Last season, the Buccaneers drafted two defensive tackles with their first two picks in the draft: Gerald McCoy and Brian Price. Third overall pick McCoy took a while to get going in his rookie season, but ended the season strong before ending on injured reserve with a torn biceps. He has now recovered from that injury, is doing full-speed drills at the Bucs' minicamp and is even leading the defensive line drills. He looks ready to make a big impact next season.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Brian Price. In his rookie season the defensive tackle out of UCLA couldn't get on the field as he struggled with a hip injury. When he was on the field he was anonymous and couldn't get anything done, despite looking devastatingly quick in training camp. After struggling for weeks, he was finally placed on IR and underwent a procedure that had never before been tried on an NFL player.
Unfortunately, the rehab from that injury is taking a long time. Brian Price has only been running for a few weeks, and cannot participate in drills. Pewter Report seems to think he will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, which would keep him out for at least the team's first six games. Price's odds of making an impact this season are starting to dwindle. Compare him to the Falcons' 2009 first-round pick who missed most of his rookie season with an injury. He got back last season, but couldn't make any kind of impact for Atlanta. A similar scenario looms for Price, who could see his first two seasons in the league go to waste.
What's worse, Brian Price is very underdeveloped as a player in terms of technique. He is physically extremely talented, but he had some problems staying on his feet in college and did not have polished technique. And he hasn't had much opportunity to learn to play in the NFL yet, either. Another year in which he's limited due to injury will again retard his development, and that's how good, talented players start to turn into busts.
But there's some good news: Brian Price is just 22, younger than most rookies, and he has plenty of time left to turn his career into a success. But he'll have to overcome some significant problems to do so.