Adrian Clayborn Makes The Buccaneers A Lot More Physical

There are quite a few questions about Adrian Clayborn. Will Erb's Palsy stand in his way, or does it just motivate him more? Can he get after the quarterback like he did in 2009, or will he be the 2010 version of himself, struggling to beat opposing linemen as a pass rusher? Was that drop in production due to a 2-gap scheme Iowa implemented, or did the real Adrian Clayborn simply come out? We'll have to wait until the season starts and perhaps a little longer to figure that out. Though if tape guru and NFL Matchup producer Greg Cosell is to believed, he looked better on tape than Da'Quan Bowers. Cosell loved the pick for the Bucs, his combination of quickness and power and thought he was a relentless pass rusher. I trust that man's tape analysis blindly, and that's a very promising remark. 

There's one other thing I can tell you about the latest Buccaneer: Adrian Clayborn makes the Buccaneers a whole lot more physical. Raheem Morris kept referring to Clayborn as 'Rambo' after the selection. Adrian Clayborn himself has said that he wants to "Kick Offensive Linemen's Asses", in the same breath he spoke about wanting to be a Buc from the start because of the great visit he had before the draft. Clayborn is a violent, physical football player who loves that part of the game. "If you're not playing violent on the defensive line, there's something wrong with you. Go somewhere else," said the newest Buccaneer. Make no mistake: this is one nasty football player on the field. And that may be just what the Bucs need. 

Since Derrick Brooks left the team the common complaint about the Bucs defense has been a lack of physicality. Barrett Ruud isn't a physical tackler. Geno Hayes is fast, but not a hard hitter. Quincy Black is fairly physical but not a standout. There have been scant few nasty, violent players on the Bucs' front seven over the years. But that's now changed with Clayborn. He plays physically and powerfully, and he'll try to beat offensive linemen by mauling them. On the field he is constantly hustling, has a non-stop motor and sets a high standard for the rest of the defensive team. He's a two-time team captain for the Iowa Hawkeyes and a leader for them both on and off the field. If he can bring that intensity, physicality and work ethic to the Bucs' defense that should make all the players around him better immediately. 

And finally, if you hit the jump you can see a number of highlight clips on Adrian Clayborn to get a feel for his play.