Author: Dustin Staggers from The Pewter Plank

Defensive Tackle

This is the Buccaneers most pressing draft need.  The problem is at the 19 spot, we might have to reach for a DT who fits Jim Bates scheme if we truly want to select a pick based on need.  We only have one DT who is the kind of mauling run stopping type of player that Jim Bates prefers at the DT position, Ryan Sims. The two tackle positions generated 1 sack last year, which obviously is not going to cut it.  Gone is starting DT Jovan Haye to the Tennessee Titans and in his place will probably be the aforementioned Ryan Sims.  Last years’ starter Chris Hovan is not the greatest fit for our new defensive scheme but barring a selection in the draft that truly fits, Hovan will probably end up being the starter.

Ideal Pick – BJ Raji

Realistic Pick – Ron Brace

Wide Receiver

The Bucs franchised WR Antonio Bryant this offseason as well as resigning Michael Clayton to a multiyear contract, but even still, in my guestimation and apparently the front offices, the Bucs are still in need of another threat at the receiver position.  Michael Clayton has shown over the last few years to have suspect hands, and while I love what Antonio Bryant did last year, his production over the years has been up and down because of personal issues, and expecting him to repeat last years’ production shouldn’t be a given.  Even if he were to repeat last years’ numbers, he still will be a free agent at the end of the season barring a multi-year deal or another franchise tag (please no!).  After our top 2 guys, Maurice Stovall, Parris Warren and Dexter Jackson are the next 3 receivers on the depth chart, and none has produced at the NFL level.

Ideal Pick – Jeremy Maclin

Realistic Pick – Darrius Heyward-Bey

Defensive End

Starting DE’s Gaines Adams and Greg White generated 11.5 sacks last season, which is the total we should be getting from one of our starting DE’s.   I personally feel like the lack of pressure or push or any need to double team from the DT position is part of the reason we generated so few sacks, something still needs to be done.  I think Jimmy Wilkerson is the perfect 3rd DE/DT because of his versatility.  He had 23 tackles, 5 sacks, and 1 FF last in 2008.  The wearing down of our defensive line last season contributed to our 0-4 finish and catastrophic collapse.

Ideal Pick – Brian Orapko

Realistic Pick – Michael Johnson

Cornerback

This could be the spot the Bucs surprise most people and end up taking in the first round this weekend.   There is a plethora of good physical corners in this draft, and the Bucs will be in prime position to take one at the 19th pick in the first round.  If we end up trading down, I would guarantee this would be one of our first few selections.  Last years’ 1st round pick, Aqib Talib, is going to be a stud.  He is physical, fast and in his rookie season had 23 tackles and 4 INT as the nickel corner.  This year he moves into the number one corner spot on the team.  I’m not sure what Ronde Barbers’ role is going to be in this new defensive scheme.  Jim Bates prefers physical man corners, and Ronde Barber is simply just not that.  He seems more like a roaming nickel corner to me in this scheme.  Surprise special teams player Elbert Mack I would imagine is going to see a much more expanded role.   He is a physical tackler but it is yet to be seen if he has the coverage skills necessary to be on the field for 60 snaps a game.

Ideal Pick – Malcolm Jenkins

Realistic Pick – Vontae Davis

It’s incredible that a guy like Freeman went from 6 TDs, 15 INTs in his freshman season in 2006 to a possible first round paycheck in the NFL. Last season he played well, throwing 20 TDs and 8 INTs. Does his upside and huge arm really skyrocket him that far?

NFL Teams are always looking for that under the radar guy. The next Tom Brady or the next Tony Romo. Freeman has the upside to fit that category.

The problem is that he’s a longterm project. In the NFL, longterm projects don’t usually pan out because they aren’t given the proper time to develop.

Yet in my latest mock draft I had Freeman going #19 overall to Tampa Bay. Why? Because the NFL is a copy cat league. Last season Baltimore traded back, traded back up, and took their quarterback of the future #18 overall. Now everyone is trying to project which team is going to do it this season.

Flacco played in an offense simplified so that he could succeed. Any NFL team that elects to take Freeman are going to have to be willing to do the same. With patience they might just end up with a pretty good quarterback for the future.

Freeman may go in the first round. He may also slide into round two. Either way he will be in the green room waiting to hear his name called.

Dustin Staggers from The Pewter Plank and Fan-Sided Blogs weighs in on who the Bucs should be looking at in the upcoming 2009 NFL Draft.

The 2009 NFL draft will be enormous for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their transition from the seven year regime of Bruce Allen and Jon Gruden to the new men in charge, Mark Dominik and Raheem Morris. For all of the criticism Jon and Bruce received because of the players they drafted, we have an awful lot of players who will be starters next year from their drafts. Barrett Ruud, Aqib Talib, Tanard Jackson, Gaines Adams (that’s 4 defenders), and Alex Smith, Aaron Sears, Davin Joseph, and Jeremy Trueblood (4 offensive players) will start next season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as at least 7 quality backups (Jeremy Zuttah, Quincy Black, Greg Peterson, Geno Hayes, Adam Heyward, Quincy Black, Sabby Piscatelli). Even with all these successful players taken in the draft, the amount of unrestricted FA’s we have this season (Michael Clayton, Antonio Bryant, Carmella Garcia, Luke McCown, Jovan Haye, Jermaine Phillips) just to name a few, make this draft a pivotal one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

RB/WR
First and foremost, offensive weapons, in my opinion are the most glaring need for this football team. The late season injury to Cadillac Williams as well as the lack of a starting receiver under contract (unless you’re happy with Ike Hilliard and Joey Galloway as the starters) to me are a glaring hole on this team. The young offensive line, although struggling a little late in the season, is one of the most promising in the league. Davin Joseph made his first Pro Bowl this season, and Jeff Faine and Aaron Sears could have easily joined him. We need to put some pieces in place behind
those guys that can put touchdowns on the board.
Potential First Day Targets – Percy Harvin, Jeremy Maclin, Darius
Heyward-Bey, Lesean McCoy, Knowshon Moreno, Chris Beanie Wells

DT
The most essential position on the defensive side of the ball in any scheme in my honest opinion, and one the Bucs need to address either in FA (Albert Haynesworth!) or in the draft. Chris Hovan and Jovan Haye produced 1 sack from the starting DT’s and both seemed to wear down as the season went along. Greg Peterson and Ryan Sims are more suited to rotational duty on the interior line, and to be perfectly honest at this point in Chris Hovan’s career, I think he would be better suited in the same role. Haye is a FA that I’m not sure whether or not we plan to retain. This has been a position that has been a weak link for the Bucs since Warren Sapp left and Booger McFarland was traded. It needs to be fixed.
Potential First Day Targets – Peria Jerry, BJ Raji, Ron Brace

CB
With Jim Bates coming aboard as the defensive coordinator, the Bucs will certainly be moving towards more man coverage. This is good news for Sabby Piscatelli and Tanard Jackson (and Jermaine “Flip” Phillips is he is retained) but bad news for Ronde Barber. I think Ronde will shift towards primarily a nickel corner role this season, elevating Aqib Talib to the main man coverage corner. Phillip Buchanon would be the number two corner in this scenario, but this position could certainly be augmented in the draft. I think another big physical corner (like the ones Bates had in Green Bay) is essential to the transition of this defense.
Potential First Day Targets – Sean Smith, Vontae Davis

DE
Let’s face it, Gaines Adams has been mildly disappointing, and Stylez G White had a subpar 2008 as well. Jimmy Wilkerson was a real surprise and can play all the defensive line spots, and should be counted on for an even bigger 2009. We still need to obtain a guy who can consistently get to the QB 10 times a season and not be a complete liability in the run game.
Potential First Day Targets – Everett Brown, Tyson Jackson, Michael Johnson

QB
With Jon Gruden out as the head coach, I would have to imagine (depending on who we hire as the OC, if this ever occurs) that the new brass would like to bring in a young signal caller. With Gruden here, I was fairly sure that we would always use vets at the position, but he is out, and a young signal caller will probably be a priority. We drafted Josh Johnson last season, but he still seems like a project guy to me. There is a good chance we will struggle in year one of our transition, so waiting for the Big 3 to come out next year, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow, might be the more prudent move.
Potential First Day Targets – Matthew Stafford, Josh Freeman

Dustin Staggers, Lead Blogger, The Pewter Plank

I also broke another rule of mine when I put the defending Super Bowl champions at #7. Usually I put the defending world champs #1 in my initial power rankings but after reviewing the NFL’s crazy offseason I decided that Michael Strahan’s retirement, as well as everyone else getting better will probably be too much for New York to repeat.

And since I just said that, they probably will repeat.

Anyways, I’ve now composed my second edition of power rankings. Check it out:

WANT TO ASK DANIEL A QUESTION? SEND IT INTO HIS ALL FOOTBALL MAILBAG

#	+/-		Team	Comment
1	–		Indianapolis Colts	Peyton Manning is the NFL’s best player, and I know this because I’ve even ranked him such. I just feel like Marvin Harrison will be back, and paired with Reggie Wayne they will return as one of the NFL’s top receiving duos. My early pick to win the Super Bowl.
2	–		New England Patriots	Alright trivia time. Is it worse to have a player who threw a record breaking 50 touchdowns as the NFL’s second best QB or having a team that went 18-1 and lost in the Super Bowl as the second best team in the league?
3	–		Dallas Cowboys	Terry Glenn’s contract situation is starting to cause a very uncomfortable stir in Big D. Just remember Cowboys fans, Dallas went 13-3 without Glenn in the regular season last year.
4	–		San Diego Chargers	In case anyone noticed the Chargers were the only NFL team with three players in my top 20 rankings.
5	+2		New York Giants	Michael Strahan’s retirement hurts the defensive line somewhat but as the veteran said in his final speech, it’s time for the other guys to show what they can do.
6	–		Jacksonville Jaguars	The Jaguars are just absolutely loaded with talent. It will be fun to see if Fred Taylor can have another great season at his age. I believe watching Maurice Jones Drew run the ball has refueled some of his fire.
7	-2		Pittsburgh Steelers	This is a team that has won the Super Bowl and knows how to handle adversity. Remember last season when Cleveland proved to be some unexpected competition in the AFC North? Pittsburgh won the division anyways.
8	+4		Green Bay Packers	The Packers could be anywhere from 8-14 on this list in my opinion but how much will Brett Favre’s retirement really hurt them? I have no idea but does anyone really know?
9	–		Philadelphia Eagles	Philadelphia has been very consistent for the last five years or so. Last season was a disappointment but they have too much talent to miss the playoffs again. Expect the Eagles to be as strong as ever in 2008.
10	+3		Cleveland Browns	The Browns have cracked my top ten. Wow. If you had told me this after the draft last year I would’ve told you it would be a few years. Let’s see if they can keep it up and become a consistent top NFL franchise.
11	-1		Seattle Seahawks	Does anyone else feel that by losing Shaun Alexander to free agency the Seahawks actually improved? It means they will rely less on Alexander, and Julius Jones should be at least a little of an upgrade.
12	+2		Tennessee Titans	I love their defense, but Vince Young has really got to start developing into more of a passer. He still relies on his legs entirely too much in a league where one hit can put you out for a year in the snap of your fingers.
13	-5		New Orleans Saints	I admit that New Orleans was probably ranked too high in my initial power rankings, but I love their offense and I see a big bounce back year coming for the Saints this year.
14	-3		Washington Redskins	All four NFC East teams are ranked in my top 14. Jason Campbell continues to develop and Clinton Portis is among the NFL’s best 10 running backs. The defense has a lot of talent. This team is going to help make the NFC East as competitve as ever.
15	+4		Minnesota Vikings	Adrian Peterson has already become one of the best running backs in the league. The offense needs to continue to grow under Tavaris Jackson.
16	–		Arizona Cardinals	Arizona is in the top half of my power rankings, and that means I probably just lost a lot of readers. Every year a team comes from nowhere to win a NFL dvision. The Cardinals are slowly building something in Arizona and I am picking them to win the NFC West.
17	+1		Houston Texans	Want to know how tough the AFC South is? Their four teams are all ranked in the top 17. Houston is very tough, and I expect them to challenge for a playoff spot again.
18	-3		Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Before Tampa Bay can really compete for a playoff spot they have to figure out who their QB is. That along with Carnell Williams returning healthy from his ACL injury would make the Buccaneers an instant NFC contender.
19	-2		Denver Broncos	Everyone in the AFC West, including Denver, is trying to find a way to catch up to San Diego in the divsion. Jay Cutler has a lot of work to do to prove he can be successful in this league.
20	–		Cincinnati Bengals	Carson Pamer is ranked #8 in Pete Prisco’s Top 50 list (Sportsline.com). He’s a great QB but #8? I love Palmer but I don’t think he’s quite that good. If Cincy can find any defense then they will be playing for a chance to win the AFC North late in the season.
21	–		Chicago Bears	It’s a make or break year for the Bears.  The Rex Grossman/Kyle Orton experiement will either finally fail completely causing Chicago to draft a QB in 2009, or the Bears will work themselves back into the mix in the NFC.
22	+1		Buffalo Bills	I really think Buffalo is an up and coming team in the AFC but the conference is loaded with talent already, meaning there isn’t much room for a young team like the Bills. In a few years we might be talking about how great a duo Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch are. Both looked great in year one (for rookies) to me.
23	+1		Carolina Panthers	Carolina is better than people think they are. Remember this same offense, led by Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith, played for the Super Bowl just a few years back. There’s no reason to believe they can’t find that magic again. It’s unlikely but not impossible.
24	-2		Detroit Lions	Jon Kitna will wear out his welcome in the Motor City quickly if he continues to come up short of his 10 win guarantee.
25	+5		Kansas City Chiefs	I think I had Kansas City a little too low in my initial rankings. I’m no Brodie Croyle fan, but Larry Johnson is still one a premiere running back. KC should contend for a playoff spot.
26	-1		St. Louis Rams	Last year was just embarrasing for a team I thought could be very successful in 2007. Instead I watched them start poorly and struggle the entire year. I don’t expect that to happen again, and neither do Rams fans.
27	–		Baltimore Ravens	I’ve read reports that Troy Smith is looking nice in Baltimore right now, and will probably start on opening day. If he plays well then the Ravens might be in a position like Cleveland is now with Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Joe Flacco or Troy Smith? I’m sure this is a problem the Ravens hope develops.
28	-2		San Francisco 49ers	This is probably Alex Smith’s last chance to impress anyone on the West Coast. He is very inconsistent and is really hurting the reputation of future NFL players like Tim Tebow, since both ran Urban Meyer’s college system.
29	–		New York Jets	The Jets had a very disappointing year after making the playoffs in 2006. Eric Mangini impressed during his first season but another bad year might mean a very hot season in the Big Apple.
30	-2		Oakland Raiders	I like the direction that Oakland is going. If both JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden develop into stars then the Raiders will be back in hurry. It’s just a big IF.
31	–		Miami Dolphins	Early reports make it look like Josh McCown will probably be starting for Miami on opening day. If the Jason Taylor situation works out then the Dolphins D-line will be as strong as ever.
32	–		Atlanta Falcons	Matt Ryan is going to need lots of time to develop in Atlanta but before they can truly be competitve they need to surround their young QB with many weapons.

1) All we need is your vote below! Just vote and check back the next day for the next team. The plan is to change the team drafting every day about noon (CT)!

2) Tell your friends! We want lots of votes so that this is a true fan mock draft.

3) AND…..I had to make a few changes to your draft order. First you can’t have two NFC teams 31 and 32 (you guys selected the Saints and Cowboys), so I took the highest AFC team (Colts) and put them #31. I also realized that your 12 playoff teams were 9 NFC teams and 3 AFC teams, so I had to correct this also. I removed the bottom three NFC teams in the final 12 spots and replaced them with the top 3 AFC teams not in the final 12 spots (which are suppose to be represented by playoff teams).

4) Remember the Panthers have already traded their pick to the Philadelphia Eagles.

5) If you have any questions, PLEASE feel free to email me at dantheman4250@aol.com

#		Pick	Pos	School
1		Michael Crabtree	WR	Texas Tech
2		Michael Oher	OT	Ole Miss
3		James Laurinatis	LB	Ohio St
4		Matthew Stafford	QB	Georgia
5		VOTE NOW!!!!!
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