The offensive line hasn't been kind to the Buccaneers in the past, and they've wasted a lot of draft picks on poor offensive linemen. But not every highly-drafted lineman was a failure, and Paul Gruber was the biggest success of them all. He played for the Bucs from 1988 through 1999, missing just 9 games throughout that period. He started 183 games for the Bucs, which was a record until Derrick Brooks broke it. Unfortunately he would have to miss the biggest game of his life due to injury. He broke his leg in the 1999 season finale, and missed the playoff games against the Redskins and Rams, a low-scoring affair where Paul Gruber could've made the difference for an incompetent Bucs offense. Nevertheless, the 4th overall pick of the 1988 NFL Draft was tremendously valuable for the Buccaneers and a stalwart at a premier position for years. As the Bucs were a terrifyingly bad team throughout most of his tenure, any official recognition eluded him. But Paul Gruber was probably the Bucs' best offensive player for a very long time.
The list so far:
10. Warrick Dunn
9. Doug Williams
8. Mike Alstott
7. James Wilder
6. Paul Gruber
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