The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a tremendous amount of success in the league’s annual selection show since current general manager Jason Licht took over the job in 2014.<\/p>\n
From 2016 through 2024, former Bucs assistant GM John Spytek was a part of it all.<\/p>\n
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As with any franchise, there have been misses, but the hits far outweigh the misses in the long-term success of the club. Licht’s first-ever draft pick after taking over in Tampa Bay was wideout Mike Evans out of Texas A&M. He’s almost surely going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he finally hangs up his cleats.<\/p>\n
That’s a heck of a way to start your GM career.<\/p>\n
Spytek spoke on how he and Licht and the staff approached the draft each season.<\/p>\n
“[Jason Licht] said all the time, ‘We don’t miss on the player, we miss on the person,'” Spytek said. “We really believed in that. We made that a central piece of our scouting process \u2014 we were gonna commit to the person.”<\/p>\n
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If you look at the core of the Super Bowl-winning team from 2020, of course, legendary quarterback Tom Brady was a key part, but Bucs draft picks like Evans, Chris Godwin, Antoine Winfield Jr., Vita Vea and Tristan Wirfs were all important pieces.<\/p>\n
And for Skytek’s work in Tampa Bay, he’s now a GM in Las Vegas for the Raiders, once again working with Brady, who is a minority owner of the club. And his experience with Licht and the Bucs should make him a success there. Looking at the 2024 roster – Spytek’s last season in Tampa Bay, 44 players of the 53-man roster were draft picks.<\/p>\n
“It wasn’t something that we had thought of that much. We were just trying to select and sign good players,” Spytek said. “We talked about the draft and development model \u2014 it’s hard to stick to that. You start chasing free agents… it takes discipline from Jason and Joel Glazer and Todd Bowles to stick to the plan and reward your own players, but I really think that’s the best way to do it.”<\/p>\n
Related: Tom Brady’s Role With Raiders Creates QB Controversy<\/a><\/p>\n