TAMPA, Fla. — Jason Licht is about to kick off his 11th NFL draft as the Buccaneers' general manager. No matter where Tampa Bay's position is in the draft, Licht's philosophy has stayed consistent.
"At the end of the day, you still want to take the best player," Licht said at Thursday's news conference. "The player that you feel- have the best feel for, especially collectively as a group. You wouldn’t want to pass on a player, regardless of position, if you just have a lot of love for them."
The Bucs head into the draft with the 26th pick of the first round. So, barring a trade, they'll be waiting around for a while. Licht says the toughest part about waiting is all the uncertainty that's involved.
"We say it to all the prospects that are coming in and visiting, the prospects in the top 30, that no one knows how this is gonna go. If someone's telling you they know where you're going, they're lying," Licht explained. "Then you kinda start falling in love with them, and then you're like 'One of these guys is gonna be there, and we're gonna be so happy.' But then there's the chance that none of them are."
Licht is quick to mention that he and his staff are careful not to fall in love with players based solely on talent. When they draft a player, they're drafting the entire person.
"I think we’ve done a great job- my staff has done a great job with our character grade. We put a lot of stock into that. When we see players getting in trouble, suspended, whatever. I look it up… Yup, we had a 'Do Not Touch' grade on. They’ve been phenomenal in that regard."
Licht joked that he has seen the Kevin Cosnter movie "Draft Day" several times, but his superstition level isn't very high when the big day rolls around.
"I like to go for a long walk," he added. "I always kinda clear my head that day a little bit longer than normal… sometimes with the dog."
Detroit is the host for the 2024 NFL Draft. The first round takes place Thursday night, April 25th, at 8 p.m. Rounds two and three are Friday, starting at 7 p.m. Rounds four through seven are Saturday, with the action starting at noon. You can watch all the drama unfold on ABC Action News.
