In-Depth Look at Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Most Intriguing Selection, Kaelin Clay

Some heads were shaking in the media room after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Utah Utes wide receiver Kaelin Clay in the sixth round of the NFL draft Saturday. After all, the Bucs had just taken a receiver in the previous round (Nebraska Cornhuskers pass-catcher Kenny Bell). With Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans and Louis Murphy already locked in, along with special teams standout Russell Shepard and last year's sixth-round pick Robert Herron, the selection didn't initially make much sense.

But if you take a deeper look, the Bucs may have drafted a steal of an impact player.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Let’s get one thing straight: Clay is a receiver first. He can catch the ball.

Yet that is not the area where Clay can have the biggest impact. The Bucs are hoping for Clay to become one of the most dangerous return men in the NFL, especially on punt returns.

The NFL has minimized kickoff returns in recent years, with teams routinely smashing the ball out of the end zone. The Bucs returned just 36 kickoffs last season and didn’t have a return longer than 45 yards. Tampa Bay returned 23 punts for an average of 10.8 yards per return. That average was good for eighth in the NFL, but the Bucs tied for the third-most fumbles on punt returns with four.

Solomon Patton, who returned a team-leading 10 punts, averaged 11.2 yards per return with a long of 33 yards.

Coach Lovie Smith knows firsthand how a dynamic returner can impact a team. While with the Chicago Bears, Smith had one in Devin Hester. The coach talked about needing to have one on the Tampa Bay squad after he was hired in January 2014.

Clay can provide that.

In his lone season at Utah in 2014, Clay returned three punts and one kickoff for touchdowns. Clay averaged 24.9 yards on 22 kickoff returns and 15.0 yards on 23 punt returns, with a long of 66.

Despite his 5’10” frame, Clay plays bigger when he gets the ball in his hands. He has good vision and sets up blocks on his returns, which can be seen on film. He doesn't go down easily, breaking through arm tackles and keeping his balance on diving attempts at his feet.

When Clay reverses field, he easily picks his speed back up to blow past defenders. He’s not afraid to catch the ball on the run and is good at making the first tackler miss.

He is the type of player the Bucs need.

We know he is mentally tough.

Most people remember Clay from his blunder against Oregon. The receiver caught a pass and seemed like he was on his way to a 79-yard touchdown. But Clay dropped the football before he crossed the goal line. Oregon defender Joe Walker picked the ball up and returned it for a touchdown for the Ducks.

 "Going back to that play, it was actually probably my favorite play,” Clay told the Tampa Bay media on a conference call after he was drafted. Things aren’t always going to go the way you want them to go. It’s how you get through adversity.

"I’ve learned to not take things for granted, because not every day is promised,” he said. “Things are going to happen—adversity is going to happen—but it’s how you get through it. How do you go through it? Do you let it bring you down, or do you keep going forward and get through it? I feel like I’ve gotten through it.”

Now, he’s in the NFL, and the Bucs are happy.

Quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted.