Buccaneer Draft

1. Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
2. Arron Sears, G, Tennessee
2. Sabby Piscitelli, S, Oregon State
3. Quincy Black, LB, Utah State
4. Tanard Jackson, CB, Syracuse
5. Greg Peterson, DT, North Carolina Central
6. Adam Hayward, LB, Portland State
7. Chris Denman, T, Fresno State
7. Marcus Hamilton, CB, Virginia
7. Kenneth Darby, RB, Alabama

The last four are probably training camp fodder unless I misread the Bucs' depth. Denman might hang on to back up Jeremy Trueblood at right tackle.

Piscitelli has a good shot at intriguing Buccaneer fans. The guy resembles John Lynch at safety. No, I'm not saying he is John Lynch. He just has the same build and the same way of hitting, based on a few choice college highlights.
There are two instant differences from Lynch. Piscitelli has a rep for missing tackles, but he's also faster than Lynch. If Piscitelli can learn to tackle better, he could become immensely popular starting at safety for the Bucs.

Gaines Adams is a tough read. I see him as the best available option for the Bucs to boost their rush on the outside--but I'm not supremely confident that Adams will turn into a star or anything. That's what I'll hope for, of course. He's a step slower than Simeon Rice; other than that they're very similar athletically.

Arron Sears was an interesting choice in the second round. The Bucs have put plenty of bucks into offensive linemen, lately. The drafting of Sears makes it look like the Bucs are very serious about converting Dan Buenning into a center.
Should be interesting times on the offensive line this year.
On the downside, they need to settle on a starting lineup before the group is going to gel and get its teamwork down.

When the Bucs won the Superbowl, the offensive line avoided serious injuries.
The next time that happened, the Bucs won the division (losing in the playoffs to the Redskins).

Quincy Black is one of the best athletes in the draft, but he has a rep for lacking game instinct.
I'm not sure that's something that can be taught. If Black gets the knack for football, he may turn into a great cover-2 linebacker. He's got insane speed for the position, by all accounts. If he doesn't acquire some instincts, then maybe he's destined to become a special teams ace.

The Bucs hedged their bets on Piscitelli by drafting Tanard Jackson out of Syracuse. Jackson is listed as a corner, but the Bucs apparently project him as a safety with nickel corner flexibility (Dwight Smith type).

Perhaps the Bucs' biggest need heading into the offseason was a defensive tackle who can penetrate and disrupt. They picked up free agent defensive end Kevin Carter, who has the size to move inside in a 4-3 scheme. That's not the impact I was hoping for. Peterson in the 5th round was the attempt to address the need in the draft.
Peterson is one of those roll-the-dice projects. He's a bit on the smallish side for a defensive tackle, but he has the initial burst that can lead to Warren Sapp-style disruption. Peterson will probably be expected to add a few muscular pounds while maintaining his speed off the center snap. I wish him the best.
The Bucs drafted one of the best nose-tackles in team history with a late-round draft pick back when the draft went on for almost twice as many rounds as it does today. Yes, I'm talking about Dave Logan--12th round pick Dave Logan. Maybe Peterson will turn out to be the guy the defense needs in the front four.