One thing we know about Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht is that he can cook up a fantastic NFL Draft class.
Since taking over in 2014, Licht has drafted and developed stars like Mike Evans, Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., Tristan Wirfs, and Chris Godwin just to name a few. He also has a knack for landing under-the-radar talent like Yaya Diaby, Rachaad White, Alex Cappa, and Jordan Whitehead; the latter two players were instrumental in helping bring a Super Bowl back to Tampa Bay.
He's not batting 1.000, but Licht is essentially the Ted Williams of drafting and he's showing no signs of slowing.
Heading into the NFL Draft, the Bucs have seven picks but that might not end up being the final total of selections made. There are rumors of a potential trade in either direction, with Tampa Bay making sense as a candidate to move up for a prospect that gets into range as much as they could trade out of the first round with a team looking to sneak in and take a quarterback or wide receiver.
Four of those seven picks are in the Top 100 which means even if the Bucs don't move around the draft board they'll be in prime position to land some impact players to help continue laying the foundation for the future.
Tampa Bay got one of those picks by trading Carlton Davis III to the Detroit Lions, and taking a cornerback could be in the cards, although the top priority will be adding depth to the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Buccaneers 2024 NFL Draft tracker: Grades for every pick and trade (Updated Round 7)
Be sure to keep checking back throughout the draft. This will be updated immediately after every Buccaneers pick and trade with instant reaction and a grade.
Round 1
Tampa Bay's first pick of the night was one that fell right into their lap. A run on defensive linemen and quarterbacks pushed some top talent back and Duke's Graham Barton ended up being on the board when the Bucs went on the clock at No. 26.
He wasn't on the board when No. 27 went on the clock.
Barton was a tackle at Duke but projects as a center in the NFL, which is exactly what the Buccaneers need. Ever since losing Ryan Jensen there's been a massive hole in Tampa Bay's line and it's one that they've failed to fill in-house. Now they get a potential anchor to go alongside Tristan Wirfs as the the Bucs attempt to rebuild their offensive line.
Here's the list of the picks Tampa Bay has made and the ones still remaining in the 2024 NFL Draft:
Round 2
We didn't have to wait nearly as long for the Bucs to make their second pick of the draft -- the full day of waiting notwithstanding. Much like the first night, the board shifted back in Tampa Bay's favor, with a run on wide receivers and cornerbacks dropping Alabama's Chris Braswell right into their lap.
Braswell was a top edge rush prospect who some thought might go closer to the start of the second round, but the Bucs ended up getting him without needing to make a move.
Round | Pick | Selection | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26 | Graham Barton, OT/Duke | A- |
2 | 58 | Chris Braswell, EDGE/Alabama | B+ |
3 | 89 | Tykee Smith, S/Georgia | B- |
3 | 92* | Jalen McMillan, WR/Washington | B+ |
4 | 127 | Bucky Irving, RB/Oregon | B |
6 | 220** | Elijah Klein, OG/UTEP | C |
7 | 244 | Devin Culp, TE/Washington | C- |
* From Detroit (Carlton Davis III trade)
** Compensatory selections.