:35 am
If the Bucs draft BPA – don’t be surprised if the Bucs draft the monster OG from Penn State – Ioane.
He could possibly be one of the best football players in the entire draft and we can get him at #15…
Do you think Baker Mayfield would complain after what happened last season?
April 17th, 2026 at 8:40 am
Idk man, this just doesn’t feel like this draft is super special. Idk if it’s me just losing a bit of love because of Mike (wanting to) leaving and Lavonte retiring. Bowles still being here, idk if it’s cuz of all this, but I’m just not feeling it this year. I’m listening to every podcast, Ira and Best in Class, I’m trying to anyway. I have tried some mock draft sims myself and I just don’t know anybody. Is it me or the class? Next year should be great because of qbs, but this year just seems meh.
April 17th, 2026 at 9:02 am
All the Jason detractors…. Google the Booker Reese draft
April 17th, 2026 at 9:02 am
The more Licht talks the more I hope for the best interest of the franchise he and Todd are both fired after the likely 5 or 6 win 2026 season
April 17th, 2026 at 9:04 am
JL might getting it after all these years. Never chase a position unless that talent matches the need.
April 17th, 2026 at 9:17 am
if we stay put, it’ll be for defense…A.Messidor
if we trade back, its for IOL…Olaivavega Ioane or Kadyn Proctor
book it!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
April 17th, 2026 at 9:24 am
Trade the #15 pick to the Falcons for James Pearce. We want violence!!!
April 17th, 2026 at 9:43 am
Dear Jason & Todd … Your offense was bad last year, primarily because of injuries, lack of quality depth & marginal coaching. Your defense was also bad last year, primarily because, oh ya, they stunk. They were undersized where it counted, they were too slow where it counted, they lacked aggressiveness & nastiness, but they compensated for all that by being poorly coached.
Assuming that the offense gets healed up, they SHOULD be light years better than last season. The defense has added lots of new bodies, but still needs more ‘help’. And especially at DT, ILB, CB and DE/OLB. Don’t fritter away our #15 pick on offense; stay focused on improving our defense with quality talent. And THAT’s found almost always at the top of the draft, not at the bottom.
April 17th, 2026 at 9:52 am
I really like McDonald more and more
April 17th, 2026 at 10:08 am
What Defense Rules said. We have the offense. We need to draft defense day one and thereafter.
April 17th, 2026 at 10:11 am
Not sure what is so hard to understand here. JL would love to trade down and get more picks. The problem is that you can’t just trade down, you need a willing trading partner. If they can’t trade down, JL is saying he has no problem taking the BPA.
Im not sure they would view Sadiq as that player. More likely the BPA would be an OL.
As for MacDonald, they would have to trade way down. There are DTs that are better for what the Bucs are looking for than a space eating nose tackle.
April 17th, 2026 at 10:13 am
BigBoiBuc Says:
April 17th, 2026 at 9:24 am
Trade the #15 pick to the Falcons for James Pearce. We want violence!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
GO BUCS!!!!
April 17th, 2026 at 10:36 am
DR SAYS: Assuming that the offense gets healed up: Don’t fritter away our #15 pick on offense
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assuming is a dangerous game lol….
why not ENSURE you dont go thru what we just experienced with the OL by selecting IOL in the first round?….
why not strengthen the strength of your team….which is what we did last year by select EE2
adding OL help in the 5th round doesnt improve the offense or quality of depth…your just adding another Klein to compete with Klein lol
with the additions we’ve made via FA on defense, we’ve already improved player wise outside of maybe Dean…but his replacement is already on the roster in Morrison or Parrish
Licht should trade down and go IOL to protect baker and improve the run game….Folks “assuming” Mauch returns to form or even better are fooling themselves…
is it smart to bank on an OG with a bum knee for the entire season? is it smart to resign him with a bum knee?…i dont think so….draft his replace now
Thursday will be fun!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
April 17th, 2026 at 10:49 am
813..
I agree with adding another guard to compete for a starting spot and/or provide depth.
I disagree that because a guy injuries his knee, that he has a “bum” knee. An oline coming for a knee surgery, even an ACL repair, will be absolutely fine. He already said he is good to go for OTAs.
Either way, adding a young talented guard in round 1, 2 or maybe even 3rd or 4th would be wise.
April 17th, 2026 at 10:58 am
@DR
“Dear Jason & Todd … Your offense was bad last year, primarily because of injuries, lack of quality depth & marginal coaching. Your defense was also bad last year, primarily because, oh ya, they stunk. They were undersized where it counted, they were too slow where it counted, they lacked aggressiveness & nastiness, but they compensated for all that by being poorly coached.”
Perfect assessment of the state of the team. Eloquent as usual. We need to mail them a mirror. All the patting themselves on the back for the Superbowl is for ancient history. The patchwork flurry of 2nd rate FA signings provides some depth but little improvement. The draft is their last chance to add some high level talent. Barring an unforeseen blockbuster trade or 3 or 4 perfect draft picks ’26 seems destined for more of the same middle of the road results. No amount of gaslighting can change the reality of the lack of star power with this current team. Bowles and Licht still seem to think this is a Superbowl vibe roster. It is that unrealistic, possibly delusional, self-assessment that has allowed the decay in the talent level.
Get pumped up for the draft guys. Find some good ones. Go Bucs!!!
April 17th, 2026 at 11:20 am
Trading down for IOL – lol –
8-9 record
rinse and repeat lol
April 17th, 2026 at 11:52 am
Like every other team.
Trick is, who does Licht/Bowles have on the front board as the best player at whatever pick we end up with? Opinions differ.
April 17th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
If picking 15 and BPA – I don’t think DT will be the position selected.
April 17th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Can we lean towards best coach available somewhere?
April 17th, 2026 at 12:08 pm
813bucboi … ‘is it smart to bank on an OG with a bum knee for the entire season? is it smart to resign him with a bum knee?…i dont think so….draft his replace now.’
Interesting how you chided me for ‘assuming that the offense gets healed up’, but then you proceeded to ASSUME that Mauch will have a bum knee for the entire season, and even went so far as to question whether we should re-sign him with (an ASSUMED) bum knee.
For reference, Cody Mauch is only 27 and he only played 2 games last season (has had a loooong time to rehab?). He also played the full 17 games in 2023 & 2024, so he has no history of repeated injuries. Pretty good Guard IMO; only 6 penalties total in his first 2 years among other stats. No reason not to re-sign him, as long as our medical folks sign off on him being back to 100%.
In the meantime, we’ve got a DLine that consists of a 30-year old NT (Vea) plus a soon-to-be 33-year-old NT (RNR) to spell him, plus a 31-year-old DT (Robinson) and a 25-year-old DT (Kancey) who can’t stay healthy (29 games in 3 yrs?), plus a 24-year-old DT/DE (Elijah Roberts) who we drafted last year in Rnd 5. The first 4 DLinemen mentioned BTW are ALL up for new contracts next year. No pressure there, especially since the guys behind them are all Undrafted FAs.
But ya, let’s fore-go beefing up our DLine and make sure we draft another OLineman just to be on the safe side.
April 17th, 2026 at 12:42 pm
813bucboi… are you this out of touch with reality in other facets of your life? Mauch will be ready for offseason workouts. He tore a meniscus. He’s ready to go. Brederson was just given a new contract last season, Barton was a number one pick going into year three of five. 100% chance we aren’t stupid and draft a guard in round one. When is the last time Licht drafted a guard in round one? Jon Gruden is universally considered the worst drafting coach of the last 35 years with the Bucs… and he’s also the last idiot that drafted a guard in round one. How big of a difference maker was Davin Joseph? How many playoff games have the Colts won due to Quentin Nelson?
April 17th, 2026 at 1:00 pm
Yes!
Not as easy as it sounds
Good luck
I hope he hits on every single pick.
I also hope Garrett Green busts out in training camp.
April 17th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
Fanofdabucs Says:
An oline coming for a knee surgery, even an ACL repair, will be absolutely fine. He already said he is good to go for OTAs.
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im sure the BUCS and Sua Opeta thought the same thing….remember him?…he blew out his knee(ACL) early in Training Camp…spent all year rehabbing….was thought to be good to go for the next season and then he suffered an injury to the same knee….BUCS released him and he’s still looking for work
Opeta, Bowles and Licht all said, he’ll be good to go for the start and TC….never happened
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 17th, 2026 at 1:32 pm
For the guys saying you can’t get BPA and trade down, I think you’re misunderstanding. If we keep our current pick at 15, the it’s BPA at #15. If we trade back to the second round, it’s BPA at that specific draft spot. BPA doesn’t have anything to do with when you pick.
April 17th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
Brandon Says:
April 17th, 2026 at 12:42 pm
813bucboi… are you this out of touch with reality in other facets of your life? Mauch will be ready for offseason workouts.
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you wanna believe JL?..lol….the same guy who said braswell was going to shock the world and logan hall was going to be a force lol…are you that naive?..lol…
AGAIN, remember RYAN JENSEN?….he blew out his knee…spent all year rehabbing….He was activated for the wild card round of the playoffs on January 16, 2023…..On August 29, 2023, Jensen was placed on injured reserve after aggravating his previous knee injury…..IN AUGUST!!!!!…..and everyone said, he’d be ready for TC….NEVER HAPPENED!!!!
Bredenson is our best Center by far…..Barton can play all 5 positions but LG would probably suit him better….RBs would get 1k just running behind Wirfs and Barton alone lol….just because licht hasnt drafted a G in the 1st doesnt mean he’ll never do it lol….are you that gullible?…he’s drafted a kicker in the 2nd lol
Davin Joseph was selected #23 in the 1st..he was selected to 2 PRO BOWLS!!!!!….has Mauch sniffed a PRO BOWL?…
and guess what, after Davin Joseph KNEE INJURY, in preseason, he was never the same player!!!….very possible with Mauch
Zack Martin was drafted #16….im sure you think cowboys were fools for that pick
Colts havent had to worry about OG position for almost 10years because they drafted an OG in the 1st round
get a clue!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!!
April 17th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
Tony Says:
April 17th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Can we lean towards best coach available somewhere?
🤣🤣🤣🤣
GO BUCS!!!!
April 17th, 2026 at 2:08 pm
Draft Beer.
April 17th, 2026 at 2:10 pm
Scott Says:
April 17th, 2026 at 7:46 am
Bucky will be fine. The patch work O line was ok at pass blocking but bad run blocking. Look at the 5 times they got stuffed at the goal line.
=================================
Have watched every 2025 game 4 times and the “patchwork O line” was not OK on pass blocking. Baker never had time to set his feet as the mushy middle continualy caved in. In one of the latter games. Wirfs was out as well as both starting guards. Pass protection was pathetic. If anyone doubts it just watch the last 6 games of the season via YoutubeTV.
April 17th, 2026 at 2:12 pm
90% of all top teams take best available athlete. Baltimore prime example
April 17th, 2026 at 2:20 pm
Edge edge edge,that’s all you hear. The DL eats up blockers frees up the LB’s and the edge guys,Get help for Vea ,then it’ll all pan out even for the DB’s its not rocket science anywhere else but this idiotic forum..Go Bucs!
April 17th, 2026 at 2:24 pm
The push up front,penetration kills all offensive plays .Help for Vea please
April 17th, 2026 at 2:39 pm
Dexter Lawrence
April 17th, 2026 at 3:14 pm
If new O coordinator has any pull , they’re looking for a center who can pass block, cause the one they’ve got sucks
April 17th, 2026 at 3:24 pm
Problem is Licht’s ability to identify best player available with his love of high RAS score has resulted in his continued misses on high value picks.
April 17th, 2026 at 4:10 pm
saddiq is a luxury pick bucs arent in that position plus they picked a luxury pick last year and lost evans because of it. personally i dont think saddiq will be bpa anyways
April 17th, 2026 at 4:33 pm
Im sure Licht hasn’t looked at any film when hes got al the GM’s advice right here on this forum. Hes won a SB and had a great run of playoff teams He sucks!
April 17th, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I can’t wait until the hype machine gets rev’d up after the draft and Jason convinces the local media that his pick will start immediately, and be the sole reason this team wins the SB. Jump on the SB bandwagon everyone.
April 17th, 2026 at 5:04 pm
Best player available?
How about drafting a brain surgeon to alter that mindset?
Ask Matt Millen. He took best player available every year and fielded a team of first round wide receivers, year after year after year after year.
And he might be the worst GM whoever lived.
Houston just extended the great Will Anderson for three years at 150 million.
How did they get him and start building their top NFL defense around him?
They traded up 9 spots! UP, NOT BACK!
Yeah, keep trading back Licht. Keep up the mentality of the coward who runs and hides. It’s safer in Backsville.
And while you’re at it, why don’t you make another dumb move by extending Bowles and letting Coen, with twice the football mind, walk.
Oops!
April 17th, 2026 at 5:18 pm
And who did Houston trade up with to get Anderson in 2023?
Surely, with the acquisition of all those draft picks, this team should be a perennial Super Bowl contender by now, right?
The team? Arizona Cardinals
April 17th, 2026 at 5:28 pm
I hope Jason drafts for position inthe first three picks.
April 17th, 2026 at 5:31 pm
Defense needs to be the focus this time around. Bucs have not gotten much better on defense with the new FAs, they have just replaced players.
April 17th, 2026 at 5:46 pm
Bowels and licht should be on the hot seat. Went from the
Penthouse to he outhouse after the bye week. Lost evans
And David. Got a couple of impact players but still many
Needs. The last 5 years licht has had 1 successful draft
With lots of early round busts and its showing. If he fails
This year to produce through the draft the glazers should blow
It up go get Tomlin and a new GM. We re sick of seeing
The same under producing lackluster defense year after
Year.
April 17th, 2026 at 6:36 pm
I have no problem with the BPA philosophy as long as you include one additional letter.
BDPA – Best Defensive Player Available. JL shouldn’t even think about O until the 3rd or 4th round.
April 17th, 2026 at 8:43 pm
Defense Rules with the post of the month.
“Dear Jason & Todd … Your offense was bad last year, primarily because of injuries, lack of quality depth & marginal coaching. Your defense was also bad last year, primarily because, oh ya, they stunk. They were undersized where it counted, they were too slow where it counted, they lacked aggressiveness & nastiness, but they compensated for all that by being poorly coached.”
Drop the microphone. I may print this and hang it on my wall.
April 17th, 2026 at 9:11 pm
3.28.Evans. DR sounds almost as pessimistic as you. Until you read his following paragraph. There you see where the 2 of your opinions diverge. He sees light at the end of the tunnel. You don’t. First 3 or 4 picks on the defense, a healthier OLine, special teams improvement, and of course we’re a contender. Hang in there 3.28. This’ll might be the year that’ll make you forget that Rams playoff game. And it’ll be about time.
April 17th, 2026 at 11:28 pm
The light at the end of the tunnel is a freight train coming the other way. Wave pom poms all you want.
Todd Bowles is a disaster and denying reality isn’t going to change that.