The NFLDraftguys staff is going simulate playing the GM of each of the 31 teams picking in the first round and justify their picks. You can look forward to a new pick every other day leading up to April 28, when the staff will be in Radio City Music Hall to see if they took our advice.
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Follow the progress of the On The Clock Draft Board, where you can see exactly how the first round would play out if the NFLDraftguys staff were making the calls in the war room.
Sean Baca
With the 4th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft the Tampa Bay Buccaneers SHOULD take Calvin Johnson , WR, Georgia Tech.
There is only one thing wrong with Calvin Johnson, and that is that there is nothing wrong with Calvin Johnson. The Bucs could have a million needs, but a safer bet does not exist in this year's draft. His body control in the air is beyond superlatives. He can stretch the field vertically and keep you honest with his lack of fear to cross the middle. Oh yeah, his hands are money!
The questions at quarterback are moot here; if he can get it done with Reggie Ball, he can get it done with any Q.B. There will be a learning curve, let's not get too ahead of ourselves, but he seems primed to blow the curve for the rest of the student athletes in the draft. The Bucs have had some success in recent drafts and are looking good again in this year's version. He may not answer all the prayers of the Buccaneer faithful right out the gate (then again, he might), but he is as good at this age as you're gonna find, and the only problem with Johnson is the lack of a problem.
Marc Faletti
With the 4th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers SHOULD select Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson.
The Bucs have already flung plenty of darts at the QB board this offseason, yet they've hardly guaranteed significant improvement at the position. Unfortunately, Russell and Quinn don't strike me as sure-fire franchise QBs, and I'd hesitate to spend a top 5 pick on one no matter how addicted I'd become to loading up on signal-callers.
Greg Spires turns 33 this year and plays alongside recent addition Kevin Carter, 34. Given their age, the Bucs may be unable to generate the pass rush so crucial to the timing of the Cover 2 defense as early as 2008. Enter Gaines Adams, a sudden, aggressive rush end born to burrow after the QB in the Cover 2. Adams lacks bulk and can be stood up when he comes out high, but he changes directions in a blink and possesses a lethal reverse spin amongst a solid repertoire of moves for a collegian. His 2007 impact on passing downs could be dramatic, and Spires and Carter will give Adams a year to beef up into an every-down force.
Cecil Lammey
With the 4th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers SHOULD select Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech.
The Bucs will be elated when Johnson falls in their lap, and they should be. In the WR category there is Calvin Johnson, and then there is everybody else. His physical attributes are well known in the draftnik community, and any team would be lucky to land a gamebreaker of this caliber. The Buccaneers have a need to fill at the WR position, so why not fill it with the best? Michael Clayton's rookie season is now a shadow of the past, and Joey Galloway's age is catching up with him. The TE Alex Smith gives the Bucs a nice, young target to go along with Calvin Johnson. It doesn't matter who the QB is in Tampa Bay, because having Johnson line up at WR will only help. He creates mismatches every time he takes the field, and he could be in for a rookie year like Randy Moss had.
Sigmund Bloom
With the 4th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers SHOULD select Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson.
This pick comes with a lot of qualifications. First, our friends Jim Flynn and Scott Reynolds of The Pewter Report did an interview with The Audible at the Senior Bowl about the Bucs plans in the first, and the answer was clear: Joe Thomas or Calvin Johnson. Well, they're gone at this point in my draft. Losing the coinflip to the Browns will be a killer.
Assuming that they don't A) trade up to get Thomas or Johnson, or B) trade down because they missed out on Thomas or Johnson, the Bucs will be poised to grab the heir to Simeon Rice at the 4 slot. I had a tough time choosing between Adams and Jamaal Anderson of Arkansas. Anderson's upside is near that of Mario Williams, he has a Peppers/Mario frame and athleticism. Still, in the Tampa 2, the defensive line needs to generate pressure over all things, and Adams turns the corner and terrorizes QBs like no one else in this draft class. Tampa, thanks for playing the Calvin Johnson sweepstakes, enjoy your parting gift.
