I love this draft. We filled every need minus maybe an outside CB. Are the players right? It'll be fun to find out.
Take Bain out and insert a reach at edge there... Then what do you think of the draft?
Hurst is a home run WR in the third like Godwin and McMillan.
Capehart is going to be part of the rotation.
Schrauth can't be worse than Feeney and has more upside than Bredeson.
Scott may be the starting nickel.
I think there is a lot to like about this draft outside of Bain.
Agree. Licht is good, not great, but good. A trait this franchise has not had a lot of in its history.Everyone misses.
Some more than others
If everyone is being consistent in their expressed opinions then Licht has to be one of the top GMs in the NFC since at least 2019?
The Bucs have been very competitive in that time frame, much of that time with an "incompetent" head coach. Again, if we are trying to stay consistent in the analysis.
The key performers during that window have included numerous Licht draft choices. Wirfs, Evans, Godwin, Goedeke, Vea, White, Davis, Dean, Marpet, Cappa, SMB . . more recently Egbuka, Irving. McMillan, Barton, Mauch, Tykee Smith, Diaby.
He also directly brought a SB to Tampa with free agents and a HC who still impacts the Bucs to this day as a VP.
Far from perfect, but hardly "bad" by any stretch.
he has positions he’s drafted for which he excels (o-line, WR), positions he’s sucked (QB, Edge) then later improved or gotten lucky (RB, Edge), and positions he’s meh (ILB/Corner).
Overall, he’s been good and worked to improve (his luck)?
He has been pretty good at free agent targets/signings, with a few exceptions.
One of the best we’ve had here, albeit that’s a short list.
Before I share my Overall Draft Grade, let’s break down each pick:
1st Round: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami
Grade: A+
2nd Round: Josiah Trotter, ILB, Missouri
Grade: C+
3rd Round: Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State
Grade: B
4th Round: Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
Grade: B
5th Round: DeMonte Capehart, DT, Clemson
Grade: B-
5th Round: Billy Schrauth, G, Notre Dame
Grade: C+
6th Round: Bauer Sharp, TE, LSU
Grade: D
Overall Score: B
The Bucs nailed their most crucial pick with first-round edge Rueben Bain Jr. Everything else feels like a bonus, though they sometimes seem to lose focus after making a solid selection.
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Mid-preseason your grades are looking pretty close. I think Trotter maybe a little better (PFF grade in the 80s first game), Schrauth has been injured so tough to tell and Sharp was playing with the ones recently, although hes a little inconsistent. Overall though, pretty good take
Put zero stock in that game vs jets 3rd stringers
Jets played a lot of their 1s though so it was interesting to watch. I am interested in seeing how the rookies progress for pre season game 2 and especially 3. Game 3 of pre season will allow a lot of them plenty of time to show their worth.
Put zero stock in that game vs jets 3rd stringers
I was more thinking of the game coming up, but I also thought the Jets 1 were in for first 2 or 3 series? Could be wrong.
Either way, STILL premature (see title of thread).
Trotter grade appears to off by at least a letter grade. He’s the one who is the most game ready of any of our draft picks.
@theknees way too early. I hope it’s wrong. That would be a good thing. But he hasn’t played anywhere close enough to know anything yet. We’ll see around week 8.
@theknees way too early. I hope it’s wrong. That would be a good thing. But he hasn’t played anywhere close enough to know anything yet. We’ll see around week 8.
What you hear and see about Trotter is, he is a play maker. He disrupts. Causes the ball to jar loose. Makes game changing plays. It’s clear already, he’s going to be better than that Rodriguez guy the Dolphins drafted out of Texas Tech.
@theknees way too early. I hope it’s wrong. That would be a good thing. But he hasn’t played anywhere close enough to know anything yet. We’ll see around week 8.
What you hear and see about Trotter is, he is a play maker. He disrupts. Causes the ball to jar loose. Makes game changing plays. It’s clear already, he’s going to be better than that Rodriguez guy the Dolphins drafted out of Texas Tech.
This means quite a bit coming from a Devin White fanboi.
Put zero stock in that game vs jets 3rd stringers
I was more thinking of the game coming up, but I also thought the Jets 1 were in for first 2 or 3 series? Could be wrong.
Either way, STILL premature (see title of thread).
The rookie 1s played. I didn't look super closely but either way it's not much to measure off of
@theknees way too early. I hope it’s wrong. That would be a good thing. But he hasn’t played anywhere close enough to know anything yet. We’ll see around week 8.
What you hear and see about Trotter is, he is a play maker. He disrupts. Causes the ball to jar loose. Makes game changing plays. It’s clear already, he’s going to be better than that Rodriguez guy the Dolphins drafted out of Texas Tech.
This means quite a bit coming from a Devin White fanboi.
Devin was your putty pull, not mine.
What you hear and see about Trotter is, he is a play maker. He disrupts. Causes the ball to jar loose. Makes game changing plays. It’s clear already, he’s going to be better than that Rodriguez guy the Dolphins drafted out of Texas Tech.
We’ve heard that from people coming out of camp all the time. We have no clue how he will perform. Yes, he can play downhill. But there’s a lot more involved. Let’s jump on her mid-season.
What you hear and see about Trotter is, he is a play maker. He disrupts. Causes the ball to jar loose. Makes game changing plays. It’s clear already, he’s going to be better than that Rodriguez guy the Dolphins drafted out of Texas Tech.
We’ve heard that from people coming out of camp all the time. We have no clue how he will perform. Yes, he can play downhill. But there’s a lot more involved. Let’s jump on her mid-season.
My belief is, that for the second year in a row, Tampa has won the draft. Egbuka, Parish, Walker, Roberts, Tez in 2025 and BAIN JR, Trotter, Hurst, Scott, Sharp in 2026.
Licht, Greenberg, and Tony Hardie are flipping killing it
What you hear and see about Trotter is, he is a play maker. He disrupts. Causes the ball to jar loose. Makes game changing plays. It’s clear already, he’s going to be better than that Rodriguez guy the Dolphins drafted out of Texas Tech.
We’ve heard that from people coming out of camp all the time. We have no clue how he will perform. Yes, he can play downhill. But there’s a lot more involved. Let’s jump on her mid-season.
My belief is, that for the second year in a row, Tampa has won the draft. Egbuka, Parish, Walker, Roberts, Tez in 2025 and BAIN JR, Trotter, Hurst, Scott, Sharp in 2026.
Licht, Greenberg, and Tony Hardie are flipping killing it
I don't disagree that the last 2 drafts are massively better than the the prior 3. But are we landing stars or starters. That remains to be seen.
