2012 NFL Draft: Analyzing Scenarios for Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pick

Now is the time for a favorite part of the offseason for any team with a losing record: the NFL draft!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured the fifth pick in the draft by going an abysmal 4-12 after high expectations yada, yada, yada. We have all heard the same information before.

Anything and everything can happen in the draft. Teams may trade up. Teams may draft a person who no one expected them to. It all helps capture the attention of anybody watching it. 

Before you click that next slide, I am informing you right now that I will not be looking at the most abstract scenarios. For instance, I won't be analyzing what would happen if the Bucs and Giants traded picks or stuff like that. These will only be the most likely situations.

Let's get down to business.

Morris Claiborne

This is what a lot of people expect to happen, including me.

The Buccaneers have always had good luck drafting defensive players in the first round (Derrick Brooks, Gerald McCoy, Lee Roy Selmon et al) This only further enhances the cause for drafting Claiborne.

Of course, the main reasons for drafting him would be the Bucs poor defense, which ranked statistically last or near it in almost every major category last season. This included a 21st-ranked passing defense and dead-last rushing defense. Claiborne could certainly help out in these areas.

Claiborne is viewed as the best cornerback prospect since Patrick Peterson. He displays all the factors of a great corner with his great speed, shutdown ability and playmaking skills. Claiborne could become something special in Tampa Bay, and that is why I hope it can draft him.

Trent Richardson

The clamor to get Trent Richardson in red and pewter has been rising in the past month or two for good reason. He is viewed as the best running back in a long time, which has some Buccaneers fans demanding that he be drafted if still available.

I am one who believes that LaGarrette Blount could be a three-down back, but I do have some questions. Supporters of Richardson say that he is a much bigger and a more reliable playmaker than Blount, who sometimes struggled throughout last season. Richardson would also arguably give Bucs fans even more to cheer about.

There are really no holes in Richardson's game. He can run through people, juke them and outrun them altogether. He can also catch the ball and gain short yardage, which are two factors that Blount struggled in. Having a Richardson-Blount duo would garner talks of previous great running pairs like Pittman-Alstott. 

While I would prefer my first choice, I would certainly not complain with this one.

Dre Kirkpatrick

Here we are with our first shock pick. Well, it isn't necessarily a shock, considering that both Richardson and Claiborne could realistically be picked before the Bucs have a chance to get either of them.

As mentioned on the Claiborne slide, the Bucs have a lot of problems on defense, so picking up someone like Kirkpatrick would certainly help ease the pain. It isn't like he is a downgrade, because he looks like the most NFL-ready CB in the draft. 

Kirkpatrick had an offseason that included some legal trouble and a lackluster combine, yet he is still highly rated. The reason for this is because the tape on him does not lie. He looks like a true NFL cornerback and knows the position very well. Kirkpatrick would really make a difference on the Buccaneers team. 

Not my first choice, but still a decent pick should it come up.

Luke Kuechly

This is where we start to head into the less-plausible-but-still-possible area. Kuechly would be a real surprise pick for multiple reasons.

On one hand, it does look like the Bucs need some help at the linebacker position, considering how bad both their rushing and pass defense was last year. Kuechly has a real knack for getting to the ball carrier and making the play. He has great instincts that this Bucs team really needs. For this point, he does make sense.

The problem with drafting him so high would be questions as to whether or not he deserves to be drafted in the top 5. While he did have a great combine, his speed is still in question and so is his ability to really be a sack threat. He was never really called on to pressure the quarterback, so he will have to be taught to provide that blitz threat for the Bucs.

Kuechly is a great talent, but I do not like the idea of picking him so high in the Draft.

Justin Blackmon

I debated with myself on what to do with this option, because it barely slipped into the discussion by a thread. Ultimately I decided that it would be interesting to analyze and give Tampa Bay fans something to think about.

After all, the defense wasn't the only part of the Bucs team that needed help. Freeman didn't have a No. 1 receiver, and since no one else stepped up it was hard to succeed. Blackmon would immediately start for Tampa and give Freeman the confidence that he needs. Hey, this doesn't sound like that bad of an idea!

But then you look at the fact that the passing offense was one of the better parts of Tampa's season and the fact that they do have capable receivers, but they just didn't show up. You also look at the state of the defense again, and you start crying on the inside once more. Blackmon would be nice, but he just isn't in our sights.

Let's just hope that the front office makes the right choice come April.