Cover 3 is a weekly feature column written by PewterReport.com’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat writer Trevor Sikkema published every Tuesday. The column, as its name suggests, comes in three phases: a statistical observation, an in-depth film breakdown, and a “this or that” segment where the writer asks the reader to chose between two options.

SIKKEMA’S STAT OF THE WEEK

This week’s Cover 3 is a Cover 3 of the people.

Over the last few weeks, and especially last week, I was asked to do an in-depth review of how Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht stacks up against the rest of the general managers in the NFL South since his tenure in Tampa Bay began in 2014. So, per your request, that’s what this week’s Stat of the Week column is all about.

Up until the Panthers won back-to-back-to-back NFC South titles from 2013-2015, the division hadn’t seen a repeat champion since the realignment that placed the Falcons, Panthers, Saints and Buccaneers in the same division in 2002. Since that time, the Panthers hold the most division titles with five. Thanks to their division win last year, the Falcons are in second place with four, and the Buccaneers and Saints are both tied at three. Tampa Bay has finished dead last in the division more than half the time at 8 out of 15. However, they and the Saints are the only teams to make the most of their playoff appearances with the only two Super Bowl wins in the division.

So, since their Super Bowl run in 2002, there hasn’t been much success to hang their hat on in Tampa Bay. But that’s to be expected with a franchise that has gone through four G.M.s and five head coaches since then. However, the more recent general manager and head coach on those lists seem to be really getting the ball rolling – in ways devoid of false hope like Bucs fans have been fed for so long.

Licht and Dirk Koetter have brought the Buccaneers back to relevance. With the words they say, the mentality they have, the way the prepare and the way they execute, they’ve not only brought in good players, but the right players (and coaches) who find themselves with a locker room and office at One Buc Place.

Bucs WR Mike Evans and QB Jameis Winston – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

A big part of that is in how they’ve drafted. In Licht’s first draft with Buccaneers, he took a player who is projected to be the best at his position in franchise history in Mike Evans. In his second year, Licht took a player who they hope to say the same about in quarterback Jameis Winston.

I mean, the word “win” is literally in his last name.

Last year the team selected two spot starters in Vernon Hargreaves and Noah Spence, both player who are expected to play in full-time roles this season at cornerback and defensive end, respectively. And, finally, just last weekend he played the drafted board well and ended up taking tight end O.J. Howard (a consensus Top 10 player) at No. 19 overall.

Beyond those players there have been hits and misses. The trade up for kicker Roberto Aguayo last year in the second round and a second-round pick on tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins in 2014 seem to be big-time duds, but offensive lineman Ali Marpet in the second round and middle linebacker Kwon Alexander in the fourth round in 2015 have certainly proven to be big-time wins.

Though these draft have made the Buccaneers relevant, as proven by the team missing the playoffs by the slightest of margins last year, no one wants to just be relevant; they want to be great. In order to do that, they first have to get past the foes who know them best, the ones who see them twice every year, and the ones who may be forming their own draft strategies as counters to the Buccaneers and vice versa.

So, let’s take a look at the three other teams in the division and evaluate their draft hit rate against that of Licht since he came down south to see if the separation in the win column is soon to come.

Atlanta Falcons

GM: Thomas Dimitroff
Tenure: 2008-present

Depending on how you view success, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has a case as the most successful G.M. in the NFC South since his arrival. Dimitroff took the Falcons job in 2008 after serving as the director of college scouting for the New England Patriots for four years. Though it took his team a few years to get over the hump of early playoff exits, Dimitroff has clearly put his team in places to succeed with records of 13-3 in 2008 and 2012, and an 11-5 finishes in 2008 as well as last year which led the Falcons to a Super Bowl berth.

Since his time in Atlanta, Dimitroff’s teams have won the divisional title three times, and has kept things pretty stable. With Licht entering the picture in 2013, here’s how he’s drafted for the Falcons since then.

Consistency has been a big theme with the Falcons since Dimitroff arrived. Not that the team hasn’t had its short-lived ups and down (all teams do), but the fact that he’s built winning season more than half his tenure means I would say he’s consistently good.

The Falcons have a Pro Bowler in two of the past three previous drafts, and it’s probably only a matter of time before safety Keanu Neal makes a Pro Bowl himself, which would make Dimitroff 3-for-3 since 2014. His 2015 draft was stellar. All but one of the players he drafted that year are still on the team, and more than half are starters.

Picking up players like defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and running back Tevin Coleman in the fifth and third rounds, respectively, is the draft picks he probably hangs his hat on the most. Twelve out of the 22 players Dimitroff has drafted since 2014 are starting players in the NFL, and he’s gained four starters per draft each year.

To me, Dimitroff has consistently put his franchise in places to succeed, and by drafting as well as he has, he’s made sure his calls have not been a reason for the team to under-perform. That’s a good G.M.

Carolina Panthers

GM: Dave Gettleman
Tenure: 2013-present

Gettleman made his way down south in 2013 to become the general manager of the Panthers after working as the pro personnel director for the New York Giants for over 13 years (since 1999). He was a part of both Super Bowls for the Giants, and since coming to Carolina has been the general manager for one of the team’s NFC titles, 2015, the year they made it to the Super Bowl.

Here’s a look at how Gettleman has drafted since 2014 when drafting against Licht.

Since 2014, Gettleman has only drafted on Pro Bowl player, offensive guard Trai Turner. In 2014, he drafted three starters, but one of them, Kony Ealy, is no longer on the team as he was traded to New England earlier this offseason.

In the NFL Draft, picks in Rounds 1-3 are expected to be starter players. If those players aren’t, it’s considered a miss. Any starter drafted after that third round should really be considered a luxury. In terms of that standard, Gettleman, as of late, has fallen short. In the 2016 draft, he drafted both defensive tackle Vernon Butler and cornerback Daryl Worley above that Top 100 line, both of which are not starting players. His percentage for “must hit” starters is 66 percent, which isn’t very good. With only one Pro Bowler to his name, and a starter lost in Ealy, Gettleman’s drafting has left much to be desired since 2014.

The Panthers picked some dynamic players with their 2017 draft, including Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Ohio State receiver Curtis Samuel, but it will take a good coaching staff to get the most of them.

New Orleans Saints

GM: Mickey Loomis
Tenure: 2002-present 

Loomis has seen it all in the NFC South – he’s been in the division with New Orleans since the realignment in 2002. He was the man who hired Sean Payton back in 2006, and was the man at the top when it came to the Saints Super Bowl victory in 2009.

With the same GM and the same head coach in place since 2006, here’s how the Saints have drafted when facing Licht on draft day.

Since 2014, the Saints drafts have been boom or bust. The team does not have a single players still on the roster form their 2014 draft, and that includes their first-round pick, wide receiver Brandin Cooks. In fact, Cooks was the only starting-caliber player they even drafted that year making them 1-for-6 – and the one is now gone. The following year, they went for volume with nine total picks. Though most of those players are still on the team, only three of them have come to claim starting spots, which makes their Top 100 percentage 60 percent.

The following year, however, they hit a much needed home run. All five of the Saints 2016 draft picks are still on the team, and three of them (defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, wide receiver Michael Thomas and safety Von Bell) played heavy starter minutes and were a big impact for the team. Without that draft, Loomis and Payton would be staring at the worst draft over those three seasons.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

GM: Jason Licht
Tenure: 2014-present

When it comes to the Top 100 standard of “must-hit” starters, there’s only one player Licht has drafting in the last four years who hasn’t been a starter and that is running back Charles Sims, who was drafted in the third round in 2014. You could say he made up for it by offensive lineman Kevin Pamphile being a starter from the fifth round of that draft, but you want those guys to be pure luxury hits on top of the must-have hits.

Bucs MLB Kwon Alexander – Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR

The 2015 draft is turned out to be quite the haul for Licht with Winston, Marpet and Alexander all looking like future Pro Bowlers, while the jury is still out on starting left tackle Donovan Smith – this most likely is his last year to prove it. The 2016 draft was on par with what you want, though we all know the Aguayo “yes” should be taken with a mountain of salt given where he was drafted, what they gave up for him, and how badly he struggled. The only two late-round hit to this point for Licht would be Pamphile and Alexander, but that’s certainly more than some general managers can say. Licht, like Dimitroff is also poised to have a Pro Bowler from every year he’s drafted, which is well above average for most G.M.s.

In closing, if I had to rank the general managers by these three draft classes, Dimitroff would be in first place with Licht close behind, then Loomis in New Orleans because of that big 2016, and finally Gettleman bringing up the rear but having a chance to really gain some ground with a good weekend in the 2017 draft.

I didn’t rank the 2017 classes because even though we have a good guess of which players were good selections, we really have no idea until at least one year (really, three years) into their careers.

One of the players Licht hope to tout as another Pro Bowler on his draft resume was the team’s No. 19 overall pick, O.J. Howard. Just how will Howard fit in Tampa Bay, and hopefully make his way to that Pro Bowl rank? Click the next page and find out.