Tampa Bay Buccaneers bring in 44 rookies for tryouts, including Jordan Jefferson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going all-out to scrape the bottom of the barrel in their search for quality players. In addition to the drafted rookies and undrafted free agents the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already signed, they have brought in a whopping 44 rookies for tryouts for the 2012 rookie mini-camp.

Buccaneers.com mentions that this brings the total number of rookies in camp to 75, but I have no clue how they got to that number. 44 tryout players, 7 draftees and 17 undrafted free agents makes for 68 rookies. Am I missing something? I must be.

In fact, the number of rookies is actually even lower. A number of players the Bucs listed here are not actually rookies. WR Brooks Foster out of North Carolina, for instance, was originally drafted in the fifth round by the St. Louis Rams in 2009. Unless there are two wide receivers named Brooks Foster, both having played college football at North Carolina. Another example is Ayanga Okpokowuruk, a defensive end who went undrafted in 2010. In all, from what I can tell, the Bucs have seven such players in town on tryouts: Foster, Okpokowuruk, TE Harry Flaherty, DE Hilee Taylor, CB Derrick Roberson, WR Tim Brown and LB Alex Wujciak.

Regardless, the Bucs will try to find some quality players among the bunch. The only name I really recognize is Jordan Jefferson's, who played quarterback at LSU the past years, and most notoriously completely bombed in the national championship game this year. One interesting note: the Bucs brought in four North Carolina players and two Rutgers players for tryouts. The Rutgers connection is obvious with Greg Schiano being the Bucs head coach, but it's easy to forget that former North Carolina head coach Butch Davis is employed by the Buccaneers as well. And one other connection may play a role there: North Carolina beat Rutgers three times in the past four years.

Hit the jump for the full list of tryout players, or head on over to Buccaneers.com for the original list.