2012 NFL Draft: What the Bucs Can Expect from Doug Martin

Head coach Greg Schiano moves forward into 2012 as new to Tampa Bay as his rookie draft picks are. Doug Martin will be one guy in particular who will be heavily relied on going forward.

The Bucs traded up to No. 31 to get him, making Martin the third running back to be drafted by Tampa Bay since 1997. Warrick Dunn and Cadillac Williams came before him, and both experienced varied levels of success during their tenure there.

Dunn had two 1,000-yard seasons in five years with the Bucs, and Cadillac, we all know, struggled to stay healthy. Martin comes into the NFL with plenty of miles on his tires, but he’s proven he can handle the majority of the work in the backfield.

As a Boise State Bronco, Martin carried the ball 617 times for 3,431 yards and a whopping 43 touchdowns. He also recorded 28 receptions in each of his past two seasons, proving he has some versatility to his game.

The Bucs backfield was decimated by injuries in 2011. LeGarrette Blount had issues with his MCL, and Earnest Graham suffered a torn Achilles, putting him on the sidelines after Week 7.

Kregg Lumpkin stepped in when he could, but he and Graham are both out now. It’s up to Blount, Martin and potentially seventh-round pick Michael Smith to handle the ground game duties.

Blount rushed for 1,007 yards in his rookie year. If Martin wasn’t in a platoon, we could certainly expect similar numbers out of his first season. But given Blount’s durability issues in the past, Martin could be in line for some impressive statistics.

If both stay healthy, we could see Martin put up somewhere around 600-plus yards. It all depends on who impresses Schiano more. Martin is more of a complete back compared to Blount’s brute force bulldozing, but for now, it appears a split is in order.