Tampa Bay Buccaneers - NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - NFC South, 2009 Draft Selections & Prospects

   

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

- 2009 NFL Draft Breakdown and Analysis
1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | 4th Round | 5th Round | 6th Rd | 7th Rd

- CFN 2009 Draft Central & Team-by-Team Picks and Analysis

#	Pick
17	17	1st Round (from Cleveland through NY Jets) Josh Freeman, QB Kansas State 6-6, 240 (Jr.) There a some teams out there hoping to steal the former Wildcat star late in the first round, but there might be some jockeying from some teams to move up. Thrown to the wolves as a true freshman, Freeman handled himself well in a tough situation. He didn’t have a defense to help him out and the talent level around him was above-average at best, outside of WR Jordy Nelson. He has the size, a little bit of mobility, and a huge arm, and he looks the part. Now he needs coaching. Still a work in progress, he needs to be more consistent and he needs to work on his mechanics with rep after rep after rep. At the next level he’ll have to learn how to get rid of the ball far faster; he took way too many hits at KSU. However, he always kept going on despite playing behind bad O lines and he rarely appeared shell-shocked. It’s going to take a few years, but he should be great on a team that has a good veteran who’s willing to be his mentor. CFN Value Rank: First Round      CFN Position Rank: 3
17	81	3rd Round   Roy Miller, DT Texas  6-1, 310 It’s possible he could be the rare sleeper from a big-name, big-time program. Extremely strong, he fired up 36 reps on the bench at the Combine and he showed surprising quickness. However, the workout numbers don’t necessarily translate to his on-field play and he’ll never get into the backfield in the NFL. While he’s hardly a perfect tackle prospect, he’ll play 100 miles an hour on every play and will never, ever dog it. He’ll make plays on want-to and he has the raw tools to become a decent starter on a line full of good pass rushers. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 15
17	117	4th Round (from Dallas) Kyle Moore, DE USC  6-5, 275 If given the time to develop, the upside could be enormous. He didn’t do anything to stand out at USC, playing well for stretches and disappearing at other times, but he has the frame, the size, and the talent to grow into a nice end in any formation. Work needs to be done on his pass rushing technique and he needs to get stronger, but he has been good in post-season workouts and was solid in Senior Bowl practices. He’s not a finished product yet. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 11
19	155	5th Round Xavier Fulton, OT Illinois 6-5, 300 Fulton could be one of the biggest value picks in the draft. The former defensive end needs a lot more work on his technique and needs to do far more to be consistent, but he’s a fantastic athlete and the rare left tackle prospect that can be found later on in the draft. Injuries have been a problem and he needs to be better for the power running game, but his size and quickness are intriguing. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 14
13	186	6th Round Robert Henson, LB TCU 6-0, 240 A special teamer. He was a very good, very productive college player who fit in well in the tremendous TCU defense, but he's not enough of an athlete to play on the outside in the NFL and he's not an inside defender. While he has character issues, they don't translate to the field where he's not afraid to hit with a big-time mean streak. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent    CFN Position Rank: NR
24	233	7th Round (from Baltimore) Sammie Stroughter, WR Oregon State 5-9, 190 Tremendously productive when healthy, he’ll make his money as a returner and a fourth receiver. He missed a year with family problems and wasn't the same playmaker when he returned. While he has good fight, likes to make the big play, and has everything you'd want in the make-up of a football player, he's not big enough or fast enough to make a big impact. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 28

2008

The Draft Was ... Full of good value, but it's a quirky draft. Aqib Talib, Drew Moore, and even sixth round LB Geno Hayes should all be a big part of the defense, but it's the 4.33 speed of Appalachian State's Dexter Jackson and the upside of QB Josh Johnson that makes this among the most intriguing drafts. OG Jeremy Zuttah was a fine in the third round.
Best Value Pick: Geno Hayes, LB Florida State. 6th Round. He has fantastic speed and good versatility. He's the type of all-around playmaker defensive coordinators love to have at their disposal.
Biggest Reach: Dexter Jackson, WR Appalachian State. 2nd round. He's a home-run hitter and a good returner, but Tampa Bay paid a huge price for him with several more established, far safer receivers still on the board.
They Should've ... Gotten another receiver. Jeremy Zuttah was a good pick, but getting another weapon like Mario Manningham or TE Jermichael Finley would've made more sense to win right now.

#	Pick
20	20	1st Round    Aqib Talib, CB Kansas At 6-1 and 197 pounds with 4.49 speed, Talib has the measurables. He had few problems against any receiver with size and could stay with most speed receivers, but he had a few problems in some big games. Kansas State's Jordy Nelson ate Talib alive. A superior athlete, he was used as a receiver before finally settling into the defensive backfield full-time last year. There's an attitude, for good and bad, and he's been used to being a special player on a team full of overachievers. He'll have to be ready to be humbled a bit and use it for motivation to get better; he can't just assume he's the most talented player on the field anymore. CFN Value Rank: Second Round   CFN Position Rank: 7

27

58

2nd Round (from Jacksonville)  Dexter Jackson, WR Appalachian State Unreal speed, he cranked out a 4.36 to build on the brewing buzz building after the Michigan win. Stronger and more physical than his size, he won't be afraid to take a hit and is more than quick enough to avoid tacklers on the move. Just get him the ball in a variety of ways and let him go to work. The problem will be his size at 5-9 and 182 pounds. He's not going to block anyone and he'll get shoved around by the stronger NFL corners. Even so, he'll be a killer slot receiver if he's not the focal point of a passing game. CFN Value Rank: Mid-Second to Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 10

20

83

3rd Round   Jeremy Zuttah, C/OT Rutgers Where's he going to play? A great pass-protecting tackle and a tough guard, he actually projects to be a center at the next level. He was great at the Combine and the East-West Shrine game, but he's not a next-level tackle and not quite girthy enough to play guard. If he can show early on that he can handle himself well in the middle, and if he can prove a gimpy ankle isn't a problem, he can be a regular. His versatility will make him attractive. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round   CFN Position Rank: 4 (as a C)

16

115

4th Round (from trade)    Dre Moore, DT Maryland A potential lead brick of a tackle, he's a run stopper who beat the tar out of everyone at the Senior Bowl when matched up one on one. He's still a bit of a project and he needs a year or two of NFL coaching, but he's extremely strong and very powerful. Even though he needs polish on his technique, he doesn't miss many tackles. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 6

25

160

5th Round (from trade)   Josh Johnson, QB San Diego The underground buzz was deafening after throwing 43 touchdown passes and one interception last year, and 113 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions over the last three years. He dominated the D-IAA (sorry, FCS) level and is among the most creative quarterbacks in the draft. Quick, mobile, and very smart, he'll work to make himself better, but will rely on his athleticism to get by early on. Size is an issue at around 6-2 and 200 pounds, but the biggest problem is overcoming a few horrendous off-season workouts when his passes were all over the place. He has to get better at driving his throws to the outside and he'll need a lot of coaching. However, there is a payoff coming. CFN Value Rank: Fourth to Fifth Round      CFN Position Rank: 9

9

175

6th Round (from trade)  Geno Hayes, LB Florida State A tremendous athlete with good speed and a great nose for getting into the backfield, Hayes closes in a heartbeat and he finds ways to make plays. He's not big at only 6-0 and 227 pounds, but he plays bigger and hits like a ton of bricks. However, that's his size; he's not going to get bigger. Purely a weakside linebacker at the next level, he could be an ultra-productive starter if he has help around him. CFN Value Rank: Third Round  CFN Position Rank: 11

31

238

7th Round (from trade)  Cory Boyd, RB South Carolina A hard runner who isn't afraid to mix it up and get dirty, he'll do whatever is needed and won't be afraid to throw his body around as a blocker. Off-the-field issues kept him from ever reaching his potential at South Carolina, but he'll be a good NFL practice player who'll be a key special teamer and will have one or two games a year where he looks like a possible starter. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round   CFN Position Rank: 22