Buccaneers Solidify The Roster With 2010 Draft

How did the Buccaneers do against the identified needs list?

Four picks in the first three rounds:
Defensive Lineman - Round 1, Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
Corner - Round 3, Myron Lewis, CB, Vanderbilt
Safety - Round 7 Cody Grimm, S, Virginia Tech
Wide Receiver - Round 2, Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois
Three picks in rounds 4 through 6:
Center or versatile Guard - None
Another Defensive Lineman - Round 2, Brian Price, DT, UCLA
A Middle Linebacker - Round 7, Dekota Watson, LB, Florida State
Four picks in the 7th round:
Wide Receiver - Round 4, Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse
Tight End - None
Running back - None
Another Linebacker - None

The Bucs actually had 12 picks when the draft started.  They traded two of the 7th rounders for a 5th Round Pick in 2011 and used their 5th rounder to move up in the 2nd round leaving nine total selections. Seven of the nine selections were at positions previously identified as a need.  Two later selections which fell outside my needs chart were:
Round 7, Erik Lorig, DE, Stanford
Round 6, Brent Bowden, P, Virginia Tech

The Buccaneers valued a second defensive lineman and second wide receiver more than I did.  I valued an interior offensive lineman more than the Buccaneers this year.  We pretty much agreed on the other 7 bringing youthful depth to the roster.

A considerable amount of talent has been added to the Buccaneers roster.  McCoy was rated by some as the top player in the entire draft and Price and Benn were widely regarded as having first round talent.  That means the Buccaneers scored three drafts worth of top flight talent.  If these players reach their NFL potential, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are two years ahead of where they would be after a draft with "normal" talent levels.

Mike Williams and Myron Lewis are also considered more talented than their draft position as well.  Williams, in fact, had a value which had been lowered by many teams due to factors which are not football related.  If indeed these factors are behind him he could be a significant talent for a fourth round pick.  These players represent additional acceleration of the Buccaneers talent beyond a single draft year.

The late picks were specifically targeted for special teams play according to GM Mark Dominik.  This is typical of any draft.

If you consider this draft class in three pieces, arranged by "normal draft talent", it could look like this:
A) DT McCoy, CB Lewis, S Grimm
B) DT Price, WR Williamis, LB Watson
C) WR Benn,  P Bowden,  DE Lorig
Sprinkle in some 2010 undrafted free agents into each group as "normal late round picks" (Tampa signed a dozen), and you can see how this comes close to three years of solid drafting all wrapped up in one package.

In one weekend, the Buccaneers moved forward in the rebuilding process by at least one extra year.  And that makes looking forward to this fall a lot of fun!!