The tenor amongst most fans is that the additions of Gerald McCoy and Brian Price will greatly aid the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in 2010. But Pat Kirwan, the former NFL front office executive and Tampa scout who co-hosts “Movin’ the Chains” heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio, penned a column on NFL.com titled “History Shows Expectations for Rookie Defensive Tackles are too High.” Suggesting fans should temper their collective expectations, sighting that since 2006, a total of 17 defensive tackles were selected in the first two-rounds of the NFL Draft. The 17 players combined for a total of 20.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and 216 tackles. The two players that had any significant impact as rookies were Amobi Okoye in 2007 with 5.5 sacks and Jason Jones in 2008 with 5 sacks.
Note: There were actually 18 defensive tackles taken in the first two rounds dating back to 2006. The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Turk McBride in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Tennessee with the 54th selection of the second-round. Not that it changes much, as he managed 1 sack and 14 tackles as a rookie for the Chiefs.
Expounding on Kirwan’s data and going back to 1982 when the NFL began officially keeping sack totals, we see that there is the exception to the norm. The data was compiled using Profootball-Reference.com sortable draft agitator.
The first list is all 101 defensive tackles drafted from 1982-2009 in the first and second rounds.
| Year | RD | Pick | Player | Team | Tackles | Sacks | Forced fumbles |
| 1982 | 2 | 38 | David Galloway | STL | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983 | 1 | 16 | Mike Pitts | ATL | 75 | 7 | 0 |
| 1984 | 1 | 13 | Keith Millard | MIN | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 1984 | 2 | 31 | Bob Slater | WAS | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 1 | 3 | Ray Childress | HOU | 135 | 3.5 | 2 |
| 1985 | 1 | 17 | Kevin Brooks | DAL | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1985 | 1 | 22 | William Perry | CHI | 31 | 5 | 0 |
| 1986 | 1 | 2 | Tony Casillas | ATL | 111 | 1 | 2 |
| 1987 | 1 | 9 | Jerome Brown | PHI | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1987 | 1 | 12 | Danny Noonan | DAL | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | 1 | 25 | Scott Davis | RAI | 0 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 1988 | 2 | 50 | Michael Dean Perry | CLE | 25 | 6 | 0 |
| 1989 | 2 | 42 | Dennis Byrd | NYJ | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 1990 | 1 | 3 | Cortez Kennedy | SEA | 48 | 1 | 1 |
| 1990 | 1 | 10 | Ray Agnew | NWE | 52 | 2.5 | 0 |
| 1990 | 2 | 32 | Fred Washington | CHI | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | 2 | 41 | Jeff Alm | HOU | 0 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1 | 1 | Russell Maryland | DAL | 33 | 4.5 | 3 |
| 1991 | 1 | 6 | Eric Swann | PHO | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1 | 17 | Bobby Wilson | WAS | 25 | 4.5 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1 | 20 | Kelvin Pritchett | DAL | 26 | 1.5 | 0 |
| 1991 | 2 | 36 | George Thornton | SDG | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | 2 | 49 | Chris Zorich | CHI | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 3 | Sean Gilbert | RAM | 54 | 5 | 1 |
| 1992 | 1 | 16 | Chester McGlockton | RAI | 18 | 3 | 0 |
| 1992 | 2 | 39 | Robert Harris | MIN | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 2 | 43 | Eddie Blake | MIA | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 2 | 54 | Shane Dronett | DEN | 53 | 6.5 | 1 |
| 1993 | 1 | 24 | Leonard Renfro | PHI | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | 1 | 26 | Dana Stubblefield | SFO | 64 | 10.5 | 1 |
| 1993 | 2 | 35 | Carl Simpson | CHI | 7 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 1993 | 2 | 55 | John Parrella | BUF | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | 1 | 1 | Dan Wilkinson | CIN | 44 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 1994 | 1 | 7 | Bryant Young | SFO | 49 | 6 | 1 |
| 1994 | 1 | 8 | Sam Adams | SEA | 27 | 4 | 0 |
| 1994 | 1 | 20 | Tim Bowens | MIA | 52 | 3 | 2 |
| 1994 | 1 | 26 | Henry Ford | HOU | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 2 | 50 | Brentson Buckner | PIT | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 12 | Warren Sapp | TAM | 27 | 3 | 1 |
| 1995 | 1 | 15 | Ellis Johnson | IND | 18 | 4.5 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 20 | Luther Elliss | DET | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 1 | 20 | Daryl Gardener | MIA | 32 | 1 | 0 |
| 1996 | 2 | 45 | James Manley | MIN | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 1 | 2 | Darrell Russell | OAK | 44 | 3.5 | 1 |
| 1997 | 1 | 28 | Trevor Pryce | DEN | 24 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997 | 2 | 31 | Rick Terry | NYJ | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| 1998 | 2 | 31 | Leon Bender | OAK | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 1 | 15 | Anthony McFarland | TAM | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | 1 | 24 | Reggie McGrew | SFO | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 1 | 29 | Dimitrius Underwood | MIN | 17 | 4 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 48 | Russell Davis | CHI | 17 | 2 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 52 | John Thornton | TEN | 20 | 4.5 | 1 |
| 1999 | 2 | 56 | Larry Smith | JAX | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 58 | Montae Reagor | DEN | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 1 | 6 | Corey Simon | PHI | 52 | 9.5 | 2 |
| 2000 | 1 | 25 | Chris Hovan | MIN | 48 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | 2 | 42 | Cornelius Griffin | NYG | 25 | 5 | 0 |
| 2000 | 2 | 55 | Fred Robbins | MIN | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 | 3 | Gerard Warren | CLE | 61 | 5 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 | 12 | Damione Lewis | STL | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 | 13 | Marcus Stroud | JAX | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 | 29 | Ryan Pickett | STL | 19 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 | 44 | Kris Jenkins | CAR | 34 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 | 61 | Shaun Rogers | DET | 82 | 3 | 2 |
| 2002 | 1 | 6 | Ryan Sims | KAN | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 | 9 | John Henderson | JAX | 55 | 6.5 | 1 |
| 2002 | 1 | 12 | Wendell Bryant | ARI | 20 | 1.5 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 | 15 | Albert Haynesworth | TEN | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | 2 | 42 | Larry Tripplett | IND | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 4 | Dewayne Robertson | NYJ | 43 | 1.5 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 6 | Johnathan Sullivan | NOR | 34 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 | 9 | Kevin Williams | MIN | 52 | 10.5 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 | 12 | Jimmy Kennedy | STL | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 25 | William Joseph | NYG | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | 2 | 57 | Anthony Adams | SFO | 26 | 1.5 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1 | 14 | Tommie Harris | CHI | 43 | 3.5 | 1 |
| 2004 | 1 | 23 | Marcus Tubbs | SEA | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 2004 | 2 | 36 | Junior Siavii | KAN | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | 2 | 47 | Tank Johnson | CHI | 12 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 2004 | 2 | 51 | Dwan Edwards | BAL | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 1 | 16 | Travis Johnson | HOU | 26 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 1 | 31 | Mike Patterson | PHI | 44 | 3.5 | 1 |
| 2005 | 2 | 37 | Shaun Cody | DET | 28 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 2006 | 1 | 12 | Haloti Ngata | BAL | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 | 14 | Brodrick Bunkley | PHI | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 | 26 | John McCargo | BUF | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 | 10 | Amobi Okoye | HOU | 23 | 5.5 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 | 13 | Adam Carriker | STL | 21 | 2 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 | 16 | Justin Harrell | GNB | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 33 | Alan Branch | ARI | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 54 | Turk McBride | KAN | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 5 | Glenn Dorsey | KAN | 32 | 1 | 1 |
| 2008 | 1 | 7 | Sedrick Ellis | NOR | 20 | 4 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 29 | Kentwan Balmer | SFO | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 2 | 47 | Trevor Laws | PHI | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 2 | 54 | Jason Jones | TEN | 31 | 5 | 3 |
| 2009 | 1 | 9 | B.J. Raji | GNB | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 1 | 24 | Peria Jerry | ATL | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 2 | 40 | Ron Brace | NWE | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 2 | 56 | Fili Moala | IND | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 2 | 62 | SenDerrick Marks | TEN | 7 | 1 | 0 |
The second list is the top 22 defensive tackles in terms of sacks in their respective rookie seasons.
| Year | RD | Pick | Player | Team | Tackles | Sacks | Forced fumbles |
| 1984 | 1 | 13 | Keith Millard | MIN | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 1993 | 1 | 26 | Dana Stubblefield | SFO | 64 | 10.5 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 | 9 | Kevin Williams | MIN | 52 | 10.5 | 1 |
| 2000 | 1 | 6 | Corey Simon | PHI | 52 | 9.5 | 2 |
| 1983 | 1 | 16 | Mike Pitts | ATL | 75 | 7 | 0 |
| 1989 | 2 | 42 | Dennis Byrd | NYJ | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 1992 | 2 | 54 | Shane Dronett | DEN | 53 | 6.5 | 1 |
| 2002 | 1 | 9 | John Henderson | JAX | 55 | 6.5 | 1 |
| 1988 | 2 | 50 | Michael Dean Perry | CLE | 25 | 6 | 0 |
| 1994 | 1 | 7 | Bryant Young | SFO | 49 | 6 | 1 |
| 1988 | 1 | 25 | Scott Davis | RAI | 0 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 1994 | 1 | 1 | Dan Wilkinson | CIN | 44 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 | 10 | Amobi Okoye | HOU | 23 | 5.5 | 1 |
| 1985 | 1 | 22 | William Perry | CHI | 31 | 5 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 3 | Sean Gilbert | RAM | 54 | 5 | 1 |
| 2000 | 2 | 42 | Cornelius Griffin | NYG | 25 | 5 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 | 3 | Gerard Warren | CLE | 61 | 5 | 0 |
| 2008 | 2 | 54 | Jason Jones | Titans | 31 | 5 | 3 |
| 1991 | 1 | 1 | Russell Maryland | DAL | 33 | 4.5 | 3 |
| 1991 | 1 | 17 | Bobby Wilson | WAS | 25 | 4.5 | 0 |
The NFL average for sacks from rookie defensive tackles since 1982 is 2.386, which rounded up comes to 2.4. Based on that sack number, there has been a total of 38 players preform above league average for rookie defensive tackles or 38% of the defensive tackles drafted in the first two-rounds since 1982 have had atleast 2.5 sacks as rookies.
For the sake of argument. We will say that 5 sacks as a rookie DT is stellar. So based on history 18% of the 11 defensive tackles drafted in 2010 have a chance of having what many pundits and fans would call a stellar rookie season. That breaks down too just two out of eleven defensive tackles chosen. Is there a chance that the Bucs drafted both of those players? Sure, albeit highly unlikely.
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