NFL DRAFT Links
Round 2: Ali Marpet
Round 4: Kwon Alexander
Round 5: Kenny Bell
Round 6: Kaelin Clay
Round 7: Joey Iosefa
1. The Bucs are a much better team now than they were before the draft.
Licht said that, beginning with the hiring of Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter and carrying on through the draft, the Bucs have been steadily improving. How much better has the team gotten? "Tremendously better," Licht said. "I really can't think of a word. It's remarkably better, starting with the hiring of Dirk Koetter. That alone made us a lot better and we've been able to as pieces a we've gone here that we're excited about, to say the least."
2. Kwon Alexander was high on the Bucs' board.
When the LSU linebacker fell to the fourth round, Licht and the Bucs' staff were surprised, excited and felt compelled to make the move up a few spots to ensure he became a Buccaneer. "We moved up and wanted to ensure we got a guy that a lot of us, including myself, had ranked as one of the top outside backers in the draft. We were surprised and obviously excited that he was there for us so we moved up. We thought we had to a little bit just to ensure we'd get him. (He's) an explosive, fast player that's going to get a shot at starting outside for us."
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- The Bucs wanted to get more athletic, tougher, and more physical in the draft.**
Licht knew a few areas that he wanted the Bucs to improve on, and feels that he addressed those issues through the draft. "We talked about it for a long tiem this year, Lovie and I. One of the things we needed to do was get faster and more athletic up front but also we needed to get tougher and we needed to get more physical and we needed to get mature guys and smart guys. We accomplished that, that's for sure.
4. Licht's dad was lobbying for Kenny Bell.
Licht said that his dad, who has been a season ticket holder at Nebraska for half-century, asked for the Bucs to draft Kenny Bell. "While we were sitting in the draft room my dad texted me and I showed it to Lovie," Licht said. "He said we have to draft Kenny Bell. That was easy. We turned the card in right then. My dad, Ron, he's had Nebraska season tickets since 1962 so I get all the Nebraska intell that I need." Joking aside, Licht said that Bell's speed and ability to return kicks could propel him into an important role this season.
5. This was an exciting draft.
Licht has been a part of many drafts. But during his press conference, he said this was the most exciting one he's been a part of. "You never know how things are going to go but I'm more excited about this draft than I've ever been on any staff," he said.
> READ: BUCCANEERS 2015 DRAFT CLASS
