Bucs general manager Jason Licht has long been a proponent of building his team through the draft. And while he, like every general manager, has seen his share of misses, his track record has largely been exceptional. So, as Licht and his staff look to get Tampa Bay back on track after its five-year playoff streak and four-year division title streak were snapped in 2025, this April’s draft is going to be critical.

There’s no perfect science when it comes to the NFL Draft, of course. Different evaluators are going to have different methodologies when it comes to scouting players, and there are always going to be differences of opinion regarding what makes a good, great and elite prospect. And as simple as it might seem to just draft good players from good college programs, it doesn’t always work that way.

However…

Coincidentally or not, Jason Licht and the Bucs have their college “pipelines” that they’ve drawn from since Licht was appointed as the team’s general manager ahead of the 2014 Draft. It’s not a perfect science, and Licht and his scouting staff focus more on the individuals, their traits and their levels of character than they do the helmets they wore in college when drawing up their draft board.

But in the interest of trying to identify patterns, there are a few programs that stand out as “Buccaneer factories” over the last decade-plus. And as Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and Bucs personnel descend on Indianapolis, Indiana, for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine next week, those “Buccaneer factories” will have a presence in Indy. Let’s take a look.

Will The Bucs Go Back To The Washington Pipeline Once Again?

The strongest “pipeline” the Bucs have drawn from under Jason Licht has been the football program at the University of Washington. Licht has selected six former Huskies in his 12 drafts as Tampa Bay’s general manager, with five of those coming in the last eight drafts and four of them coming in the last four drafts.

It started with tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins in 2014, but it really picked up in 2018. Licht drafted Vita Vea in the first round of the 2018 Draft, then picked back up with the Washington pipeline in 2021 and 2022, when he selected former Huskies in back-to-back years. First was outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in the first round in 2021 and then came tight end Cade Otton as a fourth-rounder in 2022.

Bucs OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

Licht and the Bucs went back to the well in 2024, first drafting wide receiver Jalen McMillan in the third round and then adding tight end Devin Culp in the seventh.

The hit rate on these former Huskies has been hit or miss, to be fair. Seferian-Jenkins was a bust, but Vea seems like a Bucs Ring of Honor-worthy player. Tryon-Shoyinka didn’t turn into the pass rusher Tampa Bay thought it was getting, but Otton served the team well over the course of his rookie contract. We’ll see if he’s back on a second contract in 2026.

And when it comes to the 2024 Washington draft picks, McMillan truly looks like a key part of the Bucs’ future at wide receiver while the team is still waiting for Culp to step up and make a real impact.

Looking to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, there are five Washington Huskies who will be making the trip to Indianapolis. Naturally, it may be worth keeping an eye on them.

One is running back Jonah Coleman, who spent two years at Arizona before transferring to Washington. The 5-foot-9, 228-pound running back ran for 1,053 yards in 2024 with 10 rushing touchdowns, then he dipped to 758 yards in 2025 but upped his touchdown production to 15. He had a better year as a receiver this past season, too, catching 31 passes for 354 yards (11.4 avg.) and two more touchdowns. Coleman is projected to be a Day 2 pick.

Washington RB Jonah Coleman – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jamie Sabau

Wide receiver Denzel Boston, a projected first-round pick, is another former Husky who will be making the trip to Indy, and there’s little doubt that McMillan and Culp would like to see their former teammate join them in Tampa. The 6-foot-4, 209-pound receiver spent four years with the Huskies and really came on stronger over the last two years, with 834 yards in 2024 and 881 in 2025 while combining for 20 touchdowns over those two seasons.

There are also two former Arizona-turned-Washington cornerbacks who will be representing the Huskies in Indy. Tacario Davis (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) and Ephesians Prysock (6-foot-4, 195) certainly have length, but their ball production isn’t quite where you’d like it to be. Davis had 26 passes defensed and three interceptions in four years, while Prysock had 20 passes defensed and two interceptions in four seasons. Both are considered to be Day 3 selections.

The final member of the Washington contingent headed to the Combine is offensive tackle Carver Willis. After five years at Kansas State, Willis transferred to Washington for the 2025 season and started 10 games at left tackle. Willis is a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.

Bucs’ Return To The LSU Pipeline May Not Happen In 2026

Jason Licht and the Bucs had a quick run there between 2015 and 2019 when they were keen on taking in players from “NFLSU,” as the program in Baton Rouge, Louisiana often touts itself. That’s why, despite not drafting a former Tiger since Andre Anthony in the seventh round of the 2022 Draft, the Bucs’ second-biggest college pipeline under Licht has actually been LSU.

Tampa Bay has selected four LSU players under Licht, which is only two behind the six selected from Washington. The first three from LSU were all linebackers, with Kwon Alexander coming first in the fourth round of the 2015 Draft and Kendell Beckwith following in the third round two years later.

Of course, the highest-profile draft pick out of LSU was Devin White, the Bucs’ No. 5 overall pick in 2019 who did help the team win Super Bowl LV before fading fast and becoming a castoff by the end of his rookie contract.

Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo courtesy of LSU

Anthony was the fourth former Tiger drafted by Licht, but he failed to make the 53-man roster out of camp in 2022.

So, could Licht and Co. look to Baton Rouge for a future Buccaneer in 2026? This may not be the year that pipeline comes back around despite LSU having a large contingent headed to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The Tigers have 11 players who were invited to the 2026 Combine, but from a Bucs perspective, it feels like very few would be of any interest.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is surely a no-go, while the quartet of wide receivers joining him in Indy isn’t all that impressive, with Barion Brown perhaps being the lone standout. On the surface, there’s not much to write home about with tight end Bauer Sharp, nor pass rushers Patrick Payton and Jack Pyburn.

Linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. continues to be something of a confusing study, as he had 7.5 sacks as a freshman before being moved around the defense in subsequent years. He ultimately had a fairly successful career at LSU, though he never quite reached the heights of that breakout freshman campaign and there were times when he felt positionless.

Could he be of interest as a developmental piece? Sure, but right now, Perkins, who is regarded as a Day 3 pick, is hardly the savior Tampa Bay needs at inside linebacker.

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe and LSU LB Harold Perkins Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

Cornerback Mansoor Delane, a first-rounder, and safety A.J. Haulcy, a second-rounder, are the two gems of LSU’s 2026 class, but are they fits for the Bucs considering the team’s biggest needs? Perhaps not.

Ultimately, the player who could’ve been the most interesting and potentially the best fit is returning to Baton Rouge for one more year. Had Whit Weeks put together the type of season that was expected from him in 2025 and had he subsequently entered the 2026 Draft, he might’ve been in play to be the next Buccaneers linebacker to hail from LSU.

Maybe next year?

Could There Be More Bucs From Nebraska, Auburn Or Pitt?

While Washington (six) and LSU (four) stand out as the biggest pipelines for Jason Licht’s Bucs over the years, there are several other programs the longtime general manager has looked to during his tenure. Nebraska, Auburn, Pitt and Minnesota are all right behind LSU with three Buccaneers draft picks each since 2014.

At one time, Licht was a member of the Nebraska football program himself. But over the years, his draft picks from Lincoln haven’t quite hit, with 2015 fifth-round wide receiver Kenny Bell, 2020 sixth-round defensive tackle Khalil Davis and 2023 sixth-round receiver Trey Palmer struggling to really catch on.

Bell was a training camp darling and quickly became a full-on bust. Davis stuck around for a while, but totaled three sacks as an occasional depth piece. Palmer had the biggest impact, playing a role as a rookie and even having a playoff moment against the Eagles. But that was it, as he never really got going in 2024 and was ultimately cut ahead of the 2025 season.

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Could Licht go back to the Cornhuskers in this year’s draft? There are two Nebraska products headed to Indy, and both could potentially pique the Bucs’ interest. Running back Emmett Johnson, who ran for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns last year while adding 370 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound back could fill the void left by Rachaad White in Tampa Bay’s backfield. Yet Johnson is considered to be a Day 2 pick and that might be a little early for the Bucs to draft a running back considering the team’s multiple needs on defense.

And while the Bucs are set in terms of starting safeties, Nebraska strong safety DeShon Singleton put together back-to-back strong seasons in 2024 and 2025, The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder combined for 141 tackles (89 solo), eight passes defensed and three interceptions over the past two seasons. Singleton could be intriguing as a late Day 3 pick or undrafted free agent.

What about Auburn? Between 2018 and 2021, Licht selected three former Tigers and did so with some success. There was second-round cornerback and eventual Super Bowl LV champion Carlton Davis III in 2018, third-round corner and eventual champion Jamel Dean in 2019 and then fifth-round linebacker K.J. Britt in 2021.

Britt never became the force on defense that Tampa Bay needed him to be, but Davis and Dean served as a championship-winning duo at cornerback.

Bucs CBs Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Like LSU, Auburn has a strong contingent headed to the 2026 Combine, with six players – all from the trenches – making the trip. Three interior offensive linemen in Connor Lew (center), Dillon Wade (guard) and Jeremiah Wright (guard) are headed to Indy, with Lew, a Day 2 pick, being the biggest standout after allowing only 19 total pressures over 865 opportunities over the last three years.

On the defensive side of the ball, there’s defensive end Keyron Crawford, who had five sacks a year ago, as well as defensive lineman Bobby Jamison-Travis. The one Auburn Tiger sometimes linked to Tampa Bay in some early mock drafts has been pass rusher Keldric Faulk, a likely top 20 pick, though he had only 10 sacks over three seasons and might be more of a 4-3 defensive end than the 3-4 outside linebacker the Bucs are looking for.

And then there’s Pitt. The Panthers have had three players drafted by Licht in Tampa Bay over the years, with fourth-round safety and eventual Super Bowl champion Jordan Whitehead being the first in 2018 and then first-round defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and fifth-round linebacker SirVocea Dennis both being drafted in 2023 to team up in Tampa.

Pittsburgh ILB Kyle Louis – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Brett Davis

There are only two Pitt products headed to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, with one being another running back in Desmond Reid. His best season came in 2024 when he ran for 966 yards and five touchdowns. But the more interesting Panther headed to Indy is someone Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo profiled back in January and a player the entire Pewter Report staff got a look at during Senior Bowl practices in Mobile last month.

That’s Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis, who was the Bucs’ third-round pick in our latest Pewter Report mock draft. Louis totaled 182 tackles (88 solo) over his last two seasons at Pitt while also posting 10 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, six interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. For a Buccaneers team in desperate need of linebacker help, Louis could be a player of interest.

Minnesota is another one of the programs with three former players drafted by the Bucs under Jason Licht, with safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (2020 second round), wide receiver Tyler Johnson (2020 fifth round) and tight end Ko Kieft (2022 sixth round) all going from the Golden Gophers to the Buccaneers.

However, there’s only one Minnesota player who was invited to this year’s Combine, and that was defensive lineman Deven Eastern, who posted 42 pressures over four years with the program. He’s expected to be a Day 3 selection.