The Bucs wanted to get younger on their defense and that was the reason for the selection of Sabby Piscitelli in the 2nd round.  He has great measureables as he stands 6’2″, 223 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40 yard dash.  He looks more like a body builder than a football player and he often seems stiff in coverage because he isn’t real flexible.  He also misses a lot more tackles than he should.  He plays on a bunch of special teams so that’s a positive.  In 50 games at Oregon State, Piscitelli made 188 tackles, broke up 28 passes, had 15 interceptions (returned 143 yards), forced 1 fumble and recovered 3 fumbles.  Look for him to have a hard time breaking into the starting lineup early in his career, but he should start at some point.  He should help on special teams for the Bucs from Day #1.

The Bucs decided that Arron Sears was too good for them to pass up in the 2nd round.  Sears has started at every position on the offensive line in college except center and he’s excelled at all of them.  Sears started at left tackle last season but the Bucs will likely use him at guard.  Sears is a massive man at 6’3″, 317 pounds and he’s got a nasty mean streak, especially in the running game.  Look for Cadillac Williams to have a lot of holes inside wherever Sears is blocking.  He played in 44 games and started 37 of them at Tennessee.  Sears was a great pick by the Bucs who will be a starter for a long time for them.

The Bucs have re-signed reserve guard Jeb Terry to a 1-year contract.  Terry played in 10 games last season for the Bucs and he only started 1 of them.  In his three years with the Bucs, Terry has played in 30 games and he’s only started 1 of them.  The 6’5″, 311 pound Terry will be a decent reserve for the Bucs in 2007.

The Bucs have acquired former first round choice Ryan Sims from the Chiefs for an undisclosed future draft choice.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Chiefs but he only made 7 tackles.  Over his 5 year NFL career, Sims has played in 59 games and he has made only 74 tackles, has only 5 sacks, a interception, defensed 1 pass, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.  The Bucs are hoping that the 6’4″, 315 pound Sims just needs a change of scenery.  Only time will tell if Sims continues to be a bust or if he will play well for the Bucs.

The Bucs have released CB Juran Bolden.  Bolden played in all 16 games last season for the Bucs and he made 63 tackles, had 1 sack, 1 interception, defensed 10 passes and he recovered a fumble.  This might not turn out to be a good move by the Bucs.

The Bucs have signed troubled TE Jerramy Stevens to a 1-year contract.  He played in 11 games (6 starts) for the Seattle Seahawks last season and he caught 22 passes for 231 yards (10.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  The Bucs are hopeful that Stevens keeps his nose clean off the field because TE has been a huge weakness in the offense for the Bucs over the last couple of seasons.  If Stevens is focused he should be able to revive his career in 2007.