The excitement from head coach Dirk Koetter and general manager Jason Licht couldn’t be hidden as they spoke at the podium late on Thursday night speaking about new Bucs tight end O.J. Howard.

While there was no visual when Howard spoke to the Bucs media just after 11 p.m., the former Bama standout’s voice couldn’t contain his happiness as well.

Below is a transcript from the conference call with Howard from the media session at One Buc Place

(Thoughts on being picked by Tampa Bay)
“Yeah that’s what they told me. I’m just excited to go somewhere, and they have a loaded offense, so I’m excited about that.”

(Thoughts on playing at Raymond James and being able to play in the NFL)
“I’m just excited. I’ve been in that stadium before and I loved it, loved the environment. To be able to go back and play there again is truly, truly a blessing. I’m excited about it.”

(Have you talked with Jameis Winston?)
“He texted me as soon as I got drafted and he told me, ‘Welcome. Welcome to the battle boys.’ So he told me that, and he’s a great quarterback, great guy, so I’m excited to play with him.”

(On how long will it take to get your feet wet in the NFL and make the starting lineup)
“Hopefully not long. I’m trying to go in there right now and be an impact on the team, so I’m looking forward to that.”

(On his strengths)
“Just a guy that can be a three-down tight end, go in there and block, but then stretch the field and make plays.”

(On dropping to No. 19 when you were expected to go Top 10)
“The way the draft started off, I could kind of see it happening, but my agent told me that my range was from 6 to 20, and it was right before that. So it didn’t shock me because I could go from 6 to 20 and that’s exactly what happened.”

(On advantage will it be with all the size the Bucs have)
“Huge. I think it’s going to be a huge advantage. Tall guys, it’ll give us a chance to let Jameis throw it up and let us go make plays.”

(On passion do you have for blocking)
“I have a lot of passion for it. I think that’s what it takes to be a dominant tight end. You have to be able to block and be able to make plays in the run game to allow the passing game to open up, so I take a lot of pride in that.”

(On Winston’s ability to improvise and make plays outside of the pocket)
“I feel very confident in him. Him being able to do that, move around, make plays, keep plays alive and I think that says a lot about him and his athletic ability. That just allows us to make more plays.”

(On QB that makes you make adjustments on the fly)
“I’m used to adjusting to whatever it may be to fit our offense. Whatever that may be, I’m looking forward to it and being able to adjust.”

(How have you been able to excel in big games?)
“I really take a lot of pride in that. I like to be very good in every game, but especially on that stage when there’s so many eyes on you and there’s so much at stake. You have no room for error.”

(On happy to play at Alabama where the expectations are so high, even if you don’t touch the ball as much)
“I am. I enjoyed going to Alabama because it made me more than just a catcher. I learned how to block, I learned how to be a be a better all-around team player, and football player in general, and I’d rather do that than just go to go to some school and catch 100 balls a year.”

(On coming to Dirk Koetter’s attacking offense that gets the TE so involved)
“It’s going to be amazing. I want to finally see what I can do in an offense like that and see how it plays out.”

(Thoughts of being a Buccaneer)
“I was very overwhelmed and excited about it. I told my parents, ‘I think I’m about to come up at 19,” and they called me. It was pretty sweet.”

-Taylor Jenkins contributed to this report