The Buccaneers have released 31-year old DT Chris Hovan.  Hovan played in all 16 games for the Bucs last season and he finished up with 33 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he had 1/2 a sack.  He played 5 seasons for the Bucs appearing in 79 games in which he made 220 tackles, he had 5 sacks and he defensed 4 passes.  Hovan’s release should come as no surprise to anyone who follows the Bucs after they drafted DTs Gerald McCoy and Brian Price over the weekend.

The Buccaneers have released 25-year old OG Arron Sears and 27-year old OG Shawn Murphy.  Sears missed all of last season due to him having some mental issues which is also what led the his release.  Sears was a former 2nd round pick of the Bucs (2007) and he played in 31 games (all starts) in his career with them.  Shawn Murphy only played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Bucs last season.  The Buccaneers won’t miss either of these guys as they didn’t give them anything at all last season.

The Buccaneers have released 26-year old punter Sam Paulescu.  Paulescu played in 5 games for the Bucs last season and he punted the ball 24 times for 1,022 yards (42.6 avg).  He had 5 touchbacks (20.8%) and he pinned the opposition inside their own 20-yard line 8 times (33.3%) last season for the Bucs.  When the Bucs drafted punter Brent Bowden in the sixth round of the NFL Draft you just had a feeling that it was a matter of time until Paulescu was cut loose.

The Buccaneers have released 29-year old fullback B.J. Askew.  Askew played in 5 games for the Bucs last season and he carried the ball 1 time for 0 yards (0.0 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 3 yards (1.5 avg) last season.  In 3 years with the Buccaneers, Askew played in 28 games in which he carried the ball 8 times for 14 yards (1.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 33 passes for 244 yards (7.4 avg) in his time with the Buccaneers.  This was just a case of the Buccaneers cutting a player they can easily replace.

The Buccaneers have selected CB Myron Lewis out of Vanderbilt with the 67th pick (3rd round) of the NFL Draft.  Lewis is 6’1″, 204 pounds but he’s not a physical player.  He also runs a 4.5 40 which makes him a tad slow.  But, Lewis fits the cover 2 zone defense that the Bucs play which gives him more value to them.  Lewis played in 11 games (all starts) for Vandy last season and he had 41 tackles, broke up 8 passes and he intercepted 4 passes.  Lewis played in 46 games (36 starts) in his four years at Vanderbilt in which he had 170 tackles, broke up 26 passes, he had 10 interceptions, forced 4 fumbles and he recovered 2 fumbles.  The Buccaneers probably overdrafted Lewis by a round or two but he does fit their defensive scheme so he might surprise.

The Buccaneers selected WR Arrelious Benn with the 39th overall pick (2nd round) of the NFL Draft.  Benn is a 6’1″, 220 pound receiver who is very physical.  He doesn’t have burner speed (4.5 40) but he gets open and he catches the ball almost every time it’s near his hands.  He is a good blocked in the running game as he reminds me quite a bit of Hines Ward of the Steelers in his playing style.  Benn played in 12 games (11 starts) for Illinois last season and he caught 38 passes for 490 yards (12.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  In three years at Illinois, Benn played in 37 games (35 starts) in which he caught 159 passes for 2,221 yards (14.0 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  With the state of the Buccaneers’ receiving corps don’t be surprised if Benn isn’t the #1 WR from day #1 for the Bucs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected DT Brian Price with the 35th overall pick (2nd round) of the NFL Draft. Price seemed like an odd pick with Gerald McCoy already picked by the Bucs in the first round but it never hurts to have outstanding depth. Price’s only weaknesses are that he doesn’t play hard every down and he sometimes asks out before plays. I fully expect head coach Raheem Morris to snap Price into better shape so those factors won’t be problems anymore. Price played in 13 games (all starts) for UCLA last season and he had 48 tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, 1 batted down pass, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. Price played in 35 games (30 starts) in his three years at UCLA and he finished up with 97 tackles, 44.5 tackles for a loss, he had 12.5 sacks, batted down 3 passes, he forced 5 fumbles and he has recovered 1 fumble. Price was a solid pick for the Buccaneers as he has a huge upside.

The Buccaneers have drafted DT Gerald McCoy with the third pick of the first round of the NFL Draft.  McCoy will give life to a Bucs’ run defense which was like a sieve last season.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for Oklahoma last season and he finished up with 34 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, he had 6 sacks, batted down 2 passes, he forced a fumble and he recovered a fumble.  McCoy is a vocal leader who plays hard on every down.  He will likely demand a double team making it easier for middle linebacker Barrett Ruud to get to the ballcarrier which is great for the Bucs.  McCoy played in 40 games (all starts) at Oklahoma and he finished up with 73 tackles, 33 tackles for a loss, he had 14.5 sacks, batted down 4 passes, he forced 2 fumbles and he recovered a fumble.  I like this pick for the Buccaneers who desperately needed help in the trenches on defense and McCoy should give them that and much more.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely have one of the lowest payrolls in the NFL this season as they don’t have a lot of money to spend.  That means that this weekend’s NFL Draft will be very important and the Bucs can’t afford to miss on picks.  The Buccaneers have 4 of the top 67 picks in this weekend’s draft and they have 12 overall picks.  The Buccaneers have needs at DE, DT, WR and CB and they hope to fill them all this weekend.  The Bucs will take whichever DT falls in their lap at #3 in the first round.

PROJECTED FIRST ROUND PICK:  DT, Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma

The Buccaneers just don’t look like they want to spend any money on players this off-season.  They did fill a couple of needs by trading for WR Reggie Brown and signing free agent safety Sean Jones.  Brown & Jones will likely both be starters for the Bucs in 2010 but neither of them are much better than average football players.  Backup linebacker Jon Alston has also been signed but most of his work will be on special teams.  I’m not very impressed with the direction the Bucs are heading in so far this off season.