Tampa Bay Buccaneers' GM Dominik Had Mark Barron in Mind "For a Long Time"

Those who think Alabama's Mark Barron was some sort of "Plan B" for the Bucs need to think again.

He is, has been and always was the guy the Bucs wanted and General Manager Mark Dominik emphasized that Friday afternoon when he visited on the radio with Justin Pawlowski of 1010 am CBS.

How long has Dominik wanted Barron? "For a long time," Domink said, matter-of-factly.

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"I started watching him (Barron) during the 2010 season because we thought he might come out early. We had high grades on him then," Dominik told Pawlowski. "We loved him starting back then. He pops off the film. He's athletic, physical, he's a presence (on the field). All of that and he comes out of the best program in the country right now," Dominik said of the Crimson Tide team of Nick Saban.

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Dominik went on to talk about how he had Greg Schiano watch Barron on film after he became the Buccaneers' new head coach. "He saw what we saw," Dominik confirmed.

Dominik also talked about the amount of pre-draft work he did.

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"I basically called everyone in front of us and everyone behind us," he said. "You have to know who may be open to moving up or down. We were able to move down and get that fourth-round pick that helped us make the deal with Denver to move into their spot and get Doug Martin."

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Dominik admitted that he and Schiano "were nervous" when Dallas moved up into the sixth spot but ended up taking Morris Claiborne, much to their relief. "We got out man," Dominik said.

If you want to look at more reasons the Bucs took Barron over Claiborne, then consider that Schiano is looking for "physical" players. Claiborne doesn't really fit that mold. Another thing no one outside the organization is taking into account is the defensive scheme Schiano will run. Obviously, Barron was the best fit for that scheme.

Once again, Dominik selected a player who was a team captain. "It's a big deal," Dominik told Pawlowski. Not only was Barron a team captain, Martin was as well at Boise.

So pay no attention to those who tell you the Bucs wanted someone else.

Dominik and Schiano got the guy they wanted all along.