Bucs general manager Jason Licht addressed the local media on a variety of topics on Thursday afternoon. While it opened with the obvious elephant in the room in Devin White’s trade request, Licht also talked plenty about the NFL Draft that is now just two weeks away.

The team has plenty of needs, and how they plan to bring in younger prospects to fill them will be an interesting process to see. Based on Licht’s comments about how he and the rest of the Bucs’ front office have brought in players in recent seasons, two things stick out.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and GM Jason Licht – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

One is that drafting guys who were college captains is a key quality the team sees value in. The other is that while they are not changing their draft approach, it is a different feeling than in recent seasons heading into “Draft Day,” the popular football film he referenced during his press conference.

No longer are the Bucs the team that boasts of having Tom Brady. While in 2021 they were able to retain all 22 starters from their Super Bowl-winning team, during this offseason, there have been plenty of guys that have left or remain unsigned.

Leonard Fournette. Donovan Smith. Cam Brate. Mike Edwards. Sean Murphy-Bunting. Each has left a hole that the team will need to fill.

Jason Licht discussed both of these topics at length at the AdventHealth Training Center.

Bucs GM Jason Licht Discusses The Impact Of Having Leaders

On both sides of the ball, the Bucs have not been afraid to have vocal leaders. Players like White, Lavonte David, Vita Vea, and Mike Evans all remain on the roster as captains. In recent seasons, the Bucs have also looked for players who were college captains as part of the evaluation process.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and RT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: USA Today

“That’s a quality we look for in all of the players that we draft,” Licht said. “Not all players can be captains; all players can be leaders in one way, shape, or form. Whether they’re a servant leader or an outgoing leader — whatever it is — it’s a quality we look for in all of our players. When players tend to become more viewed as leaders, the more they play, and better they play.

“It’s obvious, the best players in college — the ones we’re drafting — are viewed as leaders. We do look for and like that quality of being voted on as a team captain by your peers.”

While the winner of the quarterback job will likely fill one of these spots, and having another worthy captain waiting in the wings in Tristan Wirfs, the Bucs do not necessarily need to draft a guy and put a “C” on his chest immediately. Still, it is a great trait and parameter to weigh for prospects entering the NFL.

Does Tom Brady’s Departure Change Bucs GM Jason Licht’s Draft Approach?

With the Bucs being on the clock in two weeks and inching closer every second, the big question is how aggressive the team will be in trading up and down to acquire the players they like.

For Jason Licht, he does not see the draft process and approach being any different despite Brady’s retirement and the outside belief that the team will no longer be as competitive.

“We’re not really changing anything we’re doing in the draft, that is not affecting us. I mean, if you walk through the halls, our scouts, coaches — people are all-in up there; we’re trying to win. We’re trying to bring in the best players that we can this year and it’s no different than we have in the past. Now we have, just because of the fact that we’ve lost quite a few players that were contributors to us and helped us win the Super Bowl — helped us have some good seasons here lately — there’s probably a few more areas of need across the roster than we did in 2021 when we brought everybody back.

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

“Now, looking back on that, that was quite a feat that our team was able to do. We’re still looking to add depth, add good players, and look to the future — if they can play early, that’s great, but we’re not trying to pinpoint one particular thing. ‘This guy will be able to start week one, as opposed to this guy who’s going to become greater, a better player in two years.’ We’re still going to look for what’s best for the future.”

Pewter Report has analyzed and taken various angles during this draft season in where the Bucs might go in mock drafts and profiling prospects that might catch the team’s eye. One thing is for certain, it will only be on April 27th that there is a definitive answer to which direction the team will go next.

Referring to guys being brought in, Licht added, “If they can [contribute right away], that’s great. If you have that ability to look into the future and see — you can say a guy’s going to play right away, but it doesn’t always work out that way. You still want to develop these players.”

Jason Licht nor anyone in the “War Room” will have a crystal ball or Terra card to see which prospects in the 2023 class will be successful. But being able to draft and develop the players they see potential in will be key in hitting on their selections. It is a crucial draft for the organization to lead the cast and ship of Buccaneers onward to victories.