First Round: Aqib Talib, CB Kansas
The Bucs definitely had a need at corner, and on the field Talib fits in well with Monte Kiffin's Tampa 2 scheme. He tends to take some chances, but the safeties will be there to erase mistakes. He has the potential to be a play maker and really rack up interceptions.
So why was he still around at 20? The all important character concerns. He's failed drug tests, been late to meetings, and shown an all around lack of maturity. The Bucs once upon a time took a chance on a guy like that, and Warren Sapp turned out all right.
If the organization can get his head screwed on straight, Talib could be a mainstay of the defense for many years. If not, he'll be a total headache, and the fans will probably complain about them not taking CB Mike Jenkins from USF.
Second Round: Dexter Jackson, WR Appalachian State
The last Dexter Jackson to play for Tampa Bay went on to become the Super Bowl MVP. This one has a long way to go before he gets close to that, but he'll get a shot at playing since the team had a need at wide out.
He comes into the NFL with two strikes against him - he went to a smaller school and he played in a read option spread offense. The former is not as big a concern since App State was better than a lot of I-A teams. The second is more significant. The pure West Coast Offense that Jon Gruden runs is incredibly complex, whereas the read option is a very simple offense.
Jackson has the speed to become a productive slot receiver, but I would not expect him to become that yet in just his rookie season.
Third Round: Jeremy Zuttah, OG Rutgers
You can never have too much depth on your offensive line, and you could do a lot worse than a guy who's been opening lanes for Ray Rice the past couple years. He played both guard and tackle in school, showing some versatility. As I understand it, he'll need to bulk up and get stronger to become a starter.
It probably would have been better to take a higher quality lineman in the second round and pick up a receiver in the third. It was clear that receivers were undervalued in this draft since none went in the first round. The team should have realized that a future slot receiver like Mario Manningham, Early Doucet, or Andre Caldwell would be available with this pick. All but Doucet were still there when the Bucs made this selection.
Fourth Round: Dre Moore, DT Maryland
I don't know much about this guy. He's big, but apparently he's got no consistency, technique, or instincts. But hey, he's got a burst!
Defensive line depth can always help, especially when blitzes are so infrequent in the Tampa 2. Kiffin has a good track record on drafting linemen, so I'll trust him on this one for now.
Fifth Round: Josh Johnson, QB San Diego
I know there needs to be a long term plan for succession of Jeff Garcia. Chris Simms is not the answer; neither is a McCown brother. I also suspect neither is a guy from San Diego taken in the fifth round. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but I have no idea what this pick was for.
1 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Bryan Trafford about 1 year ago
Gruden does have a strange infatuation with qbs, but at least he's on the wagon with the tight ends! I was seriously going to hurl if tampa drafted another tight end this year.
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