A look back at the Bucs’ only other pick at No. 19: O.J. Howard
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are picking No. 19 in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. And interestingly enough, that wasn’t the first time.
The Bucs also picked there in 2017 after going 9-7 in the 2016 season and narrowly missing the playoffs. With that pick, the team selected the only tight end it has ever picked in the first round — Alabama’s O.J. Howard.
Howard was universally regarded as the best tight end prospect in the draft despite only catching seven touchdowns in his entire career at Alabama. His stock particularly rose during the Senior Bowl in 2017 and he participated in every part of the NFL Combine. Howard was mocked in the top 10 in numerous mock drafts from 2017, and it didn’t look as if Tampa Bay would hope to be in the running.
But then draft night came, and suddenly, they were. Multiple trade-ups for quarterbacks shook up the draft order, and Howard fell right to the Bucs at No. 19 where Jason Licht took advantage. Many at the time were gleeful, but did Howard end up living up to his billing with the Buccaneers?
Not exactly, to say the least.
Howard had a very productive rookie year, catching 26 passes for 432 yards and six touchdowns before heading to injured reserve. He scored five more touchdowns in 2018, but once again hit injured reserve toward the end of the year. While there were injury concerns, his 11 touchdowns in two years showed promise — promise that he wouldn’t live up to.
He caught one touchdown in 2019 while missing two games. When Tom Brady came to Tampa Bay in 2020, he caught a touchdown pass from the GOAT in a victory over the Chargers but tore his Achilles and once again went on injured reserve. He played in 2021, but caught just 14 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown.
Howard became a free agent, and the Bucs weren’t interested in continuing their partnership. He signed a contract with the Bills, but got cut after preseason before signing with the Texans. He played with Houston for one year in 2022 and caught two touchdowns, all in the first game of the season, and recently signed a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders for 2023.
All in all, Howard is a pick Licht would likely want back, especially given that stars like Tre’Davious White and T.J. Watt were both drafted after him. He’ll get a chance to redeem the pick from 2017 with his second try from No. 19 in 2023, but it’s very unlikely that the Bucs will go tight end this time around.
