Bucs select a punter with the 133rd overall selection in the NFL Draft

Jason Licht shocks fanbase, in opting to add a punter in the fourth.

Collin Haalboom | Apr 30, 2022

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected Jake Camarda, a punter out of Georgia, with the 133rd overall selection in the NFL Draft.

This was the Buccaneers' second, and final pick in the fourth round.

Regardless of how you feel about drafting a punter, you can't deny it's an area that the Buccaneers could stand to improve on. It's clear now, that Jason Licht and the Buccaneers felt that way, too.

Camarda was the 2020 SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, and a 1st-Team All-SEC selection in 2021. He's also a National Champion.

I'm not sure how important athletic traits really are, as far as punters go, but it certainly can't hurt. And Camarda is definitely more of an athlete than your average punter. He ran a 4.56 40-yard dash at the combine—which was the fastest time clocked by a punter or kicker since 2003.

After producing a 46.6 yards per punt average in 2020, he earned a reputation for having a big leg. He's got some touch too, as he placed 70 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line during his career as a Bulldog, which would be a welcome addition to the Buccaneers' special teams units, as he could directly affect the team's ability to control the battle of field position.

The Bucs have now added five players, at five different positions in the 2022 NFL Draft:

Round 2 (33): Logan Hall, DT, Houston
Round 2 (57): Luke Goedeke, OL, Central Michigan
Round 3: (91): Rachaad White, RB, Arizona State
Round 4: (106): Cade Otton, TE, Washington
Round 5: (133): Jake Camarda, P, Georgia

If you draft a punter in the fourth round, he's going to be your guy. Means the Bucs are moving on from Bradley Pinion, who was due to make $2.9 million in nonguaranteed salary this season.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 30, 2022

Now would be a good time for Bucs fans to get up and stretch their legs, maybe get outside, take a walk, something, because as it stands currently, the Buccaneers won't be making another selection until the seventh (and final) round of the draft, where they hold the 248th, and 261st picks.

Unless of course, Jason Licht isn't done making trades and decides to make a move to acquire an additional draft pick at some point between now and then.

Stay tuned to BucsGameday for continuing coverage of the NFL Draft.

Published Apr 30, 2022

COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.