Kaelin Clay to Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

With their second straight pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have let it be known there will be competition for the team’s kick returner and depth in wide receiver.

By taking Kaelin Clay from Utah in the sixth round, the Bucs drafted another shifty, speedy receiver. The club picked Kenny Bell in the previous round.

Clay is infamously known for his blunder against Oregon. After getting deep and catching what looked like it was going to be a 79-yard touchdown, Clay made the mistake of dropping the ball before crossing the goal line. Oregon picked up the ball and returned it for a touchdown.

“It was actually my favorite play,” he said. “I didn’t get to score on it. The play in general helped me grow as a person and not only just as a football player. Things aren’t always going to go the way you want them to go. It’s how you get through adversity.

“With that play, I’ve become a better person,” Clay continued. “I’ve learned to take things not for granted (because) not every day is promised. Things are going to happen, adversity is going to happen but it’s how you get through it. Do you let it bring you down, or do you keep going forward and just get through it? I feel that I’ve gotten through it. I’ve gotten a lot of support from my teammates, fans and family. It’s just made me a better person overall.”

Clay has gotten through a lot of adversity.

He only played at Utah for one season. Prior to that, he was at Mt. San Antonio College for two seasons. He originally signed with Cal but never played before leaving for academic reasons.

At Utah, he showed what he can do. Most of it has to do with his legitimate 4.4 speed.

Utah tried to get him the ball in space and threw a lot of screens and short passes and hoped that he could make a guy miss and gain yards after the catch. He had 43 catches for 523 yards and four scores.

Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Clay really impacted games with his returns.

He averaged 15.0 yards on punt returns and returned three punts for touchdowns. He averaged 24.9 yards on 22 kickoff returns and returned one 100 yards for a touchdown.

That’s four scores on kick returns in 13 games for Clay. The last time the Bucs returned a kickoff for a touchdown was in 2010. The last time the team had a punt returned for a touchdown was in 2009.

Bucs head coach Lovie Smith used to have one of the best returners in the history of the game when he was in Chicago with Devin Hester.

He wants to have that same dangerous guy in Tampa Bay.

Clay may be able to provide that.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.