The Buccaneers missed out on yet another star WR after Brandon Marshall was acquired by the Dolphins. The Bucs have now passed on Marshall, Anquan Boldin, Santonio Holmes, and let Antonio Bryant leave. They have shown no interest to veteran free agents like Torry Holt and Terrell Owens. Mark Dominik, Raheem Morris, and company have made it clear that they do not want to give away draft picks. The Bucs have 5 picks in the first 99 and are very confident to get a few players that can start right away.
Last season Dominik and the Bucs had a productive draft. Dominik drafted starters Josh Freeman and Sammie Stroughter, the latter coming in the 7th round. The Bucs also traded their 2nd round pick to Cleveland for Kellen Winslow, who played lights out and was arguably our Offensive Player of the Year. Roy Miller and Kyle Moore saw spot time on defense, and look to have a much larger role this season, and Xavier Fulton and E.J. Biggers were injured before the regular season started. The Bucs have one of the worst WR corps in the league, and by passing on current stars the hints are there for a WR to be picked up early in the draft. I would expect the Bucs to look for a WR at the number 35 overall pick. Demayrius Thomas of Georgia Tech could fall to the second round, and he has the ability to be a star for years. Golden Tate of Notre Dame, a Percy Harvin-like player could also be available. Arrelious Benn of Illinois has been compared to a raw Anquan Boldin by many scouts and will most likely still be available when the Bucs select at 42. Other WR the Bucs could take a look at include Jordan Shipley of Texas, Chris McGaha of Arizona State, and Mike Williams from Syracuse.
Even though the Bucs continually frustrate the fans by failing to bring in the high priced star, the Bucs will still pick up some pretty good players in this draft. The draft is so deep this year that Dominik doesn't want to trade picks and risk losing out on a future star. After last year's encouraging draft it's an exciting time to be a Bucs fan, and next weekend's draft will not disappoint.