Round 1 (20): Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
Round 2 (58): Dexter Jackson, WR, Appalachian State
Round 3 (83): Jeremy Zuttah, OT, Rutgers
Round 4 (115): Dre Moore, DT, Maryland
Round 5 (160): Josh Johnson, QB, San Diego
Round 6 (175): Geno Hayes, LB, Florida State
Round 7 (238): Cory Boyd, South Carolina, RB
Hard to grade this one above a “C” on sheer numbers alone.
Talib has the combination of size (6-1, 202) and instinct for the ball that makes defensive coordinators salivate, but those “character issues” raise a red flag. Jackson has speed (4.37 in the 40), but at 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds, it remains to be seen if he can get off the line of scrimmage and fend off defenders in the NFL. Zuttah probably won’t make an immediate impact, and defensive linemen are among the most difficult players to project to the next level.
Then there’s the quarterback. Is he the wild card that ultimately determines the success of this yer’s draft?
]]>Carnell Williams is recovering from a possible career threatning injury.
Guys, when we drafted Cadillac Williams, I was so excited because we had drafted a premier possibly game changing running back. His first year, he put up solid numbers and won rookie of the year behind a weak offensive line. “Pound That Rock” didn’t appear out of thin air.
Watching his feet move and legs churn out yards that eventually broke into 65 yard touchdowns was, as a fan who has yet to have a ‘career’ offensive superstar rise with the team; satisfying.
Willis McGahee suffered a knee injury similar to Caddy and he returned to be a productive NFL running back.
Be grateful for a decent three headed running back tandem, but don’t forget Cadillac.
]]>Amazingly enough, other #1 picks the Bucs had did not make the bottom ten list. I thought people who might get considered are like Trent Dilfer and Vinny Testaverde. I guess the franchise was saved this embarassment because Dilfer won a Super Bowl elsewhere (although he had litlte to do with it, he did not lose the game for the Ravens) and Testaverde had a long and fairly productive career in the NFL with a number of franchises. The bottom ten they listed were pretty terrible.
The more I think about it, I guess the Bucs have had a few poor #1 picks, but definately not the worst in NFL history.
]]>Dave
]]>I think everyone will agree that Garcia is part of the mix no matter what. I also think that many believe that Griese is also part of the mix considering he played well in the west coast offense under Gruden (not as well in Chicago, but better than the other options they had last year until the whole offense caved-in). That leaves third string.
In my opinion, although Gruden loves him, Gradkowski is on the short end of the stick since now he has played many games and besides a couple of starts, has played horrible. Now that teams know to defend against him by eliminating the short pass, they leave everything over 10 yards open and watch as he misses the receiver. His days in Tampa are done I believe.
Plummer is still in the mix if he decides to play again, and probably has a chance of making the team if he decides to come back. My guess is that he stays out of football, and does not sign the retirement papers. He will keep hoping the Bucs give up on him but it seems to me his career is going to end in Tampa unless something makes the Bucs change course on owning him.
Simms seems to be at the end of the line. He skipped voluntary training camp and seems on the outs with Gruden. We cannot rule him out yet but his interest in staying is not that high it appears.
That leaves McCown. He played well but makes big mistakes that can cost games. He has an amazing athleticism and he plays like a younger version of Garcia except for the critical errors. He has a chance of making the team.
My guess is that if Griese plays well in camp the lineup will be either Garcia, Griese, and Simms or Garcia, Greise, and McCown. What do others think? For this poll, I give my vote to McCown.
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