GENERAL MANAGER JASON LICHT

(On selecting OLB YaYa Diaby)

"He's very explosive. He's big, he's long – I believe he's got like an 82 [inch] wing[span]. We really liked what we saw with him on tape and then meeting with him, he's all about football and that's kind of been the theme of these guys the last couple of days. Very excited about him – physical, fast, his best football is in front of him and that's what kind of excites us about him."

(On if Diaby's room for growth explains his leap in performance this past season)

"I believe so, yeah. We thought so. He got better and better as he went."

(On what position OL Cody Mauch might play)

"We see him as a guard. We see him as an interior play – we'll start him off at guard. At the Senior Bowl, he played some center, played some guard, played some right tackle, played some left tackle there. He's played up and down the line – he did a really good job at all of them. Right now, we see him as a guard. As you know, we love guys – we're not the only team – but we love guys that can play them all. We'll see how he fits in."

(On how Mauch's personality fits in with the other offensive linemen)

"I love it – absolutely love it. [Center Ryan] Jensen has been texting ever since he took him, 'He and I are going to mess some things up.' He didn't use the word mess. If you could somehow clone Jensen and [tight end] Ko Kieft together, you get Cody Mauch. It's great. Who doesn't like that? I talked about it the other day with offensive line – the guys that you have fun watching, it just so happens that we were watching him together for the 18th time. He was one that we have a lot of fun watching."

(On how he sees the offensive tackle position shaking out)

"We'll see how that goes. We are excited about how Luke [Goedeke] did for us at tackle there at the end of the year – it's his natural position. He might be there, Tristan [Wirfs] might move to left – I'm very confident and we all are that he'd do a good job over there. It's kind of a work in progress. I'm certainly not going to set the depth chart here. You can talk to Todd [Bowles] whenever you get to talk to Todd and he can talk a little bit more about that."

(On not having a fourth-round pick and the idea of trading up for one)

"It's killing me. No [I would not be opposed to trading up]. Sometimes it's good to be patient. I think over the years, I've learned a little bit how to contain myself a little bit there in the room. I've got some help there. We have a diverse group of men and women working in there – some of them are a little extra aggressive and some of them are a little bit more willing to tell me to settle down. It's a perfect mix. I was going to move up here for YaYa – I was worried about a few teams – but we stayed put so I was able to keep our picks, which I'm excited about."

(On what he liked about Mauch)

"His extracurricular activity when the whistle is still echoing, his pure passion for the game, his athleticism is really, really underrated – he's a great athlete. [He's] really quick, really flexible, [has] great bend. You see when he's going for a little shot at the end how quickly he gets up. He's a great athlete. He's a great puller, he's great in space. He's going to have to get a little stronger like all offensive linemen, especially coming from a smaller school – I think he was the first non-power-five player taken. We don't see that as a limitation, we just think it's going to make him better as we pull him along."

(On how much room Mauch has to grow as a pass blocker)

"I think he obviously has room to grow – he'll even tell you that. He's a fast learner, though, and he's really willing – all three of these guys – to put in extra work. When you have those traits, it usually comes around a little quicker – especially for a very intelligent guy like he is."

(On if it's concerning that he's got a crowded group of interior offensive linemen)

"Not concerning at all – I'd take as many as we can get."

(On if it's his general strategy to acquire as many players at a position and to let them compete)

"Sometimes it works to flood it – sometimes it doesn't. In this case, we're really happy with all the guys that we do have."

(On if he feels like the first three picks have aligned talent and need)

"Yeah and it doesn't always work out where what we thought was our number one, number two, number three need… We thought all these positions were positions that we felt like we could use and upgrade and get better at. Overall, I think Todd [Bowles] said it as well, we wanted to get faster and more physical and we feel like we really did that."

(On what stood out about Diaby)

"He's a very good athlete, he's very strong – he's got speed to power, which is hard to find. I've found over the years that the guys who don't make it don't have an element of power. You can be fast as hell off the edge, but if you don't have any power to combine with it then you get figured out by NFL tackles. He's got speed, he's got power and he's got great effort."

(On the quality of edge rushers in this year's draft class)

"There's still some out there that might hopefully be there when we're picking again."

(On how pressing the need is to get depth at cornerback)

"It's an area that we're looking at. You can't fill every need – you just can't. Your needs, even after the draft, compared to your needs on September 1 are always different. We still have a lot of time – thank God we don't play our first game in two weeks. So, we still have a lot of time."

(On if he feels the cornerback class is deep in this year's draft)

"Potentially, yeah."

(On if age affects how he scouts players)

"No, we look at the talent and the overall talent of the player and how good he is and we match that up with our needs. The age 24 is not concerning. If it is, you're starting to worry about if we'll do a second contract with him. If we get to that point, we feel like we made the right pick if we're deciding whether or not we're going to do a second contract. It's not going to hold us back."

(On if older players coming out of college can be more mature and more seasoned)

"Correct, and we're seeing that. Our three guys that we've picked so far fit that mold. It's not necessarily what we're setting out to solely focus on, but it just so happens that it's part of the totality of the profile of the player. It sure helps when a guy is mature, as you guys know and have seen over the years – it helps with the development of the player."

(On how Diaby can improve)

"I think none of them – from pick one to the last pick – are a finished product. I think they all need work at everything. I feel like sometimes we expect them to go out Week 1 and dominate or certainly by their first year, they had to have dominated or been a great player when it takes time for some of these players. [Sometimes] two years to reach their full potential."

(On if there have been moments in this draft that have been a surprise to him)

"There's always surprises – every draft, there's always surprises. At the same time, nothing ever surprises you because there's always surprises. You have to be ready for them, if that makes sense at all."

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER YAYA DIABY

(On how much interaction he's had with the Buccaneers and his excitement)

"It's super exciting. The only interaction I really had with them was at the Senior Bowl or the Combine where I had a formal meeting with them. Everything went smoothly and went well. I'm just happy to be a Buccaneer."

(On how he is able to make the transition from speed to power)

"I would just say the hard work I've put in, in the offseason with my coaches and my teammates. Just becoming the player I am from 2021 to 2022 season – I just keep improving every year. "

(On how much his Combine performance elevated his draft stock)

"I would say for me I already knew that's what I was going to run. I just wanted to put it out there and prove everyone wrong. When we had the formal meeting with Tampa and they asked, 'How fast are you going to run?' I just said, 'Just wait until tomorrow.' Then that's what happened."

(On what caused him to have a breakout year during the 2022 season)

"I would say everyone that helped me – my coaches, my teammates and mostly just everyone around the Louisville facility helping me develop myself and really seeing my potential. In 2021, I came up short a lot and going into 2022 I told myself I was going to capitalize on a lot of those things."

(On his excitement level joining Head Coach Todd Bowles' defense)

"Man, I'm just excited to get there and start working. I'm just excited to just come in and earn everyone's respect and just work."

(On if YaYa is a nickname)

"No, that's my name – YaYa."

(On the pass rushers that he studies and wants to emulate)

"I would say guys like Khalil Mack, Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa – just really powerful guys."

(On the type of player the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting)

"Oh yeah, just know, they got a dog. Someone that is going to come in and work every day – work every day and we're going to be back in that Super Bowl talk."

(On how he thinks his work ethic will benefit him at the NFL level)

"I'm just a hungry individual. I am willing to learn. I just love this game. Whatever it takes for me to be successful, that's what I'm going to do."

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN CODY MAUCH

(On the amount of interaction he had with the Buccaneers in the draft process)

"I had multiple meetings with them throughout the Senior Bowl, and then the combine experience. I also had a Zoom [meeting] with the O-Line coaches as well – just kind of going over some film and the playbook and what not. So, I've had a good amount of communication with them throughout the whole process."

(On Tampa Bay's history of linemen from small schools)

"Yeah, I'm aware of that. I'm excited to be a part of a group like that – the small school guys. I always come ready to play. It's a great group of guys that you just listed off and I'm excited to join that group."

(On who he was celebrating with and what it was like receiving the phone call)

"We had a pretty big party at the community center in my hometown. I don't know how many people – there are a couple hundred people here. We kind of opened it up to my whole town. I was sitting at a table with my parents, my girlfriend and my little brother. Insane emotions going through my head right now."

(On if he has an idea as to what position he might play or where he might be most comfortable)

"No, I'm not too sure where they see me – that's part of the excitement, I think, my ability to go in and play wherever. Not sure what they're seeing in terms of position, but whatever it is, I'm ready to go."

(On his resemblance to C Ryan Jensen)

"Something about small school guys and something about guys with long, red hair – I don't know what that is [about]. It worked out with Ryan Jensen – I'm going to come in and make that work as well. I'm excited to play next to a guy like that."

(On how much he thinks the Senior Bowl performance helped his draft stock)

"I think that helped the most. Maybe some teams were looking at me just as a tackle or maybe some teams were looking at me just as a guard – and my ability to go in there and prove that I can play all of those different spots absolutely opened up eyes to every team. The Senior Bowl experience was awesome and I was happy to be able to plug and play wherever they wanted me to."

(On how excited he is to learn from C Ryan Jensen)

"Extremely excited. I'm excited to just get to know him, the way he goes about his business – a pro like that is someone you want to learn from. That's someone you want to just be clinging to all the time. Really excited to get to know him and the rest of the guys in the room. Just excited, I guess."

(On how he would explain his style of play)

"My biggest thing is I have fun. I go out there, I get the job done and I just have fun doing it. I think that shows up on film a lot – some of the goofy antics or anything like that. I'm just a guy who was always dependable at my college and I'm just having a blast out there."

(On his history playing tight end before moving to offensive line)

"It helped a lot. Having to do tight end routes and learn that – that was one of the biggest things, having to learn so much more. Our tight end playbook at North Dakota State was extremely complex – you have to know all the run stuff and all the pass stuff as well. So, that helped also. Kicking inside, I know what the tight ends are expecting when we run a combo, I know how a tight end is going to think on certain things. So, that transition helped me so much."

(On what his biggest strengths and weaknesses are)

"I think one of my biggest strengths is my athleticism – the ability to block out in space is something I've always prided myself on and done a good job with. Also, my knowledge – that's something that you don't see on the field but just knowledge for the game is huge. Something I'm trying to work on is figuring out which position they're going to want me to be at and doing my best to go in and compete there."

(On how growing up on a farm impacted him and how he would describe himself)

"I grew up on a farm. I think it's a fourth-generation farm. I grew up just doing that all the time – I was driving tractors when I was seven or eight years old, crashing into things. They just trusted us with a lot of responsibilities at a young age, so that really helped shape me. Learning how to work hard – that's one of the biggest things. It's the summer at 7 a.m. – you don't want to get up and go to the shop, you want to go play with your friends later in the day. It helped me a lot in life. That's what I like to do – I like to be outside, I like to spend time with family and friends. I just like to be doing something all the time."

(On moving to Florida and if he's ever visited the state before)

"I don't think I have, no. Coming from Fargo, the winters get a little bit brutal out here in North Dakota. So, I'm excited to maybe get a little bit of sunshine in those dark months up here in North Dakota. Excited for the opportunity to come down there and play with some great teammates."

(On his missing teeth)

"Junior high basketball – yep."

(On if the injury was from an elbow)

"It was a head. Another buddy dove for the ball and I just kind of ran right into his head."

(On if it's a source of pride)

"Oh, absolutely. I'm not going to get them fixed any time soon – I'll just say that."

(On what kind of crops are grown on his family farm)

"We grow crops – corn is a big crop that we raise. It's corn, soy beans, edible beans and then sugar beets as well."

(On if there's anything else that Buccaneers fans should know about him)

"I won't be bringing just myself down to Tampa – I'll be bringing my dog as well. So, my three-year-old chocolate lab is going to be coming with – he's absolutely going to enjoy the sunshine. I'm an open book. Everything you see online is probably true."

(On if he has any message to Buccaneers fans about what they can expect from him)

"They're getting a guy who's going to work hard. I'm going go out there, do my part, do what I can to help us win on Sundays in whatever capacity that looks like. I'm going to do my job and have fun doing it. I'm going to try to show that, too. I'm going to have a blast out there. Whatever needs to be done will get done on Sundays."

(On him being authentic)

"Throughout the years, I've tried to show that more – tried to show my personality and just be different from everyone else. Looking like me – long, red hair, no front teeth – I think you have to embrace the authenticity of it. I try to do that – that's what I try to do. I try to embrace it and just show my personality whenever I can."

-BUCCANEERS-