With the growth of the Senior Bowl over the years, it’s no surprise to see plenty of NFL rosters littered with Senior Bowl alums. The Bucs’ roster is certainly no exception, especially under the direction of longtime general manager Jason Licht.

There’s certainly more that goes into it than “this player participated at the Senior Bowl, so we like him,” of course. But the fact is that Licht has drafted at least one player from the Senior Bowl class in every year of his tenure in Tampa Bay, which dates back to 2014.

Here’s a look at the 29 players Licht and the Bucs have drafted over the years who participated in the premier college all-star week in Mobile, Alabama:

Jason Licht’s 29 Senior Bowl Draft Picks Since 2014:

2014

West Virginia RB Charles Sims (Third round)
Wyoming WR Robert Herron (Sixth round)

Bucs LG Ali Marpet – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

2015

Penn State OL Donovan Smith (Second round)
Hobart OL Ali Marpet (Second round)

2016

Eastern Kentucky OLB Noah Spence (Second round)
Northwestern FB Dan Vitale (Sixth round)

2017

Alabama TE O.J. Howard (First round)
Texas A&M S Justin Evans (Second round)

2018

North Carolina CB MJ Stewart (Second round)
Humboldt State OL Alex Cappa (Third round)
Penn WR Justin Watson (Fifth round)

2019

Kentucky S Mike Edwards (Third round)
Iowa OLB Anthony Nelson (Fourth round)

2020

Vanderbilt RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn (Third round)

2021

Notre Dame OL Robert Hainsey (Third round)
Auburn ILB K.J. Britt (Fifth round)
Houston ILB Grant Stuard (Seventh round)

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

2022

Houston DT Logan Hall (Second round)
Central Michigan OL Luke Goedeke (Second round)
Arizona State RB Rachaad White (Third round)
Georgia P Jake Camarda (Fourth round)
Sam Houston CB Zyon McCollum (Fifth round)

2023

North Dakota State OL Cody Mauch (Second round)
Louisville OLB YaYa Diaby (Third round)
Pitt ILB SirVocea Dennis (Fifth round)
Purdue TE Payne Durham (Fifth round)
Nebraska WR Trey Palmer (Sixth round)
*Iowa S Kaevon Merriweather (UDFA)

2024

Alabama OLB Chris Braswell (Second round)
Georgia DB Tykee Smith (Third round)
*Tampa Bay eventually signed Senior Bowl QB Michael Pratt to their practice squad, though he was originally drafted by the Packers

2024 Saw Fewest Bucs Draft Picks From The Senior Bowl Since 2020

Bucs DB Tykee Smith and OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After drafting three Senior Bowl alums in 2021, Jason Licht and Tampa Bay drafted five in 2022 and five more in 2023, plus they signed another (Kaevon Merriweather) as an undrafted free agent. But after adding 14 over three draft cycles, Tampa Bay had only two 2024 draftees who made the trip to Mobile: Alabama outside linebacker Chris Braswell and Georgia defensive back Tykee Smith.

There very well could’ve been a third Senior Bowl alum drafted by Tampa Bay last year, too, but the Packers drafted Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt one spot ahead of the team. Eventually, though, Green Bay cut Pratt and Licht got him to Tampa anyway.

Drafting two players from the premier college all-star game isn’t alarmingly low by any means, of course, but that came after Jason Licht and his staff  drafted five in both 2022 and 2023. We’ll see in April if the 2025 Draft brings another Tampa Bay class full of Senior Bowl products or if it’s more in line with 2024.

Jason Licht, Todd Bowles Have Missed Recent Senior Bowl Weeks

Bucs GM Jason Licht, director of player personnel Rob McCartney, former assistant GM John Spytek and assistant GM Mike Greenberg – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s been years since the Bucs have had the luxury of enjoying a normal Senior Bowl week. That’s because in both the 2023 and 2024 offseasons, the trip to Mobile has coincided with the team’s offensive coordinator search. That has led to general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles missing out on getting an in-person look at some of the top draft prospects.

In 2023, Tampa Bay was looking for Byron Leftwich’s replacement in late January and early February. The team eventually hired Dave Canales on Feb. 15, two weeks after the Senior Bowl and two weeks after Tom Brady retired – which also happened during Senior Bowl week.

Last January, Tampa Bay was looking for Canales’ replacement in late January after he took the Panthers’ head coaching job. On Feb. 2, one day after the final practice in Mobile and a day before the game at Hancock Whitney Stadium, the team hired Liam Coen to be its new offensive coordinator.

And now, after a back-and-forth saga with Coen last week, the Bucs are once again going to be conducting an offensive coordinator search during Senior Bowl week. The good news is that team personnel has gotten used to having to navigate this dilemma before.

In recent years, it was assistant general manager and top personnel man John Spytek heading things up in Mobile with directors of player personnel Mike Biehl and Rob McCartney also playing a key role in evaluations throughout the week. Not to mention, other team scouts have made the trip as well.

The problem this year is that Licht won’t have Spytek to lean on, as Spytek is now the Raiders’ general manager. So, if Licht can’t make the trip himself or isn’t able to fully be dialed in on practices throughout Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, it’ll presumably be Biehl and McCartney handling things with other scouts. It helps, too, that the team will have access to practice film from the week in Mobile.

Loaded 2025 Senior Bowl May Produce A Few More Bucs

Bucs senior personnel executive Byron Kiefer and GM Jason Licht at the Senior Bowl – Photo by: Scott Reynolds/PR

Considering the talent level on the 2025 Senior Bowl rosters, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Jason Licht and his staff comb through the practice film very closely to find some of their top draft targets. There’s been plenty of buzz about this year’s Senior Bowl perhaps being one of the most star-studded in a long time and potentially ever.

While free agency will obviously come before the 2025 NFL Draft, Tampa Bay currently have needs at several positions across the roster, with most of them on the defensive side of the ball.

In Pewter Report’s initial 2025 seven-round mock, needs at inside linebacker, outside linebacker, cornerback, safety, wide receiver and defensive tackle were outlined as the team’s top needs. Given the strength of the talent pool that will be present in Mobile this week, Tampa Bay may find quite a few players who could be candidates to fill the needs that are still unaddressed by the last weekend in April.

Pewter Report’s 2025 Senior Bowl Coverage Starts Monday

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Bailey Adams, Adam Slivon, Josh Queipo and Matt Matera

The whole Pewter Report staff will travel to Mobile on Monday to cover the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl, which is the top college all-star game. Despite only drafting two Senior Bowl alums in 2024, the Bucs have still added 15 over the last four drafts.

Not to mention, the Senior Bowl is also known as the biggest NFL job fair. With the team once again needing to find a new offensive coordinator – their fourth in four years – to replace Liam Coen, expect plenty of movement on that front throughout the coming week.

Pewter Report will have full coverage of Senior Bowl practices and the Tampa Bay’s third offensive coordinator search in the last three offseasons on PewterReport.com, as well as on the Pewter Report Podcasts – energized by CELSIUS, the official energy drink of Pewter Report.

During Senior Bowl week, the Pewter Report Podcast will be in prime time – Monday through Wednesday – live at 7:00 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay fans can watch the Pewter Report Podcast live on our YouTube channel – PewterReportTV.

Pewter Report Podcast Schedule For Senior Bowl Week

Monday, January 27 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, January 28 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, January 29 – 7:00 p.m. ET