After months of speculating about what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would do, Jason Licht decided to pull a classic zig when he was expected to zag. This shouldn't come as that much of a surprise -- or at least as big as it seemed -- considering how he's approached the last two drafts, but that didn't make the selection of wide receiver Emeka Egbuka any less stunning in the moment.
Now that the dust has settled a bit, things are starting to make a little more sense.
It's still objectively shocking that a team with such great needs on defense used its first-round pick on a luxury. Tampa Bay did not need a wide receiver as much as it needed to find talent at pass rusher, cornerback, and linebacker.
At least, that's the way it seemed. Licht's logic for why the team drafted Egbuka is pretty hard to argue against once you hear him out.
Buccaneers GM explains surprising first-round NFL Draft decision
After the pick was made, Licht spoke to the media and helped make perfect sense out of the otherwise surprising decision.
In his opinion, it all boiled down to what happened when the Buccaneers lost both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to injuries in the middle of last season. While the team was able to tread water, Tampa Bay went 0-3 in games without their top receiving duo, which is what motivated him to try and make sure that never happens again.
"We felt this was a pick for the future, but also for the present. You saw what happened last year, we had some injuries," Licht said. "Todd [Bowles] has said all along, I think he said it back in March that a good offense can help a defense. It's about scoring points, and it's exciting to add him to the mix."
He also reiterated that taking Egbuka was not an indication that Godwin wasn't going to be ready for Week 1. Licht instead implored everyone to take a look at how stacked the Bucs wide receiver room is now, which includes Godwin, Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, and Cade Otton in addition to the electric Egbuka.
That's a ton of firepower not only for Baker Mayfield but for first-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard as well. It's an investment in the offense and the belief that the team can win games in a shootout rather than simply relying on smothering opponents on defense.
Given that the Bucs were 2-5 in one-score games last year, not including a one-score loss in the Wild Card to the Commanders, having a little more umph on offense could have changed those outcomes. Then all of a sudden the Bucs aren't in danger of backing into the playoffs again and might have run away with a top seed.
It's that 0-3 stat in games without Godwin or Evans that stands out, though. If the Bucs win just one of those games things might have been different, and it's clear that slim margin is something Licht hadn't stopped thinking about between when it happened and Thursday when he saw a chance to try and fix it.
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