Buccaneers GM Jason Licht Almost Traded Up In First Round Of 2024 NFL Draft

The Bucs got their guy at 26, but GM Jason Licht almost wanted to get it done sooner.

Mar 1, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht talks to the / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were sold on Graham Barton throughout the entire pre-draft process, and at pick No. 26, they got their guy. But for a minute, GM Jason Licht wasn't sure if they'd have that opportunity.

Barton became a Buc once he landed there at the original place Tampa Bay picked, and Licht went on to have his first draft without making any trades at all. But the team loved Barton so much that Licht revealed on the Schein on Sports podcast Wednesday he considered trading up to grab him.

"I will be quite honest with you, I didn’t think that there is going be a snowball’s chance in hell that he was going to be there at our pick," Licht said on the podcast. "So, when the board started to slide and fall the way it did, with the quarterbacks going and the run on some certain positions, I started to get pretty nervous. I attempted to try to move up. But I’m glad I didn’t in this case — that doesn’t always work out that way."

For Licht, it appears the nerves set in a few different times around pick No. 20, where Pittsburgh selected — they had a big offensive line need and ended up taking Troy Fautanu out of Washington. There were a few other teams he was worried about, too, but Barton ended up falling right into his lap.

"It was at 20 there with Pittsburgh because I know how they value their offensive linemen. And I think they got a helluva pick there (Troy Fautanu), too," Licht said. "And then we just kind of started to, once [Barton] got by the Dolphins I thought we had a shot. I was worried about the Cowboys there... and then when Philly came in there and took a corner, I thought we might have a shot here, a legit shot. And that’s the way it worked out. I couldn’t have turned that card in any quicker if I tried."

Regardless of whether or not Barton is a draft day steal, he'll certainly look to contribute as a starting center to help shore up Tampa Bay's offensive line. Barton — and the rest of Tampa Bay's rookie class, from the draft to UDFAs — will arrive for rookie minicamp soon to kick off their NFL careers.

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

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