No ducking picks.

When did Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht turn old?

That’s the suggestion from Joe’s good friend and NFL humorist/columnist Mike Tanier as he posted a roundup of the Bucs’ draft on his site Too Deep Zone.

We’ll get to the old part momentarily, but overall Tanier was pretty impressed with the draft turned in last week by Licht.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Improved Roster: A-

Used Resources Well: B

Met Needs: A

So why/how did Licht pull off an excellent draft? Tanier believes Licht took advantage of other NFL GMs being stupid.

Guys kept falling into the Bucs’ lap.

GM Jason Licht said “there were very few scenarios” in which Rueben Bain would still be available with the 15th pick. How did Licht feel when he did? “I’ve probably never seen a more excited draft room.” Licht only usually gets that excited when re-signing a 32-year old.

Tanier, after watching (gagging?) film of the Bucs last year and doing research, figures if Todd Bowles is going to be the Bucs’ coach and the defensive coordinator and since Bowles will blitz, blitz and blitz some more, you may as well get dudes who can blitz.

Tanier thinks Licht excelled with this.

The Buccaneers blitzed on 29.6% of opponents’ passing plays in 2025, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL, yet their pressure rate of 19.8% ranked 25th. (Source: Pro Football Reference.) Bain will join Yaya Diaby to give them the credible edge-rush they lacked as soon as Haason Reddick lost interest in playing football (April, 2024).

While LB Josiah Trotter was selected a little earlier than expected, WR Ted Hurst and slot CB Keionte Scott were both higher on most draftnik boards than where the Bucs got them. Each spackles over a need on an aging roster in transition. Trotter, plus free agents Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom, show that Licht and Todd Bowles are ready to move on emotionally from Lavonte David.

Alas, Tanier typed, Licht wasn’t perfect. In a sense, Tanier thinks, Licht on the third day of the draft, had a case of what Keith Olbermann once described as “premature jocularity.”

In other words, Licht was killing it at the poker table at Aria and flush with a mound of chips. So after throwing back a few glasses of Grey Goose Altius, Licht decided, “Aw, hell with it,” reaching for a defensive tackle who may not fit the Lavonte David mold of “I Am That Man.”

Licht celebrated his good fortune by splurging on Clemson DT DeMonte Capehart in the fifth round. Capehart spent six years at Clemson, never locked down a full-time starting job and dealt with both injury and legal issues. Licht usually waits until undrafted free agency to get weird with a Shilo Sanders or Desmond Watson. He must have gotten a little too excited, too soon. That happens to older guys! Final DPA: B+

Hey, a B+ from a noted cynic is pretty damn good, bad gamble or not on a defensive tackle.

But hey, to Licht’s defense, this was a shallow draft so why not take a Hail Mary shot at a big ol’ defensive tackle who is hard to move off the ball?

So, the old part: Is Licht really “old?”