Bucs GM Jason Licht Open to Picking First-Round Talent from Specific Position Group in NFL Draft

The Bucs have holes to fill, but they could take a look at this position in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Oct 21, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Cooper DeJean (3) looks on during / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have needs at multiple positions, but a particular one opened up after an offseason trade.

Tampa Bay traded cornerback Carlton Davis III for a third-round pick toward the beginning of free agency, and as a result, they have a need there. At the moment, cornerback Zyon McCollum could step into that role, but the Bucs could also draft a replacement there, and that's something general Jason Licht knows well.

Licht spoke to media before the NFL Draft takes place on April 25, and he mentioned cornerback as a position of need in the bluntest way possible.

"If there’s a great cornerback that’s sitting there and he’s staring us in the face and he’s clearly a better player than what we have at other positions, it would be hard to resist.”

There could be a few of them staring them in the face. One such notable prospect is Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, who many have mocked to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Another commonly-mocked cornerback is Kool-Aid McKinstry, who comes out of Alabama and is a highly touted prospect.

That being said, there are other needs for the Bucs to fill. Interior offensive line is a big question, as is edge rusher, so Licht will have to choose which role to fill with his pick. That's something he understands, and he doesn't see it as a bad thing.

"That’s okay, to have a lot of needs. I think it’s a good thing, actually," Licht said. "We came very close to going to the NFC Championship Game last year and we still signed our guys back and we still have a lot of needs. I think that shows that if we do this right, pretty soon, the next couple of years – or even this year – [we] could be competing."

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 offseason.

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