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1st Round (#20) DE Adrian Clayborn, Iowa 2nd Round (#51) DE Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson 3rd Round (#84) LB Mason Foster, Washington 4th Round (#104) TE Luke Stocker, Tennessee 5th Round (#151) S Ahmad Black, Florida 6th Round (#187) RB Allen Bradford, USC 7th Round (#222) CB Anthony Gaitor, Florida International 7th Round (#238) TE Daniel Hardy, Idaho Analysis of Notable Selections: Adrian Clayborn: The Bucs had only 26 sacks and opponents averaged 4.7 yards per carry last season. Defensive end was the team’s greatest need in the 2011 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay passed on Cameron Jordan, but Clayborn was a fine selection. The former Iowa defensive end plays the run very well and should develop into an above average pass rusher. Clayborn does not have special quickness or speed, but he plays with leverage and power. Da’Quan Bowers: The 2010 Nagurski Award winner finally has his fall stopped by Tampa Bay. This is a potential home run selection by the Bucs. Bowers is a top-10 talent, but concerns about his January knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee resulted in his steep drop in the draft. Many teams seem to believe that Bowers is going to need microfracture surgery to repair a knee that may not have much cartilage in it. No one really knows how durable Bowers will be. He is a terrific player when healthy who can stuff the run and put a lot of pressure on quarterbacks. Bowers is a potent combination of quickness, power and leverage. He was worth risking a mid-2nd round selection on. Mason Foster: Barrett Ruud likely will not be back because he is a free agent. Ruud makes too many tackles down the field and he can be pushed around. The Buccaneers would like to upgrade their middle linebacker position. The 2011 NFL Draft was not a deep one for inside linebackers. PFDN liked Nate Irving a lot, but he was picked earlier in the 3rd round by Denver. Foster was productive in college and has fine size and speed. He made his final season his best. His anticipation was better. Foster was a decent selection at an area of need. Luke Stocker: The 2011 NFL Draft featured a lackluster class of tight ends. Stocker has good size and strength to be an above average run blocker. He lacks quickness as a receiver and we doubt that he will do much damage in the passing game. Stocker looks like a complementary blocking tight end in the NFL. The Bucs may have had some better options available at cornerback (Chimdi Chekwa and Rashad Carmichael) and running back (Dion Lewis). Ahmad Black: The former Gator lacks the size and speed that NFL teams look for in a safety. We think he was an excellent 5th round choice because of his instincts for the game. Black was a playmaker in the SEC. He plays bigger than his size and faster than he times. It is going to be interesting to see if Black’s heart, toughness and football IQ can overcome his disappointing measurables. Allen Bradford: LeGarrette Blount was a very pleasant surprise during his rookie season. However, he still has not proven that he can be consistent, stay healthy and handle prosperity. The Bucs do not have much depth behind Blount. Cadillac Williams has a long injury history and is 28. He was a decent 3rd down back in 2010, but a back with more spring in his legs would be a good idea. Bradford is a big back with decent speed. He never carried much of the load at USC in a crowded backfield. He has average vision and does not have Blount’s light feet for a big man. It made sense to add a running back, but the Bucs may regret passing on Dion Lewis in the draft. Lewis might have been a fine change-of-pace back to the powerful Blount. 2011 NFL Draft Grade: B Bottom Line: The Bucs are rapidly improving due to recently productive drafts. This year’s draft haul should also provide help. It might be a terrific draft if the medical opinions regarding Da’Quan Bowers’ knee prove to be overly cautious. Tampa Bay has put together a potentially very strong front four (DE Da’Quan Bowers, DT Gerald McCoy, DT Brian Price, DE Adrian Clayborn) in the past two drafts.
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