Bucs would do well to repeat the success of their 2024 draft class

TAMPA — Jason Licht isn’t afraid to admit his draft-day mistakes. Had he known Bucky Irving would rush for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie while starting only three games, he would’ve handed in the card with the name of the Oregon running back on it several days earlier. Certainly, before the fourth round.

“I probably would’ve taken him in the second round or first round,” Licht said.

Licht has drafted the two best receivers in franchise history: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. He selected two potential Pro Football Hall of Famers in tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who contributed greatly as rookies to the Super Bowl 55 championship team.

But when it comes to getting production from a rookie class, it’s hard to beat what the Bucs and Licht did in last year’s NFL draft.

“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,” Licht said. “To say that we knew that it was going to be what it was, no, but just like the last two drafts previous to that, we came out and were 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, and we thought at the time that they were good players, but you still never know until you actually get out there.”

Irving may have been the darling of the Bucs’ 2024 draft, but he had competition.

First-round pick Graham Barton, who hadn’t played center since his freshman year at Duke, started 16 games and helped the run game improve from last in the NFL to fourth.

Did he have some hiccups along the way? Absolutely. A critical holding penalty at Atlanta late in the fourth quarter took his team out of field-goal range and enabled the Falcons to tie the game in regulation before winning it in overtime. He also snapped the ball early in a goal-to-go situation in the playoff loss to Washington, which proved costly.

But he upgraded the Bucs offensive line and played exceptionally well as a rookie.

Third-round pick Tykee Smith of Georgia was a steal and anchored the nickel cornerback position. He had two interceptions and forced three fumbles. This season, he will move to safety and play opposite Winfield.

Receiver Jalen McMillan was slowed by injuries early in the season, but the third-round pick from Washington came on late to finish with seven touchdowns in his final five games. He caught 24 passes for 316 yards during that stretch. Randy Moss is the only other rookie in NFL history to record at least 50 yards receiving and a TD in five straight games.

Even tight end Devin Culp, a seventh-round pick from Washington who did not see any real action until Week 17, had five catches for 88 yards in his final two games.

If there was a disappointing debut, it was by outside linebacker Chris Braswell, the second-round pick from Alabama. He struggled early and finished with 1½ sacks, but the Bucs expect him to make a big leap in his second season.

“We’ve had some good production,” Licht said. “My staff and the coaches have done a great job. The last three years, I would say, combined those drafts were elite when you add them all together. We want to try to keep doing it. It doesn’t always work out that way, but keep doing it.”

Can the Bucs repeat their recent success in this year’s draft April 24-26 in Green Bay?

One of Licht’s closest confidants, assistant general manager John Spytek, is now in Las Vegas as the Raiders GM and will be missed. But the balance of the front office staff remains intact.

The Bucs’ biggest needs are on defense, and the rest of the league knows it. But head coach Todd Bowles has said he wouldn’t pass on a great offensive player at No. 19.

“Sometimes, people think you’re playing games and you’re trying to throw people off the scent, and you’re really not,” Licht said. “It really, truly depends on how it’s going to fall. I’ve got Todd excited about a lot of offensive players, and we have a good offense, but we can make it even better.

“We do need help on defense, and it would be fun to see us improve there and I think we will without really making any huge changes. I think we’re going to be better, but obviously getting some new players in there is going to make it a lot better.”

Are there more Irvings and Smiths to be had? Licht believes so. The work on the draft has continued with top 30 player visits to the Bucs facility, where the organization gets an up-close look at their character.

“How accountable they’ve been, what kind of leaders they are, their general character, how they treat everybody around the building,‘’ Licht said. “Whether it’s the interns or the people working in the kitchen and the janitors or whoever it is, we try to get a report from everybody that touched them during the day.”

The Bucs evaluations seem to be working. But the 2024 draft class set a pretty high standard.

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