With the draft now complete we can take a look at the Buccaneers draft picks and see how they did. They addressed some needs and overall didn’t do too badly at all.
1st Round: Mark Barron (DB) from Alabama. We already touched on this selection on Thursday and while a bit of a surprise, it was a great pick and fills a gap that they needed to fill. They still don’t know whats going to happen with Aqib Talib but look for Barron to be one of your starting 11 on defense this fall regardless of the outcome of the trial.
Doug Martin (RB) from Boise State. Martin rushed for 1,299 yards in 2011 for the Cowboys and scored 16 touchdowns. In his 4 years there he ran for a total of 3,435 yards with 43 touchdowns. With head coach Greg Schiano stating earlier that he who didn’t protect the ball would not be getting it, Martin could see considerable action in his rookie year this fall. LeGarrette Blount also stating earlier if the team drafted a running back in the first round, he would have a problem with it, it will be interesting to see what happens during training camp if Martin sees a lot of action. Blount later said that he would welcome any new teammate that could help the Bucs win games.
2nd Round: Lavonte David (OLB) from Nebraska. David had a very solid season in 2011 with the Cornhuskers and will be a welcome addition to the Bucs defense. In his senior year he made 133 tackles, averaging over 10 per game, 12 for a loss, 5.5 sacks, had 2 interceptions, forced 3 fumbles and broke up two passes. In his 2 years there he had combined totals of 285 tackles, 24 of those for a loss, 11.5 sacks, and broke up 10 passes. This second round pick could very well end up being the steal of the draft.
5th Round: Najee Goode (ILB) from West Virginia. In 2011 with the Mountaineers Goode collected 87 tackles, 5 sacks and an interception. he also forced a fumble. In his 4 years there he had totals of 134 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 INT’s and he broke up 5 passes. It is doubtful that he will see a lot of playing time but with a new head coach looking to shake things up you never know what might happen.
6th Round: Keith Tandy (CB) from West Virginia. With the Mountaineers in 2011 Tandy had 64 tackles to go along with 4 interceptions and 9 pass break ups. In his 2 years of action there he combined for 121 tackles and 13 interceptions and broke up 20 passes. Depending on how Ronde Barber performs in his 16th NFL season, and the outcome of Talib’s trial, Tandy could see some good action this fall in the Bucs secondary.
7th Round: Michael Smith (RB) from Utah State. In 2011 Smith rushed for 870 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also had 181 yards receiving with 2 touchdowns. In three seasons of action he ran for 1,313 yard with 15 touchdowns and caught 38 passes for 424 yards and 4 touchdowns. If Blount gets on Schiano’s bad side it is possible that Smith could see playing time along side Martin.
Drake Dunsmore (TE) from Northwestern. Dunsmore played four years with Northwestern and in 2011 he had 45 catches for 522 yards with 6 touchdowns. Over his career there he totalled 143 receptions for 1,567 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Buccaneers currently have 7 young tight ends on their roster and that is not including Kellen Winslow. Dunsmore will have to play his way into a high depth chart position during training camp.
Tampa Bay announced Monday morning that they had signed 14 undrafted free agents, including two from the USF Bulls, who share Raymond James Stadium with with Bucs. The signees are as follows:
Luther Ambrose (WR) Louisiana-Monroe
Ryan Baker (LB) LSU
Zach Collaros (QB) Cincinnati
Cody Johnson (FB) Texas
Leonard Johnson (CB) Iowa State
Donte’e Nicholls (DT) Tennessee State
Tyler Shoemaker (WR) Boise State
Bradley Sowell (T) Mississippi
Tramain Thomas (S) Arkansas
Tyler Urban (TE) West Virginia
Michael VanDerMeulen (G) Toledo
Desmond Wynn (T) Rutgers
Chaz Hine (C) USF
Quenton Washington (CB) USF
Ray Blanchette covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Outside The Redzone. He also covers NCAA football for the Saturday Blitz. Follow along at www.saturdayblitz.com. Blanchette is the owner of Blanchette Sports Holdings. Follow along with them at www.blanchettesh.elementfx.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003521034703&sk=wall or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/BlanchettSports
