Re-Grading Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Past 5 Drafts
You've got a better chance of seeing a unicorn on your morning run than finding a recent draft class that's been solid from top to bottom for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Over the past five drafts, Tampa Bay's picks have spent far more time in the training room or on another team than on a Pro Bowl roster, which makes it no surprise the team hasn't sniffed the playoffs during that stretch.
Sure, the Bucs have hit on a few picks here and there, but few players have made a significant impact. Injuries, poor scheme fits and just downright poor play have plagued Tampa Bay's recent rookie hauls, failing to deliver on high expectations and setting the franchise back considerably since the 2002 Super Bowl run.
Which picks have been home runs for Tampa Bay? Who have been the biggest busts? Who still has time to prove they were worth the investment?
Here's a look at my grades for the past five draft classes for the Bucs.
These are the factors I took into consideration when grading these classes:
- Pro Bowl/All-Pro appearances
- Presence on current roster
- Production relative to draft position
2010
1 of 5
| Round (Pick) | Player | Position | College |
| 1 (3) | Gerald McCoy | DT | Oklahoma |
| 2 (35) | Brian Price | DT | UCLA |
| 2 (39) | Arrelious Benn | WR | Illinois |
| 3 (67) | Myron Lewis | CB | Vanderbilt |
| 4 (101) | Mike Williams | WR | Syracuse |
| 6 (172) | Brent Bowden | P | Virginia Tech |
| 7 (210) | Cody Grimm | S | Virginia Tech |
| 7 (217) | Dekoda Watson | LB | Florida State |
| 7 (253) | Erik Lorig | DE | Stanford |
Many Bucs fans were disappointed to miss out on Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh, but they got a quality consolation prize in McCoy, who has become the face of the franchise and the unquestioned vocal leader of the locker room. McCoy has dealt with a barrage of injuries during his tenure in Tampa Bay, but he's posted 27 career sacks and been named to both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro squads three times.
Injuries thieved the Bucs of their two high second-round picks, as both Price and Benn were unable to make a sizable impact during their Tampa Bay careers before moving on to play elsewhere. Lewis became no more than a special teams body.
Williams' career got off to an impressive start on the field, as he tallied at least 60 catches and 700 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons, hauling in 23 touchdowns over that stretch. But injuries and off-field concerns led to him being traded to the Buffalo Bills prior to the 2014 season, where he has been unable to make an impact.
Bowden never appeared in a regular-season game for the Bucs, while Grimm showed promise as a solid reserve and special teamer before injuries claimed him, as well.
The Bucs found their best value in this draft with their final two picks, as Watson became one of their best special teams players and a decent situational pass-rusher. Lorig was converted to fullback, where he made 24 starts over four seasons before leaving for the New Orleans Saints last offseason.
This class was full of promise, but injuries stole most of it. McCoy has proved to be a solid pick, but missing on two early second-rounders hurts this grade quite a bit. Williams had his moments early on, but he fell off quickly and was traded for a late-round pick. The contributions from a couple of late-rounders help, but there were just too many whiffs in this group.
Grade: C-
2011
2 of 5
| Round (Pick) | Player | Position | College |
| 1 (20) | Adrian Clayborn | DE | Iowa |
| 2 (51) | Da'Quan Bowers | DE | Clemson |
| 3 (84) | Mason Foster | LB | Washington |
| 4 (104) | Luke Stocker | TE | Tennessee |
| 5 (151) | Ahmad Black | S | Florida |
| 6 (187) | Allen Bradford | RB | USC |
| 7 (222) | Anthony Gaitor | CB | FIU |
| 7 (238) | Daniel Hardy | TE | Idaho |
This was supposed to be the draft class that finally solved Tampa Bay's pass-rushing woes, but much like the 2010 class, injuries robbed this group of most of its potential.
Clayborn just couldn't stay healthy, managing just 13 sacks over his four seasons with the Bucs while missing nearly half of that time with injuries. Bowers was once projected as the top overall pick in this draft, but a knee injury sent him tumbling down the board, with the Bucs snatching him up in the second round. But Bowers never rediscovered the explosiveness that made him such a dangerous presence off the edge in college. Both were allowed to walk in free agency this offseason.
Foster gave the Bucs the most mileage of anyone in this class, logging 54 starts over his four seasons with the team. But while he was a decent performer at times, his limitations as an athlete caused the team not to re-sign him this offseason, as his lack of coverage skills were a poor fit for the Tampa 2 scheme.
Stocker struggled with injuries for the early part of his career so far in Tampa Bay, but he made his biggest impact last season, moving to fullback due to other injuries and proving to be an effective lead blocker. His performance in 2014 led to him being re-signed this offseason.
The rest of this class never made a significant impact, with Black and Gaitor being the only late-round picks to log any real playing time.
The proof of this class' impact—or lack thereof—is in the fact that Stocker is the only member who remains on the current roster. Both Clayborn and Bowers busted, Foster never became a true difference-maker in the middle, and Stocker is just now becoming effective. Two big misses at the top and very little depth give this class a poor grade.
Grade: D-
2012
3 of 5
| Round (Pick) | Player | Position | College |
| 1 (7) | Mark Barron | S | Alabama |
| 1 (31) | Doug Martin | RB | Boise State |
| 2 (58) | Lavonte David | LB | Nebraska |
| 5 (140) | Najee Goode | LB | West Virginia |
| 6 (174) | Keith Tandy | S | West Virginia |
| 7 (212) | Michael Smith | RB | Utah State |
| 7 (233) | Drake Dunsmore | TE | Northwestern |
Many were surprised when the Bucs took Barron after trading back two spots with the Jaguars, as they expected the team to select Luke Kuechly instead. Three years later, those fans are left shaking their heads in disgust, as Kuechly is the league's best middle linebacker, while Barron never developed into a the playmaker the Bucs hoped he could be. They traded him just before last year's trade deadline for fourth- and sixth-round picks in this year's draft.
General manager Mark Dominik looked like a genius after trading back into the first round for Martin, as the "Muscle Hamster" racked up nearly 2,000 yards of total offense as a rookie, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. But injuries have taken its toll on Martin already, and he's never returned to the form of his rookie year. He remains the Bucs' most accomplished back but will have to fight off last year's third-round pick—Charles Sims—for touches this year.
The saving grace of this class was Dominik trading up yet again to grab David, who slipped in the draft due to his lack of ideal size for a linebacker. But his speed and instincts have been invaluable to the Bucs, and he's already become one of the league's best at the position. Over three seasons, David has racked up 430 total tackles, 10 sacks, six interceptions and 19 defensed passes, making first-team All-Pro in 2013.
After that, the impact was fairly slim from the rest of the class. Goode was never more than a special teams player, and while Tandy has managed a few starts and remains with the team, he hasn't made much of an impact outside of special teams. Smith and Dunsmore had one regular-season appearance between them.
David was an absolute steal, and the jury is still out on Martin, but missing so badly on a top-10 pick drives this grade down in a bad way.
Grade: C-
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2013
4 of 5
| Round (Pick) | Player | Position | College |
| 2 (43) | Johnthan Banks | CB | Mississippi State |
| 3 (73) | Mike Glennon | QB | North Carolina State |
| 4 (100) | Akeem Spence | DT | Illinois |
| 4 (126) | William Gholston | DE | Michigan State |
| 5 (147) | Steven Means | DE | Buffalo |
| 6 (189) | Mike James | RB | Miami (FL) |
The Bucs didn't pick until halfway through the second round of this draft, thanks to a predraft trade that landed them Darrelle Revis in return for their first-round pick. Revis only lasted one season in Tampa Bay before being cut by the new regime, leaving the Bucs little to show for the deal.
When they finally did start making picks in this class, the Bucs did a decent job early on, with Banks already becoming the team's best cover man and Glennon proving to be a serviceable starter at best and one of the league's better backups at worst.
Spence has proved to be a fantastic value pick, making 19 starts in two seasons and providing solid depth at defensive tackle. Gholston has been a decent run defender but has yet to make much of an impact as a pass-rusher.
Means didn't move the needle much in Tampa Bay before being let go last season, while James has been an effective back when healthy, especially in short yardage.
Only two years old, it's tough to judge this class yet, but there's plenty of promise in this group. Banks has already proved to be a quality starter, Glennon has been the team's most effective quarterback over his two seasons, and Spence is a fantastic rotational player. Losing that first-rounder for just a year of Revis hurts, but this class is making up for it as best as it can so far.
Grade: C+
2014
5 of 5
| Round (Pick) | Player | Position | College |
| 1 (7) | Mike Evans | WR | Texas A&M |
| 2 (38) | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | TE | Washington |
| 3 (69) | Charles Sims | RB | West Virginia |
| 5 (143) | Kadeem Edwards | G | Tennessee State |
| 5 (149) | Kevin Pamphile | T | Purdue |
| 6 (185) | Robert Herron | WR | Wyoming |
When you have a top-10 pick, the success or failure of that player is the driving force behind the grade of the entire class. That being the case, the Bucs' haul from last year's draft is looking like their best in recent memory.
Evans exploded onto the scene in his first NFL season, hauling in 69 passes for 1,051 yards and a franchise-record 12 touchdown receptions. He's already the team's unquestioned No. 1 receiver and still has plenty of developing to do.
Injuries stole most of last season away from the Bucs' next two picks, as both Sims and Seferian-Jenkins were unable to make much of an impact until late in the season. Still, both showed flashes of playmaking ability and should be big parts of the offense in 2015, now that they're 100 percent.
Edwards and Pamphile didn't see much action in their rookie season, but the Bucs' lack of urgency in addressing the offensive line in free agency this offseason leads me to believe they still have high expectations for both. There's still hope that Herron can develop into a decent slot receiver, but he struggled during training camp and throughout the year.
It's hard to grade a class after just one year, but things look promising for this group. Evans is already a dominant receiver, while Sims and Seferian-Jenkins should have a chance to prove themselves at full health. When you hit a home run with your top-10 pick, it's a good draft.
Grade: B+
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