Another weak, and that means more mock drafts hit the shelves. It's always Trent Richardson or Morris Claiborne, somehow, and this week it's no different. Hey, cornerback or running back - which do you prefer? Well, SB Nation prefers a cornerback for the Bucs - of course they have Trent Richardson going one pick earlier in their latest 2012 NFL Mock Draft:

Claiborne has been here before in previous mock drafts. He fits. Barring some bizarre, unlikely happening at the Combine, Claiborne is the best corner in the draft, and maybe a better all around cover man than his former teammate Patrick Peterson. Replacing Aqib Talib with a high character guy like Claiborne will also be a welcome change for the Bucs.

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ESPN's renowned (and infamous) NFL draft expert Mel Kiper released his second mock draft of the season a couple of days ago, and in it he had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking Alabama running back Trent Richardson. This in spite of the presence of LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, who is generally seen as the most likely draft target for the Buccaneers.

I'll say it again -- don't simply dismiss the idea that Richardson could land here because of the presence of LaGarrette Blount. A great running team now needs more than one good back, and Richardson is by far the best back on the board this year. As well, if the Bucs are going with a "best player available" mantra early on -- very possible given a wide range of needs -- Richardson would make a lot of sense here. Blount has power, but he's far more limited as an all-around back than Richardson. The Bucs were actually below league average in yards per rush in 2011, and could look to improve there.

Of course, Kiper is right to an extent: adding Richardson would make the Bucs a better team. But the Bucs could easily take a quality running back early in the second or even third round to serve as a complement to Legarrette Blount. The fact that the running game was one of the few things that actually worked last year would make the selection of Richardson a little strange, to say the least. But Richardson does look like an elite talent.

While just two weeks ago the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft day debate seemed to be focused on Trent Richardson and Morris Claiborne, I'm seeing a new trend in mock drafts: offensive tackles. Iowa offensive tackle Riley Reiff has been repeatedly mocked to the Bucs, and I've also seen Stanford OT Jonathan Martin pop by a couple of times.

Ryan Van Bibber's latest 2012 NFL Mock Draft doesn't feature an offensive tackle for the Bucs, as he continues to go with the sensible pick of cornerback Morris Claiborne. But a six-round mock draft posted at Mocking the Draft does give the Bucs an offensive tackle, and it surely isn't the only mock draft to do so.

The problem with selecting a tackle that high in the draft for the Bucs is two-fold: they don't need a left tackle as Donald Penn is perfectly fine in that position, and selecting a right tackle with the fifth overall pick is generally a poor use of your assets. The Bucs could still select a tackle with their first pick with the intention of moving him to left tackle once Donald Penn's contract runs out, but that's really the only scenario I see to justify such a selection.

Todd McShay's second mock draft of the year is out, and he has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picking cornerback Morris Claiborne of LSU over WR Justin Blackmon and RB Trent Richardson. So with those two still available, why did Claiborne fall? Because he has the Minnesota Vikings picking T Riley Reiff out of Iowa.

Current Buccaneers RB LeGarrette Blount is no Trent Richardson, so dont't rule out Alabama's bell-cow back as an option here. Tampa Bay's cornerback situation is a nightmare, though, with Ronde Barber on the decline and Aqib Talib facing off-field issues. Claiborne would bring to Tampa the best man-to-man cover skills in the 2012 class, along with good speed and instincts.

And once again, the running back vs cornerback debate rears its ugly head. I tire of talking about this. It gets boring and everything that's been said on the subject has been said. Running backs can be had later in the draft, and their short shelf life doesn't make them worthy of a high first-round pick. At the same time, Trent Richardson does look pretty special and the Bucs need to add some kind of change of pace back for Legarrette Blount.

Over the past month we've exhaustively discussed the Bucs' options in the draft. Most of it comes down to the same old discussion about cornerback Morris Claiborne and running back Trent Richardson, something that will no doubt be discussed until the Bucs actually turn in their pick. Another option that's been mentioned is receiver Justin Blackmon. One name that has never been mentioned, however, is David Decastro's.

David Decastro was an outstanding offensive guard at Stanford, helping anchor the offensive line that protected Andrew Luck and produced an outstanding running game. Decastro looks like a special player, adapt at everything and a player who can probably make an immediate impact in the NFL. While the Bucs do have a good right guard in Davin Joseph, their left guard position is more of a problem spot as both Jeremy Zuttah (who could move to center) and Ted Larsen are too inconsistent to be counted on. Drafting David Decastro could immediately fix that problem, increasing the running game's production and helping protect Josh Freeman.

But Decastro is just a guard, and they are never selected in the top 5 of a draft. I think two trends could change that, however. Hit the jump to see what I mean.

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Morris Claiborne, Trent Richardson. Morris Claiborne, Trent Richardson. Morris Claiborne, Trent Richardson. Mock drafts are getting a little one-sided for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No tackles, no pass rushers, Justin Blackmon doesn't even pop in regularly. I need some diversity in my mock drafts, guys, this is boring.

But hey, Don Banks of Sports Illustrated just released his first mock draft of the year. He has the Bucs picking, of course, cornerback Morris Claiborne out of LSU. The pick makes sense: with Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib likely leaving this offseason, the Bucs need cornerbacks. A lot. Claiborne is the top rated cornerback, so the pick makes perfect sense. Let's see what Don Banks says:

The Bucs have plenty of options that make sense, but in a division where Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Matt Ryan come calling six times a season, landing the draft's top cornerback qualifies as a no-brainer, especially since Ronde Barber turns 47 any day now. Some mocks have Tampa Bay going for Alabama running back Trent Richardson, but a rusher in the top five sounds a little rich to me.

It's a new week, and that means there are some new mock drafts to evaluate. It seems Alabama running back Trent Richardson is becoming a popular pick for the Buccaneers, even over cornerback Morris Claiborne. I can see that happening, but I don't see that as a very good use of a draft pick. Running backs have a short lifespan, are relatively injury-prone, and it's fairly easy to get serviceable backs later in the draft. Especially when you already have Legarrette Blount, who is good enough to play a pretty big role in the offense, and while there are much bigger holes on the roster.

Regardless, that's what Ryan Van Bibber thinks the Bucs will do in his 2012 NFL Mock Draft:

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

LaGarrette Blount isn't a feature back; Richardson is. Blount still has a role to play, but Tampa joins the rest of the league in having a multifaceted ground game. The best running back in the draft would add another dimension to Tampa's offense, helping not only as runner but as another option for Josh Freeman in the passing game.

Another day, another mock draft. This time ESPN's Mel Kiper rolls in with his first mock draft of the season(Insider). In it, he has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select running back Trent Richardson despite the fact that Morris Claiborne was still on the board. I'll let him explain.

Don't simply dismiss the idea that Richardson could land here because of the presence of LaGarrette Blount. For one, we know that if you want a potent running game in the NFL, it can't be built simply around one running back. The reality of injuries is too much of a constant to overlook. Secondly, are the Bucs ready to commit to a longer deal with Blount after the 2012 season? Bottom line, the idea can't be dismissed from a team-building standpoint, and that's before you get to what kind of a player Richardson is. A physical freak, he is extraordinarily powerful, explodes from contact, has lower mileage than many third-year studs because he split carries as a freshman and sophomore with Mark Ingram and has developed as a pass-catcher. Richardson is a first-year impact player.

It's interesting that he mentions frequent injuries to running back as a reason to select Richardson. To me, that's a reason to stay away from investing valuable, high picks in a running back.