Bucs’ Draft History With Senior Bowl

In just over a week the Bucs, along with the rest of the NFL, will descend upon Mobile, Alabama for the Reese’s Senior Bowl. There over 70 seniors from programs across the college football landscape will make yet one last case for raising their draft stock ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Senior Bowl has long been a showcase the Bucs have taken seriously, as they have drafted attendees of the showcase heavily over the years.

Current Bucs Who Attended The Senior Bowl

The current Bucs roster has nine players who once committed to the Senior Bowl. That includes five of the eight players the Bucs selected just this past year. Those picks were defensive lineman Logan Hall and offensive guard Luke Goedeke in the second round, running back Rachaad White in the third round, punter Jake Camarda in the fourth round and corner back Zyon McCollum in the fifth round.

In 2021, linebacker K.J. Britt was selected in the fifth round by the Bucs after they were able to watch him play in the Senior Bowl. The year prior running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn similarly was selected by the Bucs in the third round. In 2019 safety Mike Edwards and outside linebacker Anthony Nelson attended the Senior Bowl before becoming Bucs draft picks in the third and fourth rounds respectively. But Bucs general manager Jason Licht’s history and reliance on the Senior Bowl dates back much further.

Bucs GM Licht Has Long History With Senior Bowl

Licht’s propensity to select Senior Bowl players doesn’t stop with those nine players. In addition, in 2021 the Bucs selected seventh-round linebacker Grant Stuard. In 2018 Tampa Bay took cornerback M.J. Stewart in the second round, offensive guard Alex Cappa in the third round, wide receiver Justin Watson in the fifth round.

The year prior tight end O.J. Howard attended the Senior Bowl before the Bucs took him in the first round. Then Tampa Bay doubled and even tripled up with Senior Bowl selections by taking safety Justin Evans in the second round and defensive lineman Stevie Tu’ikolovatu in the seventh.

All told, over the course of Licht’s nine drafts as Bucs general manager 22 out of his 64 draft selections (or a little over one third) were former Senior Bowl participants. Arguably Licht’s greatest success picking players who came from the Senior Bowl happened in 2015 when he picked both offensive tackle Donovan Smith and guard Ali Marpet in the second round. Both were immediate starters as rookies, and those two would go on to play next to each other on the left side of Tampa Bay’s offensive line from 2017 through 2021.

Marpet retired in 2021 one year removed from a Super Bowl and after receiving his first Pro Bowl selection. Smith has been the Bucs starting left tackle for eight years now and enters the final year of his second contract with the team.

This Year’s Senior Bowl Offers Plenty Of Options To Address Bucs’ Needs

The 2023 Senior Bowl will likely feature at least one future Bucs player, given Licht’s propensity to choose players from the showcase and the team’s various needs across the roster. One could make an argument that as the roster currently stands, the team could use help at offensive tackle, offensive guard, defensive line, outside linebacker, inside linebacker, cornerback and safety.

Here is a list of prospects who currently rank in the Top 100 on Pro Football Focus’ big board that are set to attend the Senior Bowl that may be of interest to the Bucs: