The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves with the eleventh overall pick today, after trading down from number nine and picking up an extra fourth-round pick. The Bucs had general manager Jason Licht and head coach Dirk Koetter talk to the media immediately afterward, and they dropped a few good notes.
First, Licht noted that Hargreaves wanted to be a Buc. That's no surprise: he grew up in Tampa and was obviously a local kid. Still, it's always fun when the player you drafted had always wanted to play for you.
Second, neither Koetter nor Licht is concerned about the new Buccaneer's 5'10" height. Licht mentioned Brent Grimes and Ronde Barber as examples of shorter cornerbacks with terrific careers, while Dirk Koetter said Hargreaves reminded him of Grimes. Part of that is undoubtedly some positive coach-speak, but it's still good to hear. As is the confession that the Bucs would have picked Hargreaves at number nine had they not been able to trade down.
The Bucs may not be done today. They have an extra fourth-round pick and could move that and Mike Glennon to get back into the first round and pick a pass-rusher they really like -- Noah Spence would be a good target there, but Kevin Dodd, Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah are still available as well. Stick with us for all the coverage you need!