With the 222^nd and 238^th overall picks respectively in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers select FIU cornerback Anthony Gaitor and Idaho tight end Daniel Hardy. Bucs Central will have more on the selections of Gaitor and Hardy shortly.

Gaitor was a very productive player for FIU. Playing in 48 games he shined through as a play maker evident by his 11 interceptions, three returned for touchdowns, 19 tackles for loss, 165 total tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 24 passes defensed. Has good hands, loose hips, good closing burst and can drop down in the box and be a sure tackler.

Hardy missed five games in 2010 due to a broken arm but still managed to produce 32 catches for 545 yards and 1 touchdown. He capped off his collegiate career with 80 receptions for 1,364 yards and 6 touchdowns in 28 games. A smooth route runner, solid hands and special teams player Hardy has a chance to battle hold overs Ryan Purvis and Nathan Overbay for a spot on the 53-man roster.

With the 84th overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Washington linebacker Mason Foster. Bucs Central will have more on the selection of Foster shortly.

With the 20th overall selection, in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Iowa  DE Adrian Clayborn . Bucs Central will have more information and our reaction to the selection of Clayborn shortly.

Update: For comments from general manager Mark Dominik and head coach Raheem Morris on the thought process behind the selection of Adrian Clayborn click on link.

To read what Clayborn had to say, shortly after he was drafted by the Bucs. Head on over to JoeBucsfan.com as one of the Joe’s has got you covered.

Below you will find the complete scouting report on Clayborn from Russ Lande, of GMjr and the Sporting News.

If you need to enlarge the report, just double click on it.

Clayborn who visited the Bucs on the 25 April, and whom PewterReport.com speculated could be ‘The Pick” evidently blew both Dominik and Morris out of the water with his physicality and play on the field, but really shined through with his aggressive take no prisoners demeanor and leadership qualities in person.

Overall, with the Bucs looking to become tougher against the run – and knowing Clayborn played in a two-gap scheme in college his ability to use his hands and play stout at the point of attack along with being a relentless bulldog when he pins his ears back should endear himself to Buccaneer fans.

I might be one of a very few who actually like the pick! His leadership qualities, use of hands, physical play, stamina, non-stop motor and skill set is something the Bucs have not had in a  defensive end before. It will be an interesting journey watching him grow as a pro.

Bio: Adrian Clayborn, born 6 July 1988

Height: 6025
Weight: 281
40 Yrd Dash: 4.78
20 Yrd Dash: 2.69
10 Yrd Dash: 1.61
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 17
Vertical Jump: 35 1/2
Broad Jump: 09’06″
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.13
3-Cone Drill: 7.08

In an effort to bolster a porous pass rush Bucs bringing in Moch for pre-draft visit

With the Bucs willing to look at more hybrid type defensive end / outside linebackers who offer more versatility to play in head coach – defensive coordinator Raheem Morris’ bastardized evolution of a scheme, the team is leaving no stone unturned in an effort to bolster there pass rush as Stephen Holder, of the St.Petersburg Times is reporting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have scheduled a pre-draft visit with pass rush extraordinaire Dontay Moch of Nevada.

Moch who some consider more of an athlete then football player is freakish in nature, at the NFL scouting combine he measured in at 6-foot-1 3/8, weighed in at 248-pounds, ran the forty in 4.40 seconds, completed 21 rep on the bench press, had a 42 inch vertical leap, 10-foot-8 broad jump, 4.38 short shuttle, and a 7.09 3-cone drill. Ironically he weighed in almost 18-pounds heavier then scouts expected.

Moch played in 53 college games, amassed 30 sacks, 9 forced fumbles, 2 quarterback hurries, 63 tackles for loss and 186 total tackles. He numbers are very comparable to Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller.

Bucs looking at another receiver

With the pre-draft process in full swing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are visiting with North Carolina wide receiver Greg Little, reports Aaron Wilson, of the National Football Post. Little who was suspended for the entire 2010 college football season for violating NCAA rules, for his involvement with an agent measured in at 6-foot-2 3/8 and weighted in at 231-pounds at the NFL combine. He ran a 4.51 forty, did 27 reps of 225-pounds, had a vertical jump of 40 ½ inches, a broad jump of 10-feet-9, a 3-cone drill of 6.80 seconds, a short shuttle of 4.16 seconds and a 10-yard dash of 1.63 seconds. Little is projected as a third through firth round pick.

In his junior season he caught 62 passes for 724-yards and 5 touchdowns with an average of 11.68 yards per reception. He ended his colligate career with 86 receptions, for 969-yards and 6 receiving touchdowns. He’s a versatile player as he also rushed for 805 yards on 166 carries and 6 touchdowns and returned 27 kicks for 508-yards.

Below is a list of players that team has either had in for a visit or worked out.
1. Penn State RB Evan Royster (Private Workout)
2. Oklahoma State RB Kendall Hunter (Hosted Visit)
3. Alabama RB Mark Ingram (Hosted Visit)
4. West Virginia WR Jock Sanders (Private Workout)
5. South Florida WR Dontavia Bogan (Hosted Visit)
6. Newberry College WR David Pressley (Private Workout)
7. Illinois WR Jarred Fayson (Hosted Visit)
8. Miami WR Leonard Hankerson (Hosted Visit)
9. North Carolina WR Greg Little (Hosted Visit)
10. USC TE Jordan Cameron (Hosted Visit)
11. USC OT Tyron Smith (Hosted Visit)
12. Pitt OT Jason Pinkston (Hosted Visit)
13. Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan (Hosted Visit)
14. Cal DE Cameron Jordan (Hosted Visit)
15. Miami DE Allen Bailey (Hosted Visit)
16. Georgia DE/LB Justin Houston (Hosted Visit)
17. Central Arkansas DE/LB Markell Carter (Hosted Visit)
18. Miami LB Colin McCarthy (Private Workout)
19. UCLA LB Akeem Ayers (Hosted Visit)
20. Fresno State LB Chris Carter (Hosted Visit)
21. North Carolina LB Quan Sturdivant (Hosted Visit)
22. Georgia LB Akeem Dent (Hosted Visit)
23. Citadel CB Cortez Allen (Hosted Visit)
24. Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara (Hosted Visit)
25. New Mexico State CB Davon House (Hosted Visit)
26. Newberry College S Ron Parker (Private Workout)

Bowers knee has Bucs digging deeper into the situation

After dominating the colligate ranks in 2010, Da’Quan Bowers elected to forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the NFL draft. At 6-foot-3, 280-pounds Bowers was considered a consensuses top three pick that is until a bothersome knee injury that required surgery to repair a torn meniscus forced him to sit out agility tests at the scouting combine. Now there’s been speculation that Bowers underwent something similar to micro fracture surgery that may impede him from every reaching his full potential at the NFL level.  With his stock dropping and general managers removing him from there respective draft boards Mark Dominik told Jim Corbett, of the USA Today that:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik said Bowers remains on his draft board.

“He’s a great kid, great prospect,” Dominik said. “Everybody’s trying to make sure where they have him on the board, what’s the right spot for him.

“At the end of the day, the guy is a dominating football player who did a great job this year.”

Now, whether or not Dominik is telling the truth is a whole different story in and of its self. Shortly after a disappointing pro day Bowers knee surgery and subsequent rehabilitation has been the subject of great NFL consternation amid a whirlwind of negative publicity. So much so that Bowers stock has plummeted since it has been leaked that it quite possibly could be a “career threatening” type of injury.

I for one, trust that Dominik and the organization. Will do there due diligence when digging into to Bowers medical situation. Now comes the hard part by chance he is sitting on the board when the Bucs are on the clock at the twentieth pick and the rest of the defensive ends are gone. If there are doubts do you roll the dice and take a chance on Bowers and his surgically repaired knee in the hopes it was all just false rumors?

Williams turned out to be just what the doctor ordered

A look back, at the teams haul from the class of 2010. From Gerald McCoy all the way through to defensive end, turned tight end, turned fullback Erik Lorig and all the players in between. That helped establish the franchise as legitimate contenders heading in to the 2011 season, as well as put a face on the franchise, lead by second year phenom Josh Freeman.  It was an unbelievable haul. That has media types signing the praise of general manager Mark Dominik, head coach Raheem Morris and the entire scouting department.

Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma – Started off slow the beginning of the year often looking overwhelmed and getting pushed around at the line of scrimmage. After coming in as the 3^rd overall pick and being praised as the next Warren Sapp by some observers, McCoy looked like unfulfilled talent. Then after meeting with Morris and being told to be disruptive and freelance more, McCoy’s game opened up. Around the time of the second Carolina game it looked like the light turned on for McCoy. He really started to play well and make splash plays. When we finally got to see what the 3^rd overall pick could do he got injured with a torn left biceps and was lost for the season. He finished the year with 50 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.  Next year we’ll see which McCoy comes to play.

Brian Price, DT, UCLA – After hearing the buzz about Price coming out of the draft I was expecting big things from the second round pick. But Price only managed to play in three games mustering only 3 tackles. It later came out that Price was playing with a herniated disk. He was placed on IR for the remainder of the season and fans won’t be able to see what he can do until next season (depending that there is one).

Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois – Arrelious “Rejus” Benn, the 3^rd wideout picked in the draft, was similar to McCoy in regards to starting slowly. But he also showed resolve in coming around and finishing strong. Benn was learning the more difficult “X” position opposite to the “Y” position. Benn was starting to show a knack for making long gains and his touches grew as the season went on. Benn became the big play receiver in the offense, then the injury bug bit. If Benn can recover from his ACL tear with the same burst he had when he left, then the Bucs will have two legit young studs at wide receiver. He finished the year with 29 catches, 395 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Myron Lewis, CB, Vanderbilt – Myron Lewis was someone that you didn’t hear much about leading up to the draft. He sustained an injury in training camp and that set him back in terms of getting on the field. When injuries happened later in the year, Lewis was forced into action. He showed good cover skills and is a long and rangy player, but still has a lot of room for improvement. Lewis is one of those players that have the potential to be a great player, but will the light come on? He finished the year with 9 tackles, and 3 passes defended.

Mike Williams, WR, and Syracuse – Could be the steal of the 2010 Draft. Williams was our starting wide receiver from Day One. He has good speed, runs great routes and showed he can make the spectacular catch.  He is a willing blocker and showed the character concerns that made him fall in the draft are hopefully behind him. Williams and Freeman had instant chemistry from Week 1 -17 and will grow together. The sky’s the limit for him. Williams finished the year with 65 catches, 965 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Brent Bowden, P, Virginia Tech – Was cut in training camp.

Cody Grimm, S, Virginia Tech – Not much was expected out of the seventh round pick from VT.  Coaches and fans alike didn’t know what position he would play by him playing the olb role while in college. Grimm was switched to safety and went to training camp on the roster bubble. But after Tanard Jackson got suspended for the year for controlled substances, Grimm got the first shot at replacing him.  Grimm was first inserted in the Pittsburgh game and was badly beaten deep. After that Grimm was solid the rest of the way, playing bigger than his size indicates. He got hurt Week 12 but recorded 57 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 2 interceptions.

Dekoda Watson, LB, Florida State – Watson played primarily on special teams proving valuable in that role.  When Quincy Black was hurt, Dekoda was part of a platoon at linebacker. He held up well and could prove capable to be more than a special team’s player in the near future. He finished with 30 tackles and 1 pass defensed.

Erik Lorig, FB-TE-DE, Stanford – Lorig came into training camp as a DE. But was moved to the offensive side of the ball where he would become a FB/TE. He started a couple of games for Earnest Graham and played better than expected. He finished with 1 reception, 10 yards.

Could the Buccaneers be eyeing Shorts as a potential deep threat?

Buccaneers Beat Writer Roy Cummings, of the Tampa Tribune had an interesting tidbit of draft related news, in his most recent compilation article surrounding the team. Sighting unnamed sources, Cummings penned a paragraph in which he states the Bucs are desperate for a legitimate speed burner at the receiver position. That can blow the top off of opposing defenses.

It’s too soon to know how they will acquire it, but the Bucs believe they need a legitimate speed receiver who can really take the top off a defense. They have an abundance of short- and medium-range targets, but would like to add a player who can drag a safety deep downfield and create more room underneath for Mike Williams, Kellen Winslow and Arrelious Benn.

If offensive coordinator Greg Olson, head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik believe that a player the ilk of a DeSean Jackson, can catapult the offense to new heights in 2011 and open up the underneath and allow the running game more room in which operate in.

We will take a look at some possible draft prospects at a position many had previously thought would not be a target for the Bucs in this draft. But here are six such receivers that could be very appealing to the Bucs. By clicking on a players name it will take you to Wes Bunting’s scouting report from the NationalFootballPost.com.

Torey Smith Maryland 6-foot-0 205-pounds forty 4.37
150 receptions, 2,205 yards and 19 touchdowns and 120 kickoff returns for 2,909 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Jerrel Jernigan Troy 5-foot-9 193-pounds 4.34 forty
262 receptions for 3,127 yards and 18 touchdowns and 67 kickoff returns for 1,580 yards and 1 touchdown and 29 punt returns for 372 yards and 1 touchdown

Titus Young Boise State 5-foot-11 180-pounds 4.43 forty
198 receptions for 2,999 yards and 25 touchdowns and 55 kickoff returns for 1,435 yards and 2 touchdowns

Cecil Shorts Mount Union 6-foot-0 200-pounds 4.34 forty
239 receptions for 4,443 yards and 60 touchdowns

Ronald Johnson USC 5-foot-11 190-pounds 4.46 forty
138 receptions for 1,750 yards and 20 touchdowns’, he also had 22 punt returns for 313 yards and 1 touchdown and 56 kickoff returns for 1,351 yards

Edmund Gates Abilene Christian 5-foot-11 4.35 forty
146 receptions for 2,600 yards and 26 touchdowns

While Smith, Young, Johnson and Jernigan are household names. The most intriguing player is Shorts, who is just as polished a receiver as Young, but has a rare combination of balance, fluidity, elusiveness, short area burst and a second gear in the open field. The draw back with Shorts will be his learning curve at the pro level. Seeing as he played against lesser competition in college.

After reading what Michael Band of DraftAce.com recently did by using Pro-Football-Reference.com “Career Approximate Value” to determine draft slotting per round through the first three rounds we here at Bucs Central decided to expand on the idea a little further and run it through all sevens rounds.

In order to accomplish this task we needed to assign a value to each player selected. Fortunately, the folks at Pro-Football-Reference.com have already done this. PFR has developed a statistic which they call “approximate value.”  It assigns a number to each player based on his value in a given season. Add it all up and you get his “career approximate value.” The formula is complicated so I won’t bother to get into the details, but if you’re curious you can read about it here.

With reports surfacing that Ndamukong Suh, the top rated defensive tackle prospect in the 2010 NFL Draft has a visit setup with the Bucs on April 13, a week before the draft. It seems his stock has been falling of late. Many draft pundits continue to rank Oklahoma’s Gerlad McCoy slightly above Suh with the lone reason being that McCoy posses a quicker first step.

But based on film, combine numbers and on field production one might get a sense that some of these pundits are just going with McCoy for the mere fact, that if Suh bust, they can say I told you so.

Suh who played in a two-gap scheme at Nebraska, was asked to read first then attack, where as McCoy played in a one-gap scheme that allowed him to go full bore at the snap. So while McCoy was reacting from the get go Suh was asked to read at the snap. Then counter offensive lineman before he began his attack. You would think one who has the edge in supposed first step quickness and was playing in a scheme tailor made for his skill sets would  have equal or great splash plays then a player who was two gaping.

Anyhow, I digress. But below you will find a chart breaking down both players numbers from the combine and stats from their collegiate career and Pat Kirwan’s Speed & Quickness Index, along with Kirwan’s Explosive Index.