TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not making bold predictions.
However, the four-time defending NFC South Champion is confident that there will be a good chance of getting better for players who took the NFL draft from Thursday to Saturday. General Manager Jason Licht and coach Todd Bowles hope the draft class will help the team’s defenses regain some of the swaggers lost in the past two seasons.
After taking Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round, Licht and Bowles turned their attention to strengthening their pass rush and secondary with two edge rushes and cornerback choices in the final two days of the draft.
Egbuka was the top pick for the team despite quarterback Baker Mayfield’s already free-to-use group of stellar receivers, including Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and 2024 third-round pick Jalen McMillan.
Reception’s franchise leader, Yard, TDS and scoring Evans is in his 12th year, coming out of a serious ankle injury Godwin has sidelined for most of last season, but the Bucs bank Egbuka’s strong offensive score even more points.
“There’s a lot I love about him,” Licht said after choosing Egbuka, whom Ohio State helped win the national championship in January.
“It’s great that, as a GM, we have a head coach who’s a defensive-minded guy who’s running up the hill in his name saying, ‘We have to draft this guy’,” Licht said. “So it’s become a lot easier.”
The Bucs re-sign Godwin to a three-year, $66 million contract this offseason, and say they will work with Evans to give Tampa Bay one of the league’s most productive receiver tandems.
“We are lucky to have them all now,” Licht said.
GM also has a better feel about the pass rush after signing free agent Haason Reddick on a one-year, $14 million contract and drafting Central Arkansas linebacker David Walker and SMU defensive lineman Elijah Roberts on Saturday. Concerns about cornerback depth were addressed in the selections of Notre Dame Benjamin Morrison and Kansas Jacob Parish in the second and third rounds.
There’s no hesitation
The Buccaneers took Egbuka on their 19th overall pick, despite not taking him to town for a pre-draft visit.
“We met him at the combine, and we know a lot about him over the years,” Licht said. “He’s a true professional. He’s matured beyond his years. He’s a perfectionist.”
Egbuka helped the Buckeyes win the National Championship last season with 81 receptions and 10 touchdowns for 1,011 yards. He enjoys the opportunity to play with Mayfield and a very productive group of receivers.
“I’m a gaming student,” Egbuka said. “I love learning about it.”
Added on the third day
The Bucs added three players on Saturday, earning several edge rushes for Walker and Roberts in the fourth and fifth rounds. Oregon’s small but elusive wide receiver, seventh-time choice Tez Johnson was Tampa Bay’s final pick.
Johnson will be reuniting with his former college teammates in 2024, running Bucky Irving, who rushed for 1,122 yards and 8 TDs as a rookie.
I’m working on defense
Tampa Bay ranked third in Baltimore and Detroit’s total offense (399.5 yards per game) and scores (29.5). After the Bucs produced a consistent pass rush and it was difficult to force turnovers a year ago, this offseason’s top priority has improved defense. The secondary finished with seven intercepts tied to the fourth in the NFL.
In addition to relying on reddick to rebound from sub-pel years with the New York Jets to reinforce the pass rush after linebacker Chris Braswell, the second draft pick in 2024, after linebacker Chris Braswell placed two bags as a rookie, the third-year Pro Yaya Diaby could also make a difference if he could return to his rookie year shape, leading the Bucs with 7 1/2 sacks.
Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum are incumbent starters at cornerbacks, while Morrison and Parrish get the opportunity to compete in playing time.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
