So Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht loves drafting tight ends in late rounds.
Four were on the roster last season and all made their share of contributions.
Cade Otton, of course, was the top dog. The Bucs’ No. 1 tight end was the first pick of Round 4 in the 2022 draft. The came Payne Durham a year later (Round 5) and Devin Culp last year (Round 7).
Ko Kieft (Round 6 in 2022) is a core special teams player.
They’re all under contract for 2025, but Joe could see Licht investing in another tight end with an eye toward special teams and greater versatility. Also, Licht’s running backs are so darn talented, he may not want to risk them on special teams any longer.
Joe’s been looking at manbeast Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans. Not only does he seem to fit the good-citizen, football-deep-in-his-blood Licht model, Evans loves to block. He measured 6-5 1/2 and 258 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine a few weeks before his 22nd birthday.
Evans was Notre Dame’s No. 1 tight end last season with 43 catches for 421 yards. He didn’t miss a game after blowing out his knee (ACL) in 2023.
Projected as a Day 3 draft selection next month, Evans expects to be the guy to extend Notre Dame’s 20-year streak of having its top tight end get drafted. It’s a long list that includes Tyler Eifert, Kyle Rudolph and Cole Kmet.
As much as Todd Bowles wants to run the ball and the Bucs expect to continue a run-heavy approach, Joe would more than understand a desire to add a versatile huge body like Evans.