TAMPA, Fla. — We're t-minus two weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft, which means Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht holds his annual, pre-draft press conference. The Bucs hold the 19th pick of the first round, and the team hopes to continue its recent run of draft success.
Last season, Tampa Bay struck gold with picks like first-round selection Graham Barton (center) and fourth-rounder Bucky Irving. The team got key contributions from the entire draft class, but Licht admits you don't know how good any draft class is going to be until they take the field.
"To say that we knew it was going to be what it was, no," Licht said Thursday. "But just like the two drafts previous to that, we came out giving high-fives, saying 'We’ve got great guys,' if anything, that work hard, that are team guys, all those things. So you knew you had a chance."
Most scouts don't consider this draft to be loaded with top-end, elite talent, but Licht admits he and his staff have the confidence to put together a great class no matter what the scouting reports look like.
"I think that this particular draft seems to be a bit more leveled out, which I’m excited about," he added. "I’m not saying that’s something I don’t like about this draft. It’s something I do like about the draft."
Todd Bowles is entering his fourth season as Buccaneers head coach. While he's a defensive-first guy, Bowles readily admits that he wants a roster that's loaded on both sides of the ball. So, he's completely open to taking offensive players early in the draft.
"Being a defensive coach, I learn that you win by scoring points. So I don’t ever want to bypass a very good offensive player," Bowles said at the NFL owners meetings. "We can figure out a way to keep the score down, but you can’t figure out a way to keep scoring points, especially if your horses go down. So you can never have enough horses on offense."
Two of the Bucs' best "horses," receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, both went down last season. Evans returned from a hamstring injury to log his 11th-straight 1,000-yard season, and the Bucs signed Godwin to an extension despite a season-ending foot injury. Evans will be 32 when next season begins, and 29-year-old Godwin's coming back from a second major injury. Even with rookie Jalen McMillan stepping up to make huge plays over the last two months of the season, would Licht consider drafting another receiver this year?
"We’re fortunate to have [Evans and Godwin], and who knows how long they’ll play? Could be longer than what people are saying," he grinned. "We always want to try and keep that group fresh. We’re not going to overlook that position at all if everything falls that way for us."
The NFL Draft runs April 24-26 in Green Bay, WI. Round one will take place on the 24th. Rounds two and three will be on the 25th, followed by rounds four through seven on the 26th.
Tampa Bay holds six total picks entering this year's draft.
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