Buccaneers take on undrafted talent in 2024

“He’s very intelligent. He’s got decent size. He’s got speed. He’s a physical player. He likes to attack and he just has natural instincts and patience when he’s out there defending on the island.”

– Bucs GM Jason Licht on Funderburk

“He’s very intelligent. He’s got decent size. He’s got speed. He’s physical. He likes to attack and he’s got natural instincts and patience when he’s on an island on defense,” Licht said of Funderburk when asked what stood out to him that earned him a spot on the active roster. “It’s something you either have or you don’t, and he’s got that. We’ve seen a lot — (he) has great ball skills as well, so we see a lot of upside in him.”

Of course, for Funderburk, the moment he learned he had made the active roster wasn’t a moment to reflect on his potential and possibilities, but rather a moment to look back at what he had already accomplished in football and where it had taken him.

“I was excited,” Funderburk said of the moment he learned he made the squad. “I mean, it was like my dreams came true. It’s crazy to watch your dreams come true. Years of hard work, years of preparation (and) dedication to what you love to do. It was so exciting for me.”

Funderburk wasn’t the only unrecruited player to make the roster, with both coming from relatively smaller programs. Joining him on the roster, but on the other side of the court, is point guard Kameron Johnson, who entered the league as a UDFA out of Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina.

“It says a lot about them. The quality of the men and women in this building,” Funderburk said of Tampa Bay finding and keeping two undrafted players from small schools on the active roster. “They care about the players and obviously they’re willing to put a bet on a guy like me and Kam — undrafted guys from small schools. It lets me know they see something in us, regardless of what might have happened in camp. We’ve both been injured before, so that says a lot about them (and) the quality of people they are.”

He says what Licht and the Bucs have been saying for years. The best players will be on the field.

That’s how you build a top team, that’s how you create a competitive environment, and quite frankly, that’s how you build a team that won three straight division titles and never made the postseason from 2007-2020.

READ MORE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Featured in Nickelodeon Slimetime’s ‘Rookie Spotlight’ Special

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