Bucs GM Jason Licht was all smiles after selecting LSU linebacker Devin White with the fifth overall pick on Thursday night. Below is his press conference from Thursday following the selection.

On Devin White
“We’re extremely excited about Devin and we have been for a long time. He’s a very fast player, that’s not the reason we took him alone. He’s a physical guy, he can pressure with his ability blitz, he’s one of the better blitzing linebackers we’ve seen in a long time. He can cover and, last but not least, he’s a tremendous, tremendous person, leader. He’s very smart. You’ll feel his energy right away when you guys meet him.”

On drafting White while guys like Ed Oliver and Josh Allen were still on the board
“Devin White was our guy. There were some good players still, but Devin White. We went through that exercise for the last, however many weeks, that if this scenario came up that we were still going to take Devin.”

On not taking a pass rusher when this team has struggled finding one for so long
“We went through a lot of exercises. We’ve talked about these guys over and over, we’ve watched every play they ever played in college and we feel very comfortable that we made the right decision. He’s a linebacker but he’s also an attacking player. He’s a pressure type linebacker who can get to the quarterback as well.”

On if it was easier taking a linebacker in the first round with this being such a deep draft on the defensive line
“That goes into it too, sure.”

On what the signs were that White was the guy
“We’ve got a lot of resources at LSU from over the years, taking some players, especially linebackers. We’ve got a lot of great relationships there so we’ve been doing our vetting on him for a long time. When you meet with him, just his focus, his will to win, his plan, he’s a very thoughtful person in terms of what he’s going to do to come in here and become a starter, be a leader, be a quarterback of the defense. If you talk to any of his teammates they believe he’s the best player on their team, he’s been the unquestioned leader for two years there, I can go on and on. It’s pretty inspiring to be around him.”

On a special story about Devin White
“Just when he was here he said it just felt right here in Tampa. He had a brother that was a big Bucs fan, I’ll let you talk about that with Devin. He had a Bucs jersey as a kid and he wore that all the time, from what I remember him talking about that. I remember sitting around with him and a bunch of the guys upstairs and talking about, ‘hey, we just want an impact guy who can come in here and turn things around,’ and he said, ‘turn what around? We’re all undefeated right now and there’s no reason we can’t go to the Super Bowl.’ He’s just got that mindset.”

On if White can be enough of an impact player at MLB to justify the fifth overall pick
“We thought so, that’s why we took him where we did. We thought he was one of the better inside linebackers we’ve seen in a long time coming out of college. He’s still got to line up and play in the NFL but coming out of college, just his speed and all the traits I told you about, is very exciting to watch.”

On the importance of White being able to play downhill so well with great coverage skills
“It’s very important. You’ve got linebackers who can cover but don’t play the run that great, you’ve got guys play the run, that are stuffers, that can’t cover that great. He can do both exceptionally well in addition to blitzing which is an art in itself. You can have a super athletic guy who can run but he doesn’t have that knack for getting to the quarterback and he has that.”

On if it made him nervous with White repeatedly popping up to the Bucs in mock drafts
“There’s always a lot of uncertainty. I was a little nervous for a while, not necessarily because we were seeing it in mocks, I know that we weren’t letting that out, it just seemed like a good fit for a lot of people. To be honest you’re always a little bit nervous. We knew we were going to end up with a good player and we’re just glad it was Devin.”

On if the player fit the need perfectly this year
“It did, but I can’t necessarily say it was just because of the need. It was just kind of a perfect marriage for us this year. We have needs. We have needs on defense, we have some needs on offense but it just so happens it was a perfect union.”

On White fitting Todd Bowles’ scheme
“I think Devin would have been a good fit in a 3-4 or 4-3 but the fact that he can play downhill the way he does and get after the quarterback, that fits Todd. I’m excited about that for sure.”

On how White can be a leader and command respect at a young age
“He’s a very mature person and he’s, like I said vefore, he’s very focused but he’s very mature. He’s got an energy about him that when he walks in the room you feel him and we talked to a lot of players, whether it’s their pro day or the combine or here or a private workout and he definitely leaves an impression that doesn’t leave you.”

On if there was a highlight or game from White that stood out
“There’s a lot. Just his effort plays, and there’s a lot of those. Patrolling sideline to sideline as fast as he does and playing to the whistle regardless no matter what the score is in the game. Making big plays in big moments. I can’t think of any one particular one that stands out but there’s a lot of them, and that’s the mark of a good player when you can’t just say, ‘there was this play against Texas A&M,’ but there’s a lot of them.”

On the bonus of lining White up next to a guy like Lavonte David
“I think it’s awesome. I think Lavonte’s going to take him under his wing, I think Lavonte’s a true pro. I don’t think Devin needs to learn how to be a true pro but he needs to learn how to maneuver through the NFL, the training camp, the toll that it puts on your body, things like that, and I think Lavonte is the perfect person. I can’t think of a better guy to be his big brother here.”

On LSU’s ability to put out such good linebackers
“I think they’re well coached, I think they recruit very well and there’s something in the water there in Louisiana.”

On if the NFL’s transition to a quick-passing league has put a bigger emphasis on cover linebackers
“It’s hard to find one that can and that’s why you see a lot of defenses moving a safety to linebacker and playing a lot of dime instead of nickel. It’s because it’s hard to find a linebacker to cover these speedy tight ends and even some big receivers and running backs, these third down backs. We think Devin can and that was a big draw to him.”

On Devin White’s deficiencies as a player
“I want to talk about Devin’s good qualities right now, none that come to mind right now. Every player has deficiencies, no player is perfect. Devin’s got to line up here and come out through OTA’s and rookie minicamp and play in the preseason and the regular season before I start being critical of him.”

On if it takes a special guy to be such a leader and captain at 21-years-old
“Absolutely. It’s a special trait you don’t see very often and I know at LSU, Coach Orgeron, they don’t just hand that out. You’ve got to trust the player to have a handle on the whole team, which he did, and they met often. It’s like an extra coach there.”

On the importance of seeing him play against NFL talent in the SEC in college
“The SEC, Big 10, these major conferences when you’ve got players that you feel have exceptional talent and are producing and are very productive at a high level you tend to want those players more than you would guys who dominate at a smaller level. So yeah, it’s very important, Especially the SEC. It’s where the majority of the first round and a majority of the draft comes from.”

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