Since Jason Licht became the Buccaneers’ General Manager in 2014, only two kickers have been selected among the Top 150 picks in an NFL draft: Roberto Aguayo, whom Licht drafted No. 59 overall in 2016, and Matt Gay, whom Licht drafted No. 145 overall in 2019.
Aguayo and Gay were both busts, and Licht has learned his lesson.
Today Licht said there is one position he has ruled out heading into the 2021 NFL draft.
“I won’t take a kicker,” Licht said, via Greg Auman of TheAthletic.com.
Ryan Succop was the Bucs’ kicker last year and signed a three-year contract extension this offseason, so Licht thinks he has solved the kicker problem for the coming years. The other 31 NFL GMs would be wise to learn from Licht’s mistake, and recognize that drafting a kicker, especially early in the draft, is unwise.