2005 Draft
This is the full review of each player taken by the Bucs for this year from
the college ranks to play at the pro level. Each player's scouting report is
summarized, strengths/weaknesses listed, and each pick is rated by 'Fills a
Need?' and 'Makes the Team?' Overall review of the team is below the individual
draft picks, so please read the whole page. Thanks.
UPDATE: Went back in 2009 to re-review this review, to see where the picks worked
out, where they didn't, and if I was right about any of it.
| FIRST ROUND | |||
| 5. Carnell 'Cadillac' Williams | RB | Auburn | Review |
| For the times that he's played, Cadillac has earned his pay, and he did garner a Rookie of the Year for his first season. After that, however, came the injuries, nearly career-ending knee blowouts. He's still a major question mark as of 2009... | FILLS A NEED? | Oh, YES. The Bucs' running game has been sickly since Warrick Dunn's departure. A fresh back carrying the load should work wonders. | The Bucs essentially had two choices: a running back Williams or a receiver Williams. Either choice would have been a good one, but the running back Williams provides power at the running game, able to shake off tackles, is willing to block, has decent hands for receiving, and possibly knows all the secret codes on the PSP games. The biggest question isn't about Cadillac, it will be about the offensive line and if the runner will get the blocks he needs at the line. |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | YES. He's the fricking first rounder. That plus the fact he fills a key role on the team. | ||
| SECOND ROUND | |||
| 36. Barrett Ruud | MLB | Nebraska | Review |
| He's the middle linebacker for the team, period. And with Derrick Brooks gone, he's now the designated field general for the defense. He's turned out to be the best draft pick the Bucs have had in a decade. | FILLS A NEED? | YES. Depth at linebacker is a major concern, as is the aging of the whole LB unit. | Scouts had him as the best senior inside linebacker of the draft. Rated high on intelligence, and on the ability to read plays and react to them. He's better at run-stopping than pass-stopping, but for the Bucs that's a good thing as stopping the run is one of their weak spots. |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | YES. Maybe not as a starter, but could work some drives and should be a reliable backup this year. A starting job could be his by next year. | ||
| THIRD ROUND | |||
| 71. Alex Smith | TE | Stanford | Review |
| He was drafted the same year as the QB Alex Smith, who was touted as the savior of the 39ers franchise in 2005. Today: TE Alex Smith has a better NFL career ahead of him. And TE Alex Smith has been injury-prone. | FILLS A NEED? | A bit odd as TE Becht was signed in FA. Considering possible depth issues, I'd give this a YES. | Usually Gruden doesn't draft a TE this high on the boards. Also consider the Bucs signed FA Anthony Becht. Of course, Becht had slipped of late, and the whole TE unit has been...quirky ever since Gruden's first year here. Smith was the second-rated TE on some scouting boards behind the much-liked Heath Miller, and was considered a safe pick for the second round: clearly a decent value pick for the third round. Smith ranks higher as a receiver-type TE than a blocking-type. If the O-line can improve enough so that he's not forced to stay back as a blocker, Smith could work well in the passing game. |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | YES. A first day guy stays unless he royally screws up in camp or preseason. TE is in need of minor upgrade so he might work well. | ||
| 91. Chris Colmer | OT | NC State | Review |
| I was kinda right about Colmer. I think he made the rookie season as back-up only, got cut real quick from the team. | FILLS A NEED? | Given the continued woeful status of the O-line, any player drafted here fills a need so YES! | The Bucs finally look at the O-line, and pull something of a surprise. Colmer has the bulk for OT, and works well in run blocking. The medical issues about Parsonage-Turner syndrome shouldn't be an issue: from what I've read about the illness it doesn't relapse, and he has made some recovery. Other medical issues have cropped up though, for surgery on his right shoulder as well as back spasms not related to Parsonage-Turner. |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | As a depth concern, he'll make the team, but his health issues make me worry enough to think NO. | ||
| FOURTH ROUND | |||
| 107. Dan Buenning | OG | Wisconsin | Review |
| That I actually got this pick right is one of the reasons I keep writing this stuff. :) Other than the nagging injuries, Buenning did a decent job as occasional starter and back-up, but left via FA to Chicago when higher-caliber guys like Joseph and Sears stepped up. | FILLS A NEED? | Another O-line pick? YES! | I had actually thought the Bucs could take him in second round, and when I saw us taking Buenning here I was nicely surprised. Upsides are his run-blocking abilities, toughness, drive, and consistency. Plus, there's this good rep thing about linemen from Big 10 schools. If he lives up to the scouting reports, he could conceivably be a starter by the regular season. |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | Considering lack of people at the Guard spot, he can at least make the team as a backup, YES | ||
| FIFTH ROUND | |||
| 141. Donte Nicholson | SS | Oklahoma | Review |
| I noted Nicholson could have been a steal: he hasn't turned out THAT great. He's still been good enough that the team's retained him and that he still contributes. With the shifts in defensive players going on, Nicholson needs to make 2009 his year. | FILLS A NEED? | There are questions about our Safety positions, some concerns about depth, so YES. | Bucs go back to taking care of defensive needs now with the offensive line needs answered. Nicholson is coming in with a decent resume: played in one of college's most impressive defensive units the past few years, physically tall with long arms, he can blitz, he can adjust to the ball fast enough, he can break up plays, he can hit like a linebacker. Read that last bit. If that doesn't scream to you 'John Lynch' you need to review some game film from the 90s. Of course falling this low in the draft, he's got a kryptonite: he can't tackle. If the coaches can fix that Donte could well be the best steal of the draft. |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | YES. His blitzing skills are of interest, something that could mix in well to a Cover-2, I hope... | ||
| 155. Larry Brackins | WR | Pearl City CC | Review |
| All I can about what happened with this year's selection of WRs: What the hell happened? Brackins turned out to be a huge bust, he went Arena League for one year and is currently practice squad fodder for... wait the Jets or the Eagles? | FILLS A NEED? | Wide Receiver right now has Clayton and Galloway, noone else strikes fear into the hearts of DBs. So, YES, this fills a need. | From the exalted fields of Pearl City Community College...wait, are they Division I? Having traded down in order to pick up St. Louis' 7th round pick (getting an extra camp casuality later), the Bucs go here for a WR with some of the biggest question marks on him. Yes, his athleticism is there, tall with great jumping skill, and he's reportedly a good egg who's not coming in with emotional luggage. As a Red Zone TD threat Brackins could scare opposing Ds. Only lack of academic abilities prevented him from going to the big schools, but that created a situation where we can't tell how he'd fare against the football equivilant of Triple-A baseball. So will he be able to play at the pro level? |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | If he lives up to the hype, then YES. | ||
| SIXTH ROUND | |||
| 178. Anthony Bryant | DT | Alabama | Review |
| Bryant's at least still in the NFL, currently working for the Giants. For the Bucs though he wasn't of much value. | FILLS A NEED? | Some depth concerns with the D-line, so YES. | So far, the Bucs have drafted smart in terms of filling gaps, and this pick continues that trend. DT was in need of a big body to fill a one-gap, and by all accounts Bryant's big enough to cover three (rim shot). Bryant has the bulk, and combines it with lower-body strength to push blockers back. Is best at run-stopping. Now, if they can do something about the weight. Yo, Bryant! Weight Watchers, man, let's go get some Smart Ones from the Freezer section at Publix... |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | He's got a worse weight problem than I do. If he comes to camp out of shape... I'm thinking NO. | ||
| McCown is now technically the starting QB for 2009, depending on either the draft or on how training camp goes. | The Bucs traded this pick to Cleveland for their one-year backup QB Luke McCown. McCown is not a great QB (else it would have cost more), but he's young, coachable, good deep thrower, and above all already has some starting experience, which does count. He's not a threat to starter Griese but a big wake-up call for Simms, who now has camp competition for the No.2 spot. | ||
| SEVENTH ROUND | |||
| 221. Rick Razzano | FB | Mississippi | Review |
| Busted for Steroids. I can't find anything else on the guy. | FILLS A NEED? | There's already three established FBs on a team that doesn't run much FB stuff. This is a big NO. | Fullback? Fullbacks are becoming the ugly stepchild, too big for RB, too bulky for WR, too fast for OL. They're like TEs, but TEs show versitility as receiving threats better than FBs, so TEs are here to stay. The Bucs don't even know what to do with the FBs they HAVE (Alstott and Cook)! So getting Razzano, so low on the boards he didn't have an official bio on the websites, was a major unneeded reach. |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | I doubt it. Camp competition for a limited roster spot? NO. | ||
| 225. Paris Warren | WR | Utah | Review |
| Of the three WRs taken in the draft, Warren was the only one to see any consistent playing time on the field. And that's about the best that can be said. Injury kept him off-field in 2007 and 2008 he was cut and signed with the 'Boys. 2009 FA saw him re-sign with the Bucs. Warren's at least one of the Bucs' few late-rounders to actually survive in the league... | FILLS A NEED? | WR depth still an issue, so I'd say YES. | Another tallish receiver with long arms and a good reach for catching. Warren comes from a program that had some offensive fireworks last season and he was a main part of it (along with top pick QB Alex Smith). Also comes with good route-running, ability to move off the line quick, good separation from coverage, and 'is not shy to go over the middle.' This could be a lower-drafted version of Keyshawn Johnson (sans ego). There is, however, one dark terrible secret about this man...he...he stole a $10 box of condoms once. NOOOOOOOOO. Well, that's what the Sportsline bio said! |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | If he impresses on Special Teams in some way. We're in Seventh Round territory and these guys tend to end up on Practice Squads. Probably a NO. | ||
| 231. Hamza Abdullah | SS | Washington State | Review |
| Bounced about the league, currently with the Browns. Poor guy. | FILLS A NEED? | My draft predictions leaned toward getting 2 Safeties this draft, as there's serious depth concerns. YES. | Abdullah comes in as a good tackler, someone able to move up into the 'box' for run plays, and good body english to twist and keep up with receivers passing by him. Unfortunately, he's got injuries in his history, and has poor play recognition skills so he can get beaten on plays. Very raw player. |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | Only as a Special Teamer, most likely another Practice Squad guy. Probably NO. | ||
| 253. JR Russell | WR | Louisville | Review |
| I was hyped on this guy. I know I had him as one of my projected draft picks (I had him in the Fifth Round). In hindsight I can see where the knocks on him meant something. That the whole set of WRs from this draft could be viewed as a disappointment explains 1) why Tampa's offense never gets better and 2) why Gruden and his crew weren't that good developing any young talent. No longer in the league. | FILLS A NEED? | Okay, third WR picked, this is kinda pushing it, okay? Sigh. I'll say YES. | How the BLEEP did this guy slip so low? This was the third to last pick!!! Russell was rated at best a fourth-round prospect, at least a fifth rounder. He was way above Warren on some scouting reports, almost the same level as Brackins. He's coming from an explosive offense, so he's familiar with the end zone (not all WRs are...). He's tall, long-armed, and a good jumper, almost in the same vein as fellow rookie Brackins. He has problems, such as poor route running and dropped-catch syndrome, which might explain the draft drop. As a Red Zone threat, however, he deserves serious consideration. |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | Drafted really low. Personally I had this guy ahead of Brackins, so I'd like to see him make it. Odds are he's Practice Squad fodder. NO. | ||
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Review of overall draft:
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OVERALL GRADE
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B+
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| NOTES: Only by the Razzano pick did I groan in frustration. Gruden and Allen mostly played it smart drafting at need spots at the best possible times. While certain players chosen did look to be reaches (Colmer, Brackins), you could live with them. And unlike last year's draft, where an unusually high number of draftees came from one region (Northeast Ivy League schools???), this time it looked like scouting was done across the map. This has the feel of being the Bucs' best draft since 1999. | ||
| BEST PICKS | Cadillac Williams, Barett Ruud, Dan Buenning, Donte Nicholson | These are players who could be starters from Day One. |
| WORST PICKS | Chris Colmer, Rick Razzano | Colmer is a huge injury risk at a position where injuries have been a problem for the team. Razzano is a FB, which is not a need position this year. |
| BEST OVERALL MOVES THIS DRAFT | Getting a RB that could do well regardless of blocking (Cadillac can be that good). Multiple drafting at key spots (Safety and Wide Receiver) in dire need of depth as well as talent. | |
| WORST OVERALL MOVES THIS DRAFT | Drafting a low-need position with FB. Ignoring the need for more OTs to be brought in for depth and camp competition. | |
| 2009 UPDATE | Overall
I was right about the Best Picks selection: most of those were starter-quality,
with one guaranteed big name (Ruud) in the pack. Only those horrific injuries
are keeping Cadillac from fulfilling the level of talent he demonstrated
that rookie year. I was right that Colmer wouldn't work out (Trueblood was
drafted the following year and has that OT spot now), and Razzano being
a wasted pick came from an unlikely reason: steroids(?!?). I like how TE
Smith has turned out as a good value pick, but his quiet days still outweigh
the days he shows up on highlight reels... What I did get wrong was approving the multiple picks at WR: all three hadn't stepped up, didn't help upgrade the WR corps at all which has still been a disappointment with only the FA guys like Galloway, Hilliard and Bryant keeping the offense alive. Given the lack of development for other drafted WRs though, one could blame the coaches on that: still and all, a lot of wasted picks over the years... Given the value the team's gotten from Caddy, Ruud, Smith, Nicholson and to a lesser extent Buenning, along with the trade for McCown that now gives us the team's current Starting QB, I'd knock this draft grade up to an A. Except for all those blown WR picks, which drags this back down to the B+ I originally gave. Sigh. |
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back | email me if you think the Bucs should have drafted higher for a donut supplier...
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