The Buccaneers’ needs are obvious: Defense! Defense! Defense!
They have only six picks, including the 19th overall, and they return their entire offense. Thus, it would not be a surprise if most of their selections were spent on defensive players.
The Bucs, of course, aren’t ruling out anything, even a receiver in the first round.
Tampa Bay re-signed Chris Godwin and has Mike Evans returning, but coach Todd Bowles said at the NFL owners meetings last week a receiver with the 19th pick wasn’t out of the question. General Manager Jason Licht agreed Thursday.
“Yeah, we could always use receivers,” Licht said, via joebucsfan.com. “I think Todd even said you’ve got to score points to win. So we’re fortunate to have those two [Evans and Godwin], and who knows how long they’ll play? Could be longer than what people are saying.”
Godwin is 29 and coming off an injury that ended his 2024 season. Evans turns 32 in August. So, sometime soon, the Bucs will have to consider replacements.
“We always want to try to keep that group fresh, and, you know, look for the next J-Mac [Jalen McMillan],” Licht said. “We’re not going to overlook that position at all, if everything falls that way for us.”
