Buccaneers Roll the Dice With Freeman

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Heading into this year's draft, Josh Freeman was considered to have the highest upside of any quarterback entering the NFL in 2009, while also possessing the biggest downside. The Buccaneers, in need of a true franchise quarterback for the first time since ... well, they've never really had one, were not only willing to take the chance on Freeman, but they were also willing to move up two spots to get him.

Since Tampa Bay's Super Bowl win back in 2002, the quarterback position has been a revolving door of stop gaps and mediocrity, as the team has had seven different starters including Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, Luke McCown, Bruce Gradkowski, Tim Rattay, Chris Simms and Brad Johnson. Heading into 2009, that number is set to grow as free agent acquisition Byron Leftwich will be competing with McCown for the No. 1 job, while Freeman has an opportunity to watch and learn from the sidelines.

Tampa Bay has had some mixed results with quarterbacks and the draft. The good news: the Buccaneers have drafted three quarterbacks that went on to win Super Bowls (Doug Williams, Trent Dilfer and Steve Young). The bad news: they all won Super Bowls with different teams.

-- Doug Williams, also a No. 17 overall pick by Tampa Bay back in 1978, spent five seasons with the Buccaneers before heading to Washington and winning the Super Bowl in 1987. He threw five touchdowns in the first half of the Redskins 42-10 win over the Broncos.

-- Tampa Bay selected Steve Young with the first pick in the 1984 supplemental draft, while his career in the orange-and-white was short-lived and completely uneventful. He was traded to San Francisco for two draft picks following the 1986 season, and eventually became one of the most efficient passers the NFL has ever seen. He still has the highest career passer rating (96.4) in league history.

-- The selection of Vinny Testaverde with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1987 draft led to Young's exit from Tampa Bay. He's still the franchise's all-time leading passer with 14,820 yards and 77 touchdowns.

-- The No. 6 overall pick in 1994, Trent Dilfer had a rather forgettable tenure with the Buccaneers, and after six up-and-down seasons he was the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens during their Super Bowl title in 2000.

What does this all mean for Freeman? Well, not much, unless he continues the Tampa Bay legacy and wins Super Bowl L as the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears.

Draft Picks:

1 (17) Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas Statae
3 (81) Roy Miller, DT, Texas
4 (117) Kyle Moore, DE, USC
5 (155) Xavier Fulton, OT, Illinois
7 (217) Edjuan Biggers, CB, Western Michigan
7 (233) Sammie Stroughter, WR, Oregon State

Grade: B. The Buccaneers addressed a couple of short-term and long-term needs with their top three picks, but Freeman's boom-or-bust potential, along with the fact they only had two picks in the top 100, is just a little concerning.

Aside from the quarterback position, the other area of concern for Tampa Bay entering the offseason was the dismal performance by its run defense over the final month of the season, as it was torched during the four-game losing streak that ultimately kept the Buccaneers out of the postseason. Third-round pick Roy Miller brings a 310-pound frame to the middle of the defensive line and offers some potential as a run-stopper.