2024 Draft Class

It is no secret that General Manager Jason Licht and company have an eye for spotting talent, notably in the middle rounds of the draft. All 38 of the Bucs first through six round draft selections from 2019-2024 were on an NFL roster last season and Tampa Bay is the only team during that span to have every such pick remain on an NFL squad. Under Licht, the Bucs are first in the NFL with 1,873 games started and 132,091 snaps played from their own players drafted between the first through fifth rounds (2014-2024). Several members of the Bucs' 2024 draft class had a standout debut last season including running back Bucky Irving, center Graham Barton, receiver Jalen McMillan and safety Tykee Smith.

Irving led the NFL in forced missed tackle percentage and led all rookies in rushing yards (1,122) and rushing touchdowns (8), while averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. His 5.4 yards per carry marked the third-highest mark in NFL history among rookies with at least 200 rushing attempts in a season, trailing only Adrian Peterson (5.6 in 2007) and Clinton Portis (5.5 in 2002). Irving's season rushing average also established a new Bucs' single-season record (min. 100 rushes) and ranked fourth in the NFL among running backs, trailing only Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs. He reinvigorated the Bucs' rushing attack and center Graham Barton helped set the tone in the trenches. Barton tied for fourth (2.0) in fewest sacks allowed among centers and sparked runs with his athleticism at the second-level. Jalen McMillan finished the season with five consecutive games with 50-plus receiving yards and a receiving touchdown - the second-longest such streak by a rookie in NFL history, trailing only Randy Moss (seven games). Tykee Smith tied for first in forced fumbles (three) among the 2024 rookie class and was one-of-four players with three-plus forced fumbles, five passes defensed and two-plus interceptions.

"If I would have known what Bucky was capable of, I probably would have taken him in the second or first round," noted Licht. "We knew that we had a special group of guys – the individuals – but you still never know until you get out there and they start playing. To say that we knew what it was, no, but just like the two drafts previous to that, we came out giving high-fives saying, 'We've got great guys.' They work hard; they are team guys so you knew that we had a chance. We thought at the time that they were good players but you still never know until you get out there."

Edge Evaluation

The 2025 draft class has a plethora of talent at the edge position with six players projected to go in the first round including Abdul Carter, Jalon Walker, Shemar Stewart, Mike Green, Mykel Williams and Donovan Ezeiruaku. Although the Bucs' added Haason Reddick in free agency and re-signed Anthony Nelson, that will not prevent the franchise from bolstering the position. If the best player available from their scope is an edge, the Bucs' brass will not hesitate to make the selection. Tampa Bay hit with Yaya Diaby, an outside linebacker taken in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Diaby led the Bucs in pressures with 57 in 2024 and posted 13 run stuffs (loss or no gain) in 2024. He was just one of eight edge rushers to record 50-plus pressures and 10-plus run stuffs (also Myles Garrett, Jared Verse, Jonathan Greenard, Brian Burns, Greg Rousseau, Will Anderson, Maxx Crosby). He accelerated his development with a strategic approach at the line of scrimmage in 2024 and consistently knocked opposing quarterbacks off their spot. However, there is no science or perfect algorithm for succeeding with draft selections, which fuels the intrigue of the three-day spectacle every April. In discussing the evaluation process of the edge position, Jason Licht took an honest, introspective inventory of his person growth.

"It is an ongoing process and an evolving process of just trying to get better as an evaluator and like those cases, I was the one running up the mountain with the flag on some of those guys and you are not always right," stated Licht. "I think I have grown in my profession, in my job, to know that you can't always be right but I think as a group we look and see what some of the traits were on some of those guys and we try to tweak it a little bit. Then you tweak it and another player ends up having some of those same traits of the ones that did not work out and then they work out for somebody else. It all depends now if you have a lot of good players along the defensive line, players tend to play pretty well."

Top-30 Visits

Every year, NFL clubs can bring in 30 draft-eligible players for a thorough evaluation of on-field abilities and each player's personal values. Teams receive a comprehensive overview from medical evaluations, life discussions and on-field workouts. The Bucs place a heavy-emphasis on character and the top-30 visits provide a conducive space for genuine dialogue in a controlled setting. The visits add clarification on the assessment of each player and their potential as a culture/ skill fit. For Licht, he looks forward to learning the origin story of each prospect.

"I just enjoy getting to know them," said Licht. "There are some guys that we meet at the Combine that I was not in the meeting for various reasons and I just enjoy getting to know them and I like hearing their story. I feel like I can get a lot from it."