The 2008 Buccaneer draft picks Well it's over for another year the NFL draft gets stranger every year, more unpredictable every year and more of a spectacle every year. Most rational Buccaneers fans thought that a combination of a corner and a wide receiver would come to fruition and so it turned out, however it would have been a brave individual to guess which ones they were going to be. 1st Round – Aqib Talib So we sat there with every possible wide receiver available and a couple of top corners and when the card got to the commissioner it was a corner. With corners I liked McKelvin, Rodgers-Cromartie, Jenkins and Talib in that order. For me when I look at Talib, that is what a corner should look like, physically he’s really well put together. He’s a top notch athlete that makes everything look easy. He has natural instincts for the game which is probably the main difference between him and Jenkins. Its arguable that Talib could have the best ball skills of any corner in the draft, he is a bit of a ball hawk but given his ability to read the QB he has shown great anticipation and ability to jump the revivers routes (also helped by playing the wr position as well). T here are however a few negatives, he doesn’t have the top end speed that an elite corner would expect to possess, which in part makes him more suitable to a zone scheme. His timed speed isn’t impressive and he probably plays slower than that, also he tends to have lapses in concentration, this was exploited by Jordy Nelson and he doesn’t have the recovery speed to make up for these mental mistakes. Characters issues also got him suspended for two games last year. 2nd Round – Dexter Jackson With three selection to go there was DeSean Jackson, Malcom Kelly and Limas Sweed still available while all these wide receivers have their issues it could be argued that they all would represent good values in the middle of the 2nd round. When it got to the Buccaneers selection only Sweed was available, I have to say I was disappointed that we then traded down, I had Sweed as possibly the best receiver in the draft, because he has the potential to be a true #1 option. So anyway about 6 picks later Dexter Jackson became a Buccaneer. If the criticism of Talib was his lack of speed, well Jackson has enough to go around. Jackson is explosive with the ball in his hands, elusive and really is a threat to score when he touches the ball. Also he adds value as a return man. He is undersized and is inconsistent catching the ball at times, played against a low level of competition with the exception of the Michigan game. Has the natural ability to be a threat on short passes and as a deep threat, will require patience because his offense was easier to digest at college than the one Gruden is going to show him. 3rd Round – Jeremy Zuttah This is the pick I really liked for the Bucs, at the time of the selection I was thinking more of Corner Justin King or WR Andre Caldwell, not an immediately obvious name given the recent money invested in the offensive line but he fits the mould of the lineman drafted in recent years. Tough footballer, experienced at multiple positions and versatile at the next level. He has played just about every position on the offensive line for the scarlet knights, his size will probably keep him inside for the Bucs. Strong and super competitive, some fear that he could be a work-out warrior but for me he has all the skills needed, a smart footballer who will out-work just about anyone. 4th Round – Dre Moore Traded up to secure a defensive tackle that probably should not have still been on the board at this point of the draft. Dre Moore had a similar grade to linemen like Pat Sims and Marcus Harrison who both went earlier in the draft. The concern with Dre is that he shows flashes and brilliance and dominating play and then he disappears for 3 or 4 plays. More consistency is really what is required here. He doesn’t have the greatest range of pass rushing moves but when you see him at his best he is impressive. Dre has a great combination of size, strength, speed and attitude for the position. He is a very raw talent and I would worry about his motor and desire to play the game, if the coaching staff can keep him focused he has tremendous upside. 5th Round – Josh Johnson This pick probably surprised me least of all our selection this weekend, not just because we picked up another quarterback but because it was Josh Johnson. For weeks now he’s been constantly compared to Jeff Garcia and the general feeling that if he can be given time to develop in a west coast system he could be a starting quarterback. For me there is a lot to like about Johnson, a great athlete who is accurate, shows great touch, has a lightning quick release, great vision and should have a strong enough arm to make NFL throws. He is going to take some time for him to be ready to see anything resembling a football field in the NFL, he’s very thin and has only really ever faced simplistic defences, he will also probably need to work on his fundamentals but that said his physical gifts and natural ability gives him as much upside as any of the quarterbacks taken late in this year’s draft. 6th Round – Geno Hayes As much as I like the Zuttah selection I might dislike this pick even more. Just because he went to Florida State and wore number 10 this does not make him Derrick Brooks. He is undersized and has little strength, he is an amazingly athletic linebacker who has great speed sideline-to-sideline. He will struggle with blockers and can run himself out of plays. It’s not so much his play that concerns me because his skill set looks about right for the 6th round but there are character issues here that would be a concern including been tasered, arrested and later charged with assault on an officer, resisting arrest without violence and disorderly conduct following a bar fight in 2007. 7th Round - Corey Boyd A powerful runner that would rather run through a tackler than around him. His body type isn’t ideal for this style of running, he’s had a problem holding on to the football along with durability issues. Looks good catching the ball out of the backfield, is a one-cut type runner and has good instincts for running the football, probably this year’s version of Ken Darby. Another prospect where character issues are an issue.