2012 NFL Draft: Do Tampa Bay Bucs Select Trent Richardson or Morris Claiborne?

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell slowly walks across the stage. He approaches the podium, lowers the mic and unwraps the envelope.

"With the No. 5 pick in this year's NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select..."

Who will the Bucs select in the 2012 NFL Draft?

Does Mark Dominik continue adding defensive weapons with the NFL's prototype corner in Morris Claiborne?

Should Dominik add a beast-like piece in the shape of Trent Richardson to complement a Josh Freeman led offense?

With so many needs on both sides of the ball, general manager Mark Dominik will have his hands full in the war room.

The Bucs did rank 30th in rushing and 21st in pass defense. The offense struggled to move the chains and rarely crossed the plain this season. The defense gave up big yardage through the air, often coming on big-stake third downs.

With our Tampa Bay Buccaneers, no one can be sure of what will go down on Draft day.

Let's just hope that whomever they select will bring some much needed change.  

The One Man Wrecking Crew

Trent Richardson is an animal. 

He amassed 1,910 total yards and 23 touchdowns this season. He has the ability to break through tackles, run on the outside and hit the long runs. 

This past season, LeGarrette Blount struggled in protecting the quarterback and often found his way to the sidelines. The Bucs O was very one dimensional and lacked the art of surprise or creativity. 

With a stud like Richardson, the Buccaneers offense will benefit from weapons and will allow Freeman to open up his game.

Not only does Richardson provide an open playbook, he brings a hungry mentality to the game—one that former head coach Raheem Morris would've loved to feast on.

Character has never been an issue and Richardson would easily become Tampa Bay's feature back. 

Imagine the two-headed monster of Blount and Richardson.

I know...it's scary to think about.

The Pure Shutdown Man

Many Buccaneer fans are hailing for the top corner in this year's draft.

They should.

Morris Claiborne is the definition of shutdown corner. He has the ability to completely take an opposing team's top wideout out of the game.

When you watch Claiborne play...he is doing exactly that.

Morris Claiborne has such athletic ability that he is able to make an opposing quarterback believe his wide receiver is actually open. Through incredible shadowing and zone reads, Claiborne blankets receivers and often capitalizes on the opportunity of a turnover. 

Zero passes defensed. 

You read that correctly. Zero passes batted down.

To imagine that quarterbacks typically never throw to Claiborne's side is unbelievable. He also picked the ball off six times and racked up 47 tackles this past season.

With the possibility of Ronde Barber retiring or Aqib Talib being put behind bars, the Bucs should take a long, hard look at Les Miles' Morris Claiborne.

Also, E.J. Biggers is an embarrassment. 

With most of the hype falling to LSU's Honey Badger, Claiborne continues to play the silent game.

One that is simply resilient.

Should Justin Blackmon Be Considered?

Blackmon. 

A pure freak at wideout. 

The young man out of Oklahoma State is playing at a pro level when he steps up to the line. With incredible size and speed, his ability to completely control the passing game is amazing.

The stats don't lie either.

Blackmon has caught 252 balls for 3,564 yards with 40 touchdowns in only three seasons.

He has the ability to break through tackles, push the ball downfield, run crisp routes and can truly "Randy Moss" most corners whenever he pleases.

If the Bucs want to add an incredible weapon at wideout for Freeman, this is their guy.