SR’s FAB 5 column on the Bucs is presented by Gameday Men’s Health

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Now on to today’s SR’s FAB 5 with the NFL Draft just over three weeks away. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Bucs Still Have Plenty Of Star Power

Since the days when A-Train whistles sounded throughout Raymond James Stadium after Mike Alstott bashed his way for first downs and bulldozed in for touchdowns over two decades ago, only one Buccaneer has made fans literally get out of their seats on a regular basis.

Bucky Irving.

You know, the guy that makes fans scream, “Bucky! Bucky! Bucky!”

Bucs fans have chanted that since Irving’s first big run – a 31-yarder – in his Tampa Bay debut against Washington in Week 1 of his rookie year. Irving, a fourth-round pick in 2024, ran for 1,122 yards during his rookie season and became an instant fan favorite.

Irving is built like another famous diminutive runner in red and pewter from yesteryear, Warrick Dunn, yet he ignites the crowd the way Alstott used to after ripping off long runs.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucs fans are either sad or angry – or perhaps both – that two of the franchise’s long-time icons, wide receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David will no longer suit up in Tampa Bay. It’s been a tough offseason to first watch Evans, the best offensive player in franchise history, opt to leave for the 49ers in free agency after 12 seasons with the Bucs, then to see David retire after 14 illustrious seasons.

But the cupboard isn’t bare when it comes to star power. The stars left in red and pewter might not shine as brightly as Evans and David once did, but it’s not like the sky is pitch black over Tampa Bay.

General manager Jason Licht was quick to point that out in a recent sit down interview with Casey Phillips on Buccaneers.com.

“We feel like we’re still the same team that started off the year 6-2 – 5-1, really – but 6-2 with the bye week,” Licht said. “We had some unfortunate injuries. You know a lot of things led to it. We never want to use that as an excuse, but we still have some very good players on our team.

“Start with the offense, with our offensive line being one of the top ones in the league when we’re healthy. And with the receiver room that we have, and Bucky and Baker [Mayfield], obviously, that if we can accentuate that offense, which I think will be one of the top offenses – it has a chance to be – even a little bit more, and make what’s really good even better, I think that gives us a very good chance to having some success this year.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Aside from Irving, Mayfield is entering his fourth season in Tampa Bay and has become a fan favorite over time due to his gritty play, his touchdown passes, his swagger and the way he’s ingratiated himself into the community. Mayfield is now the face of the franchise on offense, but he and Irving aren’t the only two stars left on offense.

Chris Godwin Jr. may not be as dynamic as Evans was, but he’s the second-best receiver in franchise history and helped this team win a Super Bowl in 2020. There are plenty of Godwin fans who have admired his steady clutch catches over the years and shed tears with him twice as he’s come back from two devastating injuries. The 30-year old is destined for the Bucs Ring of Honor when his playing days are over.

Licht drafted Godwin’s eventual replacement in Emeka Egbuka, who quickly earned fans with back-to-back game-winning touchdown catches in Tampa Bay’s first two wins of the year in Atlanta and Houston, and then making several highlight reel catches in back-to-back 100-yard performances versus Philadelphia and in a dramatic 38-35 shootout win at Seattle in which he out-dueled Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Egbuka came oh so close to getting 1,000 yards during his rookie season, too.

Egbuka’s draftmate, Tez Johnson, a wiry-thin seventh-round pick, quickly joined the ranks of being a fan favorite with his cartwheel-flips after touchdowns. And he scored five TDs as a rookie too, along with being a funny dude, as highlighted on several clips via Buccaneers social media.

Bucs WRs Tez Johnson and Emeka Egbuka – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

While offensive linemen are never sexy to fans the way quarterbacks and skill position players are, Licht has drafted a pair of studs in future Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion Tristan Wirfs as well as Luke Goedeke, the team’s badass enforcer that fans have come to appreciate.

As for Tampa Bay’s defense? Well, it’s not as star-studded as it used to be, but Antoine Winfield Jr. is a multi-Pro Bowl safety, and Tykee Smith is an emerging star at safety, too. Fans have come to appreciate Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea over the years. He and Winfield helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV.

Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby is destined to get a contract extension and has become a player fans root for. And if he can elevate his game from a seven-sack guy to a double-digit sack guy this season, “Sub Zero” will only grow more popular.

“At the same time this year, we have a lot of pieces on defense that we need to also accentuate and upgrade – or get some more players,” Licht said. “We have a lot of good players on that side of the ball. A lot of young players stepped up last year. Some need to step up a little bit more this year, and we’re confident that they will.”

New linebacker Alex Anzalone hails from Florida, so his addition will certainly excite the Gators fans who root for the Bucs. And veteran defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson won the press conference with a profanity-filled answer to my question about what makes him a badass, and has fans eager to see his badass style of play once he takes the field.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving and WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

And of course there is always the upcoming draft that can bring another star player or two for fans to cheer for. After all, David and Evans were homegrown stars, just like other homegrown legends like Alstott and Hall of Famers John Lynch, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber.

The greatness of David and Evans will be missed in Tampa Bay, but the memories remain.

There are still plenty of remaining stars for Bucs fans to cheer for in 2026 and beyond.

Sometimes that can be difficult to see with tears rolling down your face.

FAB 2. And Then There Were 5 Super Bowl Bucs

The departure of Mike Evans and Lavonte David, as well as the departure of cornerback Jamel Dean in free agency, leaves the Buccaneers with just five remaining members of the Super Bowl LV team in Tampa Bay.

Defensive tackle Vita Vea, outside linebacker Anthony Nelson, safety Antoine Winfield Jr., wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. and left tackle Tristan Wirfs are the only Super Bowl winners in Tampa Bay.

It’s amazing how quickly time flies, isn’t it? As Tampa Bay enters the 2026 season, it was just six years ago that this team had quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Antonio Brown scoring touchdowns to beat Kansas City, 31-9, at Raymond James to help the Bucs become the first team to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium.

Bucs DT tackle Vita Vea – Photo Credit: USA Today

All four of those players have since retired, along with several other key contributors from that championship squad, including center Ryan Jensen, left guard Ali Marpet, defensive tackles Will Gholston and Ndamukong Suh, outside linebackers Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett, and of course, David.

Vea just turned 31 and is entering a contract year, as is Nelson, who is 29. If they aren’t re-signed in 2027, the number of Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl LV champions dwindles to just three.

This is a big year for Godwin, who needs to return to form as a 1,000-yard receiver following a down season in 2025 coming off a devastating ankle injury that cost him the second half of the 2024 season. Godwin turned 30 in February and needs to justify his $22 million salary. If his production falters in 2026 the Bucs will have to move on from him in 2027.

Should that happen, only Wirfs and Winfield would remain from the Super Bowl LV team. Both were draft picks in 2020 with Wirfs being selected in the first round and Winfield right behind him in the second round. Wirfs and Winfield were instant starters as rookies and quickly become Pro Bowl-caliber players and team captains.

Bucs OT Tristan Wirfs and Chiefs DT Chris Jones – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Wirfs is now 27 and Winfield turns 28 in August. When healthy, great offensive lineman can typically play well into their 30s. Future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams turns 38 in August, for example. There will come a day when Wirfs will likely be the last man standing in Tampa Bay from that legendary Super Bowl LV squad.

Whenever he decides to hang up his cleats, Wirfs might be the only two-time Super Bowl winner in Bucs history if the team can win another one.

Or maybe Tampa Bay can somehow pull that off sooner rather than later and he won’t be the only one.

FAB 3. Jason Licht Needs To Draft Stars – Not Just Starters

The headline of FAB 3 says it all – Bucs general manager Jason Licht needs to draft some stars this year and not just starters in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Licht needs to treat the 2026 NFL Draft like the old Star Search TV show from the 1980s and 1990s that the likes of Ed McMahon and Arsenio Hall once hosted. For you youngsters who don’t remember Star Search, that show was the precursor for shows like American Idol, America’s Got Talent and The Voice.

Make no mistake, Licht has proven to be one helluva drafter – one of the league’s best when it comes to finding productive starters.

Sure, we can point out Licht’s recent misses since winning Super Bowl LV, like 2021 first-round outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and 2024 second-round outside linebacker Chris Braswell. But his busts are actually few and far between. Most NFL general managers would love to have Licht’s low bust rate.

Since 2022, Licht has drafted 16 players who have become starters in Tampa Bay. That’s an average of four draft picks per year that have become starters. Those players are as follows.

2022 Round 1 – DT Logan Hall
2022 Round 2 – RT Luke Goedeke
2022 Round 3 – RB Rachaad White
2022 Round 4 – TE Cade Otton
2022 Round 5 – CB Zyon McCollum

2023 Round 1 – DT Calijah Kancey
2023 Round 2 – RG Cody Mauch
2023 Round 3 – OLB Yaya Diaby
2023 Round 5 – ILB SirVocea Dennis

2024 Round 1 – C Graham Barton
2024 Round 3 – WR Jalen McMillan
2024 Round 3 – S Tykee Smith
2024 Round 4 – RB Bucky Irving

2025 Round 1 – WR Emeka Egbuka
2025 Round 2 – CB Benjamin Morrison
2025 Round 3 – CB Jacob Parrish

If you want to get technical, Payne Durham, a fifth-round pick in 2023, has 18 starts in Tampa Bay’s two-tight end sets over the last three years, including 10 last year. And wide receiver Tez Johnson, last year’s seventh-round pick, started eight games due to injuries in his rookie season. Add in those two and that’s 18 starters or quasi-starters over the last four drafts – an incredible hit rate.

Now I realize not all of those starters were long-term answers for the team. Some – like Hall, White and Dennis – were just placeholders for their eventual replacements. Hall and White moved on from Tampa Bay this offseason in free agency.

I’ve also noted that Licht hasn’t drafted a Pro Bowler since selecting offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. with the first two picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. That has to change moving forward.

Now there are some players Licht has already drafted that I can see becoming Pro Bowl-caliber in time, such as Goedeke, Mauch, Smith and Egbuka. Perhaps Irving too if he can have another big 1,000-yard season and stay healthy, and maybe Diaby or Kancey if either hits double digits in terms of sacks.

With the 2026 draft shaping up to be one that is defensive-oriented in Tampa Bay, it is critical for Licht to hit a home run or two – rather than just a single, a double or a triple in April.

Yes, it’s great that Licht rarely strikes out in the draft, but Todd Bowles’ defense needs some serious star power and some instant impact players if the Bucs are going to recapture the NFC South division and make it back to the postseason anytime soon.

FAB 4. The One Missing Element Of The Bucs’ “I Am That Man” Criteria

Legendary Bucs linebacker Lavonte David is famous for being one of Tampa Bay’s greatest players.

David, who just retired after 14 illustrious seasons with the team, tied Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks’ franchise record for most tackles in a career with 1,713. That stands as one of his greatest accomplishments outside of helping the Bucs win Super Bowl LV.

David is also famous for being the silhouette model – and role model – for the Bucs’ “I Am That Man” criteria and mural that adorns the wall in the personnel department. General manager Jason Licht and his team of personnel executives came up with the “I Am That Man” criteria that the team looks for in adding new talent, especially the draft.

Accountable.
Competitive.
Confident.
Passionate.
Resilient.

David, one of Licht’s favorite players and one of Tampa Bay’s best captains, embodied all five of those traits.

Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

But there is a criteria that is missing from that list – a trait that David had in spades: Playmaker.

David was a playmaker in Tampa Bay – a big-time playmaker.

How many times have you heard that football isn’t necessarily about the X’s and the O’s – it’s about the Jimmies and the Joes? How many times have you heard that football games usually come down to a play here or a play there that determines the outcome?

Big-time playmakers are known for making big-time plays that win big-time games.

Not every player the Bucs draft or sign will be a playmaker. Some will be average-to-good starters or quality depth pieces. After all, the NFL only has so many star players.

But what made David special wasn’t just all of those tackles. It was the 42.5 sacks, the 33 forced fumbles – which is a ridiculous number, by the way – the 21 fumble recoveries – another absurd number – the 14 interceptions, the three defensive touchdowns and the safety he recorded in his Bucs career.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Nathan Ray Seebeck

David’s 11 seasons of 100-plus tackles alone won’t get him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s the fact that he’s one of two players with 500 tackles, 40 sacks and 10-plus interceptions in NFL history, plus the gaudy numbers of forced and recovered fumbles that will earn him a gold jacket and a spot in Canton, Ohio.

David was a takeaway machine, and that’s the kind of defensive player the Bucs need to look for in this year’s draft. With most games being decided by the winner of the turnover margin, Licht needs to find guys who specialize in taking the ball away.

That’s why I’m a huge fan of Texas Tech inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. All this guy did last year was win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Butkus Award, the Lombardi Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best college football player in America, as well as winning Big XII Defensive Player of the Year honors, being a unanimous All-American and finishing fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.

Rodriguez led college football and tied an NCAA record with seven forced fumbles last year, totaling 13 in his career along with five recoveries, including two for touchdowns. The Texas Tech captain also had six sacks, six interceptions and 25.5 tackles for loss in his career, and back-to-back seasons with 127 and 128 tackles in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Texas Tech ILB Jacob Rodriguez – Photo by: IMAGN Images –
Nirmalendu Majumdar/

If I’m Licht, I’m drafting Rodriguez – early. This is a no-brainer. And I’m looking for more guys at every level of the defense – defensive line, linebacker and in the secondary – that take the ball away.

I’m not prioritizing athleticism, although Rodriguez is a tremendous athlete with 4.57 speed. I’m not prioritizing heights and weights and arm lengths. And I don’t care who can jump the highest.

I’m drafting gritty, instinctive players that have proven production when it comes to making big plays – sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries. Guys who get the ball back for the offense with game-changing plays. Guys like David.

Yes, Lavonte David was accountable, competitive, confident, passionate and resilient. But those traits aren’t the ones that will ultimately make him a Hall of Famer.

Lavonte David was a playmaker and it’s those big plays on his resumé that will drive his Hall of Fame discussion.

Go find more playmakers, Jason.

And start with the guy in Lubbock, Texas with the bushy mustache.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• The Bucs now have 3 known scheduled official 30 visits with tight ends leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft. Georgia’s Oscar Delp, Syracuse’s Dan Villari and now Ohio State’s Max Klare. Despite re-signing starting tight end Cade Otton, the Bucs appear to be set on upgrading the talent in the tight end room.

Payne Durham is entering a contract year and Devin Culp, the team’s seldom-used third-string tight end rarely sees the field. While Ko Kieft was re-signed to a cheap one-year deal, mainly for special teams coverage, he’s not assured of a roster spot in 2026.

To catch up on all of the Bucs’ official 30 visits, check out Pewter Report’s Official 30 Visit Tracker on PewterReport.com.

• Keep an eye on Auburn guard Jeremiah Wright. We had Wright in Pewter Report’s latest 2026 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft 3.0 as a fifth-round pick. Tampa Bay had an informal meeting with him at the NFL Scouting Combine and conducted a virtual meeting with him as well. He’s a big, physical 6-foot-5, 331-pound guard who plays with a nasty disposition.

• Bucs legend Lavonte David was part of an insane inside linebacker draft class in 2012 that featured Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly and future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner. While David didn’t get the number of Pro Bowl nods that Kuechly and Wagner did in the NFC because his Bucs were so bad for so long, missing the playoffs from 2012-19, his number of tackles, sacks, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries clearly separate him from those two remarkable linebackers.

David’s stats on this chart proves he’s Hall of Fame-worthy.

BIG Recent – And Upcoming – Pewter Report Podcasts

Matt Matera and I welcomed buzz-worthy outside linebacker David Walker to the Pewter Report on Thursday to check in with the promising pass rusher who missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL in training camp. Check out Thursday’s show on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel with Walker’s appearance if you missed it.

On Sunday, Josh Queipo and Adam Slivon welcome Pewter Report alum and Pro Football Focus lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema to Pewter Report’s Live Bucs Mock Draft Podcast – sponsored by Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. That podcast begins at 5:00 p.m. ET our PewterReportTV YouTube channel.

I’m heading to the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona next week where I will be attending Todd Bowles’ press conference on Monday and also speaking with general manager Jason Licht. On Tuesday, I’ll have the opportunity to talk with Bucs co-chair Joel Glazer as he addresses the media for the first time since Tampa Bay’s 8-9 season in 2025 concluded.

Matt Matera and I will have two reaction shows to what Bowles and Glazer have to say in Arizona on the Monday and Tuesday episodes of the Pewter Report Podcast on PewterReportTV. Don’t miss them!