Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team Needs

By: Greg Davis

Cornerback
Losing Brian Kelly was a bad blow to the Buccaneers secondary. Ronde Barber is getting older and may not be able to play at the same level much longer, while Phillip Buchanon might not be around after this next season either. Tampa Bay doesn’t have a lot of talent in the pool after those two, and Kelly was a quality player. The team could use their top pick or at least an early pick to bring in a new cornerback to step in and take over for Kelly, or at least to prepare for the near future.

Wide Receiver
Joey Galloway somehow keeps getting the job done, but he’ll be turning 37 this coming season and the rest of the receiving unit hasn’t proven to be reliable. Michael Clayton has been a letdown since his rookie season, while Ike Hilliard and the rest of the unit haven’t made the big plays necessary. Antonio Bryant has been signed, but he’s not the play-making type that the team really needs. If the team waits on a cornerback, the wide receiver position may be where they utilize their first-round selection. The Bucs have to make a move here if they want to improve the offensive unit.

Quarterback
At quarterback, Jeff Garcia doesn’t have many seasons left and the talent behind him is mediocre, so Tampa will have to find new blood here. The team has the option of using a high draft pick to secure a solid quarterback. Given the fact that a quarterback could develop behind Garcia for the ’08 while awaiting his turn to take over in 2009, this is probably the best time to draft a quarterback with the intention of looking for your next starter.

Defensive Line
On the defensive line, Tampa needs to look into adding a pass rusher who can apply pressure and can get into a quarterback’s face on a regular basis. The team was solid against the run this past season, but they seemed unable to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and it hurt the team’s passing defense. The middle of the draft is where the Bucs may look to find some athletic talent that can get around the ends and get to the quarterback when the situation calls for a passing defensive scheme.