The Perfect Draft: Tampa Bay Bucs

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

What started off as a promising season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned into an embarrassing finish, as the team lost its final four regular season games in 2008, missing the postseason for the third time in four years. When all was said and done, it was enough to cost head coach Jon Gruden his job, while the team said goodbye to several starters, including Derrick Brooks, Jeff Garcia and Cato June.

Tampa Bay managed to keep wide receiver Antonio Bryant thanks to the franchise tag, and pulled off a rather surprising trade when it acquired tight end Kellen Winslow from the Cleveland Browns, leaving only one, rather large unanswered question: who is going to throw them the football?


Josh Freeman. With the Buccaneers and Jeff Garcia parting ways earlier this offseason, the team now finds itself without a starting quarterback heading into the 2009 season. Luke McCown signed a two-year contract extension a few months back, while former Jaguar, Falcon and Steeler Byron Leftwich also inked a two-year deal to compete for a starting job. Are they long-term solutions, or the quarterback that will help lead Tampa Bay back to the Super Bowl? Doubtful.

With Georgia's Matthew Stafford and USC's Mark Sanchez likely to be long gone before the Buccaneers' pick at No. 19, there's been a lot of talk leading up to the draft that not only would they have interest in the Kansas State quarterback, they might even have interest in moving up to get him. That is, if you listen to Michael Lombardi's latest mock draft.


As we've pointed out multiple times this offseason, the Buccaneers run defense collapsed in the final month of the 2008 season, playing a sizable role in the team's fall from 9-3 playoff contender to 9-7 disappointment. Mississippi's Peria Jerry, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound run-stopper could be a nice starting point for first-year head coach Raheem Morris to rebuild his defense. LSU's Tyson Jackson could also be in play, assuming he's still available at pick No. 19.