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It seems the Tampa Bay Buccaneers initially had their eye on a different cornerback than Johnthan Banks at first. According to Dan Pompei, the Buccaneers would probably have selected Xavier Rhodes in the first round had they not traded for Darrelle Revis.
The Bucs were out of the first round with the trade for Darrelle Revis, but it would have been quite a different first round had they kept the 13th pick. As it was, the Jets selected defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in that spot. The Bucs likely would have taken cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who fell 12 picks to the Vikings.
This makes perfect sense. Xavier Rhodes was a great fit as a tall, physical press corner and was probably the best cornerback left on the board, with Dee Milliner and D.J. Hayden selected before the 13th pick. The Falcons may have selected Desmond Trufant ahead of Rhodes, but the latter would have likely been a better fit for the Buccaneers. Consider that the Bucs took another tall, lanky mostly press cover corner in Johnthan Banks in the second round.
Intriguingly, this means the Buccaneers must have seriously contemplated trading up for Xavier Rhodes when he fell to number 25. The price obviously turned out to be high, but if the Bucs considered him good enough for the 13th pick, getting him at a low price must have been alluring.
Of course, none of this matters. The Buccaneers did not have a first-round pick, as they traded it for Darrelle Revis. And while I like Rhodes, he's no Revis.
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