Last Friday night, on the second day of the 2026 NFL Draft, General Manager Jason Licht swung a trade with the Green Bay Packers, moving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers down from pick number 77 to number 84 in the middle of the third round. It was a drought-breaker of a move; Licht, who had for years made a science of small trades up and down in the middle rounds, hadn't signed off on a single draft-weekend swap in each of the previous two drafts.

Ostensibly, Licht made this deal because the Bucs' brain trust believed they could still get their targeted player a few picks later, and in the process they could pick up some valuable added draft assets. In the end, the Buccaneers selected Georgia State wide receiver Ted Hurst in the third round and used the fifth-round pick they got from Green Bay to land Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth.

At least that's the company line. However, I know the real reason Licht made that move, and I'mhere to reveal it to the world. It wasn't about adding draft capital or how the Bucs' board was lining up. No, the Buccaneers specifically wanted to be on the clock at pick number 84. Not 77, not 83, not 85. Eighty-four.

It's a vibes thing. The 84th pick has treated the Bucs well. In fact, it was just last year that Tampa Bay used the 84th pick on Kansas State cornerback Jacob Parrish, who had a marvelous rookie season. Parrish played mostly in the slot as a rookie but also proved, when given the chance that he could be an above-average option on the outside if needed. Heading into 2026, Parrish appears to be a very important part of the Bucs' secondary, wherever he is slotted in to play.

I'm projecting a bit on Parrish since he's only a year in to his career, but there's another number-84 pick from Licht's tenure as the Bucs' general manager who has already cemented his spot as one of the best third-round picks in franchise history. That would be Penn State wide receiver Chris Godwin, who can aboard at that pick in the 2017 draft. Godwin is second in team history in virtually every receiving category behind Mike Evans, including receptions (612), receiving yards (7,626), touchdown receptions (41) and 100-yard receiving games (23)…and he's not done yet! Fully healthy and heading into the 2026 season as perhaps the team's top receiving option, Godwin is poised to build significantly on those already sparkling career numbers.

There have been three other Buccaneers picked at number 84 from before Licht's arrival in Tampa, and none of them were misses. Tampa Bay landed cornerback Dwight Smith of Akron at that spot in 2001 and, as you may recall, he went on to make history as the only player ever to record two pick-sixes in a single Super Bowl, the Bucs' championship 48-21 demolition of the Raiders at the end of the 2002 season. Smith later converted to safety and would play 63 games and start 34 for Tampa. He also played for the Saints, Vikings and Lions and finished with 22career interceptions.

The other two number-84 picks for the Buccaneers were both middle linebackers, Washington's Mason Foster in 2011 and Vanderbilt's Jamie Duncan in 1988. Neither would qualify as a star player for Tampa Bay, but both did become multi-season starters for the team. Foster notably had three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns, in the 2013 season.

Perhaps Licht was also looking to set a record by moving back to number 84. Now that the Bucs have snared Hurst to go with those previous five picks made at that exact spot, the 84th pick is tied with number 34 for the most common draft slot in franchise history. The Bucs have also taken six players at number 34; in reverse chronological order, they are tackle Donovan Smith (2015), wide receiver Jacquez Green (1998), running back Errict Rhett (1994), linebacker Demetrius DuBose (1993), running back James Wilder (1981) and wide receiver Gordon Jones (1979). There are some great players on that list, in particular Super Bowl left tackle Smith and franchise rushing leader Wilder, but I'm not sure I would take that group over the number-84 six. Time will tell, as we still don't know all that is in store for Parrish and Hurst.

By the way, in a related note, second-round linebacker Josiah Trotter (46th overall) and fourth-round cornerback Keionte Scott (116th) are both the first players the Bucs have ever selected in those respective draft slots. And now, on to your questions.

What is your favorite stat from our 2026 draft class?

- Donald K. via app submission

Asking me for a statistics-based answer is a savvy way to get in the S.S. Mailbag, Donald. Welldone

If I have to pick just one stat (spoiler alert: I'm not going to pick just one), I'm going to have to go with something that noted draft analyst Trevor Sikkema, who also happens to be a huge Bucs fan, alerted me to. Sikkema, who co-hosts the excellent NFL Stock Exchange show, recently joined Casey Phillips and I on our final Road to the Draft episode (check it out!), and he asserted that Miami cornerback Keionte Scott, the Bucs' fourth-round pick, was the best run-defending nickel in all of college football.

I don't have a specific number or ranking to pull as a stat to answer your question, Donald, and I think Sikkema's statement had more to do with his own extensive film study of hundreds and hundreds of prospects. But I do have some more traditional counting stats that support Sikkema's assertion and the overall idea that Scott makes a huge impact around the line of scrimmage: 13tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks in 2025. Thirteen tackles for loss for a cornerback in a single season is wild. As draft guru Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote about Scott, he is "more disruptive at the line than most linebackers."

I'm already dreaming of ways that Todd Bowles is going to use Scott and his aggressive style of play in what is already an aggressive scheme. Can I cherry-pick a couple other stats while we'reat it? How about the FBS-leading 86 quarterback pressures that first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr., also a Hurricane, had in 2025? Yes, I know he also had the most pass-rush snaps by any player due to Miami's deep run in the college playoffs, but 86 pressures in 16 games is still more than five per game. And I like the fact that Bain plays a lot of snaps. Given that he has the ability tomove inside and rush from there, as well, the Bucs may end up having him on the field a lot this season as a guy you can play on all three downs.

One more? How about the fact that the aforementioned Hurst, the Bucs' third-round pick, had 34receptions of 20-plus yards over the past two seasons? That's the most by any FBS player in that span. Maybe that's why 70.9% of his catches resulted in either a first down or a touchdown. (I snuck an extra stat in on you there.)

How did Scott fall to us in the fourth round, Scott?

- Peter S. via app submission

I'd like to think it was the football gods showing the Buccaneers some grace after all the poor injury misfortune the team had in 2025. Bain falling to 15 and Scott being available in the fourth round are two things I never expected heading into draft weekend, and I know I'm not alone.

You want actual football analysis? Fine, although I really like my football gods theory. First, let'sdetermine if this really was a surprising pick for the Bucs at number 116 overall. There's a hot national debate going on right now about "consensus draft boards" and media rankings versus each team's own internal rankings and I think there is something of a disconnect there. Still, Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Biehl told me right after the pick that he thought Scott was a really good value in the fourth round. He didn't tell me exactly where Scott was ranked on their own "front board" of around 150 players, but I think it's safe to say it was higher than 116.

As for draft analysts, they felt the same way. Brugler listed Scott as a safety but rated him as a second or third-round pick. NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah had Scott ranked 53rd on his Big Board, and eighth among cornerbacks. He was the 15th corner off the board. ESPN's Mel Kiper had Scott as his 10th cornerback and 80th prospect overall. Pro Football Focus put Scott at number 55 in their final rankings. NFLMockDraftDatabase.com (a very useful site, by the way), combined a number of different rankings into a consensus Big Board and Scott landed at number 63. I could go on, but you get the picture.

So why the availability at number 116? I don't think this was a matter of the other 31 teams thinking less of Scott as a player than the Buccaneers did. I think it was more a product of teams searching for specific types of players. Look at the cornerback taken just seven picks before Scott by the Chiefs, Oregon's Jadon Canady. Canady is a big and long corner known for his coverage skills. That's not the same type of player as Scott, who is best suited in the nickel and does his best work when attacking towards the line of scrimmage. If there are any doubts in Scott's scouting report – and I'm not saying that Buccaneer scouts share this opinion – it would be in his downfield coverage skills as an outside cornerback. That wasn't what he was asked to do at Miami, so there's not a lot of 2025 tape in that regard.

In addition, some teams are likely hesitant to take older prospects, and Scott will be 25 in his rookie season. Todd Bowles said prior to the draft that this concern would not turn the Bucs away from prospects they like. Perhaps there was hesitation by some teams because last year was his true breakout season after three less impactful years at Auburn. Was that enough of a sample size for every team to believe he would do the same thing at the NFL level. Perhaps not. And again, if you believe Scott is a nickel corner or even a safety and not likely to stick at outside corner in the NFL – for the record, the Bucs think he can play all three – then you might not have him as high on your board if you're already set at nickel.

I would guess it was some combination of those things, but whatever it was, it worked out great for the Buccaneers, in my opinion.

Favorite Lavonte David memory?

- Daniel W. via app submission

For me personally, in terms of interactions with Lavonte, it would have to be the Super Bowl ring ceremony. There was a reception backstage before the ceremony began, with all kinds of players, coaches and staff members milling about. I made a point of sitting down next to Lavonte and telling him how happy I was specifically for him that he was now a champion, given all the hard work he had put in for the franchise during some leaner years. It was hard to think of anybody in the room more deserving of that ring he was about to get. I'm sure I was the 10,000th person to voice that sentiment to him, but it still felt good and he was very gracious in his response. Also, throughout his career, I always enjoyed when he would hit some new statistical milestone and I would tell him about it the next week in the locker room. Usually, he was not aware that he had hit that milestone but was pleased to hear it. That's maybe a bit of a selfish one, but it was fun for me.

As for memories of watching the great Lavonte David play, there are so many. This one is kind of random, but I vividly remember a game at Atlanta in 2019, which the Bucs won 35-22, and it just felt like Lavonte was all over the field the entire contest. He made all the plays. I remember writing later that the Falcons must have thought there were two number 54s on the field that day. Obviously, one game in a 7-9 season isn't as important as, say, his excellent job covering Travis Kelce in Super Bowl LV, but it's one that just sticks in my mind.

Are we going to play in any international games this year?

- Hannah W. via app submission

We'll know soon enough. The NFL is likely to release its schedule in mid-May; if it's like the last couple years, it would fall somewhere in the week that starts on May 11. On the one hand, with a record nine international games on the schedule this year, there are more opportunities than ever for the Bucs or any team to get a game abroad. That said, I'm getting the feeling that, no, the Bucs won't be involved in any of them. I hope I'm wrong.

First of all, the home teams in each of those nine games have already been announced, and the Bucs are not on that list. In addition, the full matchups for the games in Australia (Rams vs. 49ers) and Brazil (Cowboys vs. Ravens) have been revealed as well. That leaves seven open slots and the Buccaneers play road games against the hosts of three of them: Atlanta (Spain), Detroit (Germany) and New Orleans (France). I wouldn't expect the Bucs to get a second game in Munich in the span of five years, and while nothing has been confirmed there were reports back in February that the Browns would be the Saints opponent in Paris. If you agree with me on those two, then the only shot would be against the Falcons in Madrid. That's certainly possible, but I don't like the odds.

Again, I hope I'm wrong. Those overseas games are great experiences (not sure coaches feel the same way, but that's another story) and I'd love it if the Bucs got another one this year. That said, if the Bucs are not on the international schedule this season, I feel like they would be a near lock to get one in 2027.

Do you think we will sign any of the notable outstanding free agents or are we all set until training camp? - Will M. via app submission

To begin my answer, I invite you to check out the Bucs' list of player transactions from last yearbetween the end of the draft on April 26 and the start of training camp in late July. If you don'tfeel like clicking on that link, I'll just tell you: There aren't really any notable free agent names on the list in that span of time. The Bucs did sign quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a couple weeksinto training camp, so if you want to extend the time frame a bit, that could count.

Now look at the 2024 transactions list and the 2023 list. You've got Sterling Shepard in June of '24, and you've got David Moore and defensive lineman C.J. Brewer in '23. Shepard certainly was a useful player for the Bucs the past two years and Moore had some moments, but I don'tthink any of those signings at the time were from the group of what you might call "remaining notable NFL free agents." All of which is to say, history suggests the safe bet for me is to say no to your question, Will.

It probably depends on what you would consider "notable," as well.

I just looked at a list on CBS Sports of what they consider the most notable free agents still looking for teams. They are wide receivers Jauan Jennings, Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill and Deebo Samuel, tackle Taylor Decker, edge Joey Bosa, tight end David Njoku, guard Joel Bitonio, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Bobby Wagner. That's not a complete list, but it's a good representative sample, and it's worth noting that all of those players are over 30 except for Njoku, who is 29.

Looking at the Bucs' depth chart, particularly after last weekend's draft, and I don't see any obvious fits there. I certainly don't think the Bucs have a need for another receiver, Rodgers is likely to be the Steelers or nowhere and I think the team feels pretty good about its pass-rush rotation right now.

I think there was a lot of consensus heading into the draft that the Bucs' most obvious depth chart needs were at edge rusher, off-ball linebacker, cornerback, tight end, interior defensive line and interior offensive line. The Bucs didn't get a Bain-level talent at every position, but they did hit each and every one of those needs at some point with their seven picks. I would expect the Bucs to roll with the young players they just acquired over signing an established but aging veteran to take their snaps away.

That said, there are always some signings in late spring and summer. They usually fall under the category of what you might call "depth signings." If the Bucs make any moves of that variety I could see it happening at cornerback, linebacker and tight end.

If there was a sandwich Mt. Rushmore, what four sandwiches would be on it?

- Gabriel K. via app submission

I could give you my personal answer, which would start with the BLT, for sure. Absolutely number one. I think I would have a hot pastrami and Swiss in there somewhere, and it's hard to exclude the Cuban, but I'd have a hard time narrowing it down to four.

But guess what? I can actually provide you with something of a consensus opinion. Here at team headquarters, on occasion during special events such as the draft when a lot of us are gathered together for many hours, we have taken part in NCAA-style 64-item brackets. We choose a topic, fill out the 64 slots (with favorites getting higher seeds) then all vote on each matchup. After four rounds, we have that number paired down to a Final Four, if you will. Kinda the same thing as a Mount Rushmore.

And, yes, we have done a sandwiches bracket. It was glorious. I'll dispense with the buildup and just let you know what our consensus Final Four was: grilled cheese, Philly cheesesteak, Cuban and Reuben. I would say the Reuben, which was a number-two seed in the bracket that had meatball sub at number one was the biggest surprise. I thought that would be a more polarizing sandwich given the sauerkraut, which not everyone loves. My favorite, the BLT, was a number-one seed but lost to the Cuban in an Elite Eight matchup.

I'm not sure the Cuban would make the Final Four (or Mount Rushmore) if we did this exercise in the Midwest, but we know what's good down here in Florida. By the way, the voting continued from there and grilled cheese faced the Cuban in the finals, with grilled cheese cutting down the nets. I'm not sure that the champion sandwich is really the absolute favorite pick of that manypeople, but I think it won because who doesn't like a grilled cheese?