GENERAL MANAGER JASON LICHT

(On if he's interested in drafting a tight end that is more of a pass catching threat)

"This year's draft has a lot of tight ends, so we just wanted to do our due diligence and get to know them as much as we can, just like we do most positions. So yeah, it would be great to add a tight end to the roster that brings an element that maybe some of the others don't. We're happy with our group right now, but we're just doing our due diligence."

(On what he looks for in a quarterback if the team were to draft one)

"We've looked at all the quarterbacks in this year's draft, and we do it every year. We haven't drafted a lot since I've been here, quarterbacks. But I'll kind of echo the same thing I said – we signed Jake Browning and we like him. We really like 'Baze' (Connor Bazelak) and what he showed us last year and we had him all year. [We will] give a chance for the new staff to see him here coming up here during the offseason…But if there's one that we like, that we feel comfortable taking at the right spot, it's something that we've talked about. It's something that we've talked about [doing] every year. So we'll just kind of have to see how it falls."

(On the challenge of identifying and drafting edge rushers)

"It is tough. There [are] only so many that you could call truly impactful players. We found going back over the last few years that the players that we thought were going to be good, most of them ended up being good. We just didn't have the opportunity to take [them] or we took another position before them that we're happy with in most cases. There's a lot that goes into it. You've got your speed rushers, you've got your power rushers. The ones that have a little bit of both are usually the ones that are the most productive in the NFL. A lot of them have certain traits about them – personality traits – that make them tick a little bit more than others. So that's why we do all the work that we do on them. It's not for lack of trying. It's not that we don't believe in having edge rushers. We've had more success trading for or signing them than we have drafting, and I'll be the first to admit that. But it's not that we didn't [like] any of the rushers that are currently making a lot of noise in the NFL...It's a position that you can't have too many of, but this year there's a decent amount and we'll have to see how it goes. We've done a lot of work on them."

(On whether this needs to be a defense-heavy draft for Tampa Bay)

"We do see that there is a need for help there on the defensive side, for sure. I've had conversations with [Head Coach] Todd [Bowles] a lot about this over the years the last couple of years. He hates the word 'defensive-minded' head coach. He proved to me last year where he wasn't upset with taking Emeka [Egbuka] where he says you have to take the best player that helps you win games, period. So, I'm very fortunate to have a head coach that feels that way when we work together to make these decisions…I feel like I've said this every year, you can never go wrong with taking the best player. You're going to be happy at some point that you did instead of trying to force a pick."

(On whether his evaluation process for edge rushers has changed)

"I don't know if it's really changed that much in how we evaluate players. We know that last year we wish we would have had more production from that aspect, from the edge. I don't know if it's changed. You've got to be careful not to just feel like it's a must and force yourself to like more players than you normally would and push players up the board just to take an edge rusher to get that short-term good feeling of we drafted him and later on, you feel like maybe we shouldn't have drafted him. I don't know how much has changed. We've put a lot of energy into it, though. I feel like we've gone back and studied a lot of rushers that didn't make it or didn't work out to kind of see what we can do better, where we can focus our attention on a little bit more."

(On whether cornerback remains a need despite recent draft picks there)

"We have the draft and there's always players that get released after the draft or all the way into final cuts. We feel like there's a lot of different avenues where we can look to add and supplement to that position."

(On if he thinks more teams will be willing to trade their draft picks on the second day)

"I wish I could give you the answer on that. I could say sure, but based off experience the things that you think are going to happen don't. I think that's what makes the draft fun, for me at least, is that you have to expect the unexpected. If that's something that we're expecting, sometimes it doesn't work out that way. I know that there [are] going to be a lot of very good players in that second, third, fourth, fifth, even sixth, seventh round. Just the way the board stacks up, the way it works this year, it may be a little top-heavy, but then once it hits a certain point, you've got really kind of very similar level players at different positions throughout the entire draft. That's one thing that we are excited about."

(On if he's open to trading down)

"In a lot of scenarios that we're working through, yeah. You have a group of players that you say, 'No matter what, if this player's there, we're taking [them].' If there's a group of three, then maybe you go back one or two to make sure that you ensure you get one of your three, but the part of that that makes it difficult is you've got to find a trade partner. It's not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes teams just don't want to move up. They don't want to give up picks, and I understand why."

(On if sometimes the teams that want to trade up for a pick are selecting too far away)

"You have to kind of draw a line as to how far you would go down, but it depends on how many players that you have in different pods in your draft board that you would be willing to move down [for]. Is it worth this pod here? We kind of view them as X, so if we moved past them, we're not going to get that. We're going to get the next level, but is it worth it because we're going to pick up an extra pick? Those are the things that you have to go through, the exercises you have to go through."

(On potentially drafting the best player available regardless of need)

"I have no problem – no problem – if we view the player as a high-end, very high-end talent that's going to make an impact at some point. I have no problem."

(On Tampa Bay's success in finding starters through the draft)

"There's a lot of reasons. I think, first of all, I love my staff, scouting staff. I wish I had enough time to name everybody, but they do a fantastic job working together. The process – they know exactly what I like and they know what I don't like. But then I'll say I was talking to [Head Coach] Todd [Bowles] about this too – we were talking about this very thing – just the consensus that we have and the way we work together with our combined staffs and just the camaraderie that we have. There are no closed doors. We can talk at any time. My scouts can talk to any coach at any time. I think that process has really worked very well. I want to give the coaches some say in this too because I want them to be vested with the players and I want them to like the players that we're bringing in because it usually leads to a better relationship between them, the player and the coach, and leads to better results."

(On how close the roster is to being a Super Bowl contender, and the importance of this draft in terms of adding impact players and players with leadership skills)

"I think we have some players that are ready to step out and become great leaders. We've seen the characteristics and the traits that they've had where we think they're going to be great leaders, but maybe they were taking a little bit of a back seat and didn't want to overstep their boundaries. I think there [are] quite a few of them that I think are going to come out of their shell that I'm pretty excited about. I really do like this roster. I think this draft is important. I think the next few drafts are important…Well, every draft is important. I think I've been around several Super Bowl teams, most recently here, obviously [and] I see it starting to really come to form, and you don't really fully see it until, first of all, the players all have to be here, and then you have to get through training camp, and then sometimes you hit a stride at some point during the season, early season, where you start to see it. It can be the same team, but it can be a different dynamic. I really feel strongly about this group of guys that we have and the leadership that we have, starting with the quarterback. So, it very well could be."

(On identifying emerging leaders on the roster)

"Well, we've got Tykee [Smith], Calijah [Kancey], I'm going to omit [names, but] the entire offensive line, Bucky [Irving]…God forbid I leave out Vita [Vea], but he's been around for a long time, but he, in his own way, has a lot of leadership. I think some of the players that we added with Alex [Anzalone] and Kenneth [Gainwell] and Miles [Killebrew], I think those guys have all been very good leaders where they were, so that's just going to help supplement what we have."

(On if he likes being "counted out" as QB Baker Mayfield does)

"I like it. You know I like to keep receipts. It motivates me. It has motivated me my entire life. It doesn't bother me, it just fuels me. But, this team isn't about me…I think Baker [Mayfield], obviously, I think we have a lot in common – besides he went to Oklahoma and I went to Nebraska, but that's not a rivalry anymore which is a shame."

(On whether Tampa Bay's draft board is mostly set or if it's still changing as more news about prospects comes out)

"I'd say it's about 95% set right now. I think [Head] Coach [Todd Bowles] and I will have a few more conversations at the end of this week and early next week, but I think we pretty much have it. There [are] just a few more things to talk about. We have a few visits today too. I mean, not that that really sets the board based on [if] you've visited with the guy, but sometimes it does. It's just a matter of rearranging a little bit here and there, putting one guy over another when we had some ties or we had some debates over it. It's pretty much set."

(On what the dynamic is like with Head Coach Todd Bowles during the draft process)

"It's great because we talk every day. Most days we don't have a set meeting, it's just popping into the office or him into mine and just discussing, 'Did you look at this guy again?' I think we've just worked together for a very long time now in relative terms, so we know each other, we know how each other thinks and he knows the process that I like to go through and now it's become his process and then vice versa. It's just a matter of the continuity that has really helped in this situation."

(On how much time he gives a draft class before he evaluates how it turned out)

"The rule of thumb was always three years, and I still don't want to get away from that. In today's day and age, it's you want it now and if your first- or second-round pick aren't a Pro Bowler, it's a failure in some peoples' eyes. You still want to give them three years. We've had some success; we've had some failures. We try to learn from the failures – I'll be the first to admit. To answer your question, it's now in an ideal world you want the class we are bringing in to help us this year and contribute and add to the roster which would be awesome, because I do think we have a good roster. It's not as fast as what seems like the public wants, but you have to give it time."

(On the inside linebackers in the 2026 NFL draft)

"There are some interesting players throughout the whole draft. We've looked at all of them and we're still doing some work. We've seen them all, but we're still hashing some of that out, but yeah, there are some interesting players."

(On if the safety room is a position he would like to add to)

"It depends. We think we have two really good safeties, and I think J.J. Roberts is one to watch this offseason. It depends; it's going to depend on where it's at. We're not set out [on], 'Ok, we're going to take a safety in the third round.' It depends though, we're always looking, we're always seeing what's out there, we're always looking to find players. We've found players and signed players in August and September that have gone on to help us, so this will be an ongoing process. We're not going to get everything solved next week."

(On evaluating older prospects versus younger prospects)

"I think it's a case-by-case basis with those players. Ideally, we'd all like to draft 20-year-olds and 21-year-olds because then you say, 'Well, we'll have this guy for 10-plus years,' and then a lot of times that doesn't work out. I think is just depends. Some 25-year-olds are more immature than some 18-year-olds, so it's a case-by-case basis, but we grade the player for what they do and what they are. We don't have a calculation or something [where] we deduct a certain amount of points because of their age."

(On how much leadership skills and locker room fit go into the players they draft)

"That's a good question. You can't expect a rookie – no matter how good of a leader they were in college – to step in and all of the sudden be the voice and lead the charge. Most of the good ones know how to bide their time before they step out and do that. They have to prove it on the field, they have to prove it during the regular season, and they have to prove it to their teammates that they can back up their words before they do. That's a good question. All of the players that we try to target have some sort of leadership quality to them. It doesn't have to be outspoken but has some sort of leadership quality."

(On if Tampa Bay has a need to find a "true 'X' receiver")

"The true 'X' like Mike [Evans], those guys are few and far between. We really do like our [wide] receiver room. I think they're going to step up this year, and I think all of them are going to have good years, so I know they're very excited. We know the importance of that position, and this is a pretty good receiver group this year, and at some point, it wouldn't be shocking if we did take a shot."

(On if he shares the same sentiment as Head Coach Todd Bowles that WR Chris Godwin Jr. can get back to being a 1,000-yard season receiver)

"Based on the way he finished, yeah. He was looking very good; he was looking like he was back to himself, and we all know here Chris [Godwin Jr.] works his [tail] off. I'm excited about where he's going to come in and where he's going to be based on the way he finished."

(On if there is a profile of an edge rusher the team evaluates for Head Coach Todd Bowles' defensive scheme)

"I mean, we can all say and write down and we have numbers that we look for the ideal [edge rusher], but those are also hard to [come by]. The 'J.P.P's' (Jason Pierre-Paul), God only made a few of them. Yes, you would like to have big, long guys, but sometimes power comes in different packages. A guy can have great quickness and speed, but he's just going to get washed off of the corner because of his lack of base and lack of strength. At the end of the day, you're just looking for a very good football player that can do all of those things."

(On bringing back OT Justin Skule and DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches)

"Justin [Skule] was a big part of that room here. I hated to see him go last year. He had an opportunity to go play right away and start, so I didn't hold it against him. But it was great to have him back. He did a great job stepping in for Tristan [Wirfs] that year and love 'Chuks' (Benjamin Chukwuma), but it's also good to just have another body, another player, that we know can do it. He's very smart, works very hard, he's very close with that entire group which you know I've said several times, it's important to me to have good camaraderie in that room if any room. Then 'Nacho' (Rakeem Nuñez-Roches), I can kind of echo the same things, he just brings a lot of energy and leadership. It felt like he was doing cartwheels when I talked to him and we got the deal done to bring him back and I know he was super excited. We're all excited to see the energy out there in practice, even as early as the next couple of weeks, [in terms] of what he brought."

(On signing LB Christian Rozeboom and WR David Sills V)

"[Rozeboom has] played a lot of football. He's great, he's going to compete, whether he's a starter, whether he's a backup, whether he's playing on special teams. I know the way he's wired and I love it. I think he's going to be a great addition. [David] Sills V is familiar with Zac [Robinson]. He's a veteran, he's played a lot of football, he's gotten us, he's smart, just good to have him on our side for now."

(On if he looks at mock drafts)

"At heart, I'm a fan. I love everything about football; I love everything about the NFL, I always have. I've always been really interested in mock drafts and looking at them, but it's more fun for us. You kind of look at it and see…[It is] not compared to our board, because we're very proud of the way we set our board the way we see them, not where everybody sees them. There are some guys that do the mock drafts, and you hear them say, 'I've talked to the GM, I've talked to my sources there,' and there are some of them I've never talked to. I don't know where they got this. It's all a guessing game for all of us really, but I wouldn't say I ever laugh at them, but it's fun to look at. I look at them often."

(On how many players carry "draftable grades" for the Buccaneers during a draft cycle)

"We narrow it down to about 150 [prospects]. That's what we go off of and every year we always have players left. In fact, we have players left and not very many, but two or three or four and those are the ones we go hard after as undrafted free agents like 'Chuks' (Benjamin Chukwuma) was last year and like J.J. [Roberts]. That's kind of the process that we work at. We call them backboard guys, guys that didn't make the 150 and my peers and I – after we select picks – I like to shoot a text to some of them saying, 'Hey, you're killing our backboard.' That's a joke... We hope that we can get everybody – most of the players that we either sign or draft – from our front board."

-BUCCANEERS-