Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former Buccaneers exec, current Raiders GM explains Tampa Bay's drafting success

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated May 21, 2025 11:55 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have bounced back in quite an impressive way in recent years. After over a decade of struggle, the team won a Super Bowl in 2020 after luring Tom Brady to Tampa Bay, and it hasn't slowed down since.

The Bucs have been lauded throughout the league for their ability to draft and cultivate homegrown talent — while Brady and a slew of other free agents were huge contributors to the Bucs' success, Tampa Bay's core of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Tristan Wirfs, Vita Vea and Antoine Winfield Jr. were all crucial in getting that Super Bowl win. General manager Jason Licht is the man ultimately in charge of drafting them, but he's been transparent about how helpful his staff is in that regard — and one former Bucs staff member is now a GM of his own.

Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek was the Assistant GM in Tampa Bay, and his player scouting helped land some of the Bucs' best homegrown talent. He was recently interviewed by NFL reporter Ari Meirov, and Meirov asked him about the process that led him to find so much talent with the Bucs.

He mentioned that being athletic was one thing, but for him and Jason Licht, a player had to be a good person and love the game of football above all else.

"[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 — we were gonna commit to the person."

The #Bucs have quietly been one of the NFL’s best drafting teams in recent years. Last year, 44 of their 53 initial roster spots were filled by players drafted or signed as UDFAs by Tampa. That's wild.#Raiders GM John Spytek, who came from Tampa, explained what the turning… https://t.co/Uk7wO5mBvD pic.twitter.com/xSuaWmb8f4
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 20, 2025

After Brady retired in 2022 and most of Tampa Bay's aging free agents went with him, the Bucs pivoted to creating a younger roster, and they've done a great job. Under Spytek and Licht, 44 of Tampa Bay's 53 players on the roster in 2024 were signed and developed by the Buccaneers, and Spytek was proud to see that happen in his final year with the organization.

"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 develop model — 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."

Licht will now have to carry on without Spytek, but a bit of his legacy will live on throughout the league as Spytek takes that knowledge and experience from Tampa Bay to Las Vegas with the Raiders.