Bucs general manager Jason Licht has learned the art of patience. After pulling the trigger on draft day trades each of the first nine years of his tenure, Licht has now resisted the urge to make deals two years in a row.

Do not think that is for a lack of wanting to, though.

Licht was ready to make a move, but the rest of the front office kept him in check. He shared the full extent of how close he came to doing so during a recent appearance on The Pat & Aaron Show on 95.3 WDAE.

Jason Licht Is Wowed By New Bucs OLB David Walker

The Bucs’ selection of outside linebacker David Walker in the fourth round has drawn plenty of praise, and for good reason.

Despite standing just 6-foot-1, Walker put plenty of impressive film together during his time at Central Arkansas, tallying 31 sacks over his past three seasons. After meeting with Tampa Bay during the pre-draft process, the young pass rusher did enough to catch the attention of Jason Licht, the rest of the front office, and even outside linebackers coach Larry Foote.

Central Arkansas OLB David Walker – Photo by: USA Today

“David Walker, just wow,” Licht said. “He’s one of my favorite players; I mean a lot of people can say that around here. You probably saw the video of Larry Foote just jumping up and down, literally doing cartwheels to get David. We had him going into the fourth round, that morning I had to tell [assistant general manager] Mike Greenberg and [vice president of football research] Jackie Davidson to handle the trade phones for me.”

Otherwise, Licht was set to part with future assets to secure Walker’s services. It wouldn’t have been the first time he made that kind of move, as the team traded a 2023 fourth-round pick to draft cornerback Zyon McCollum in the fifth round of 2022.

“I said, ‘Hey listen, while everything’s calm right now, don’t let me do anything stupid to go up there and get David Walker,” Licht added. “Don’t let me mortgage the future [laughs].’ They would tell me, ‘Hey, we got a call, they want next year’s this or that to come up to their pick’ and I would say, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’ They would say, ‘No, you told us to warn you.’ I ended up being patient and it paid off this time because now we got all of our picks for next year.”

David Walker Is Ready To Be A Disruptive Pass Rusher For The Bucs

David Walker was not the only pass rusher the Bucs drafted, as they also added defensive lineman Elijah Roberts in the fifth round. Newly promoted assistant general manager Rob McCartney is equally high on both of them, believing they will beef up the pressure as soon as this season.

New Bucs OLB David Walker Photo by: USA Today

Walker is also excited to start his NFL career learning from outside linebackers Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby.

“It’s exciting,” Walker said about joining a talented outside linebacker room. “Haason Reddick, he’s had crazy years, and Yaya, he’s just a stud, so being able to go into that room and just learn from those guys and get under their wing and see how they cooperate and how they lead themselves on the field and off the field. I feel like it’s going to be big for my game.”

If Walker is able to find a way to translate his college production to the next level, fans will surely enjoy watching him on Sundays. He wants to bring the necessary effort and energy to make an impact.

“I’m excited to be a Buc,” Walker added. “It’s a great organization and I’m willing to do anything to contribute. Y’all are going to get a guy in me that’s going to be a stand-up guy. I have great effort and hopefully I can bring the energy that y’all need.”