The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took 23-year old DE Adrian Clayborn with the 20th overall pick (1st round) of the NFL Draft last night.  Clayborn is a 6’3″, 287 pounds and he runs a 4.75 40 as he’s a great overall athlete.  Clayborn is a violent, nasty guy on the field and that’s just what the doctor ordered for the Buccaneers.  Clayborn played in 13 games (all starts) for Iowa last season and he had 52 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 batted down pass and he forced 1 fumble.  He played in 51 games (37 starts) in his four years with the Hawkeyes and he had 192 tackles, 37.5 tackles for a loss, 19 sacks, batted down 7 passes and he forced 7 fumbles.  The Buccaneers needed some help rushing the passer and Clayborn will give them that in 2011 and beyond.

The Buccaneers hit with some nice offensive players last April, but this time around the focus is going to be on the defensive side of the ball.  Here’s who I have the Bucs picking in my mock draft:

1st round (#20 overall) – Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri

2nd round (#51 overall) – Aaron Williams, CB, Texas

3rd round (#84 overall) – Jurrell Casey, OLB, USC

4th round (#116 overall) – Kelvin Sheppard, ILB, LSU

5th round (#151 overall) – Cheta Ozugwu, DE, Rice

6th round (#187 overall) – Anthony Allen, RB, Georgia Tech

7th round (#222 overall) – Jeron Johnson, S, Boise State

7th round (#238 overall) – Zac Etheridge, S, Auburn

Mission accomplished.  It the Bucs have a haul like this one next weekend, the rest of the NFC South is going to be in big, big trouble.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a very solid draft last April and that’s not even including guys like LeGarrette Blount, Al Woods and Dezmon Briscoe who were snapped up from other teams.  Here is a look at how the Bucs’ 2010 draft picks fared in 2010:

Gerald McCoy:  The Buccaneers took DT Gerald McCoy with the 3rd overall pick (1st round) out of Oklahoma.  McCoy played in 13 games (all starts) for the Bucs last year and he had 28 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, he defensed 4 passes and he forced 2 fumbles.  McCoy has a huge upside as he will be part of the new foundation of the Bucs’ D.

Brian Price:  DT Brian Price came to the Bucs in the 2nd round (#35 overall) out of UCLA.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Bucs last year and he only had 3 tackles.  He was placed on I.R. early last year but the Bucs still like Price’s upside.

Arrelious Benn:  The Buccaneers took WR Arrelious Benn in the 2nd round (#39 overall) out of Illinois.  He played in 15 games (9 starts) for the Bucs last year and he caught 25 passes for 395 yards (15.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Benn also carried the ball 6 times for 35 yards (5.8 ypc) last year.  Benn tore his ACL during the Bucs’ week #16 game, so he might not be ready to help the Bucs much in 2011.  They like his upside though.

Myron Lewis:  CB Myron Lewis came to the Buccaneers in the 3rd round (#67 overall) out of Vanderbilt.  He played in 10 games (1 start) for the Bucs last year and he had 9 tackles and 3 passes defensed.  Lewis might have an increased role as early as next season due to the trouble that Aqib Talib is in.

Mike Williams:  The Bucs took a chance on WR Mike Williams in the 4th round (#101 overall) out of Syracuse.  He only slipped because of off the field issues but the Bucs weren’t scared off and they were rewarded big time because of it.  Williams played in 16 games (all starts) for the Buccaneers last year and he caught 65 passes for 964 yards (14.8 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  Williams is going to be a Pro Bowl fixture as long as he keeps his head on straight.

Brent Bowden:  The Bucs took punter Brent Bowden in the 6th round (#172 overall) out of Virginia Tech.  Bowden didn’t even make it out of training camp before he was cut by the Bucs.

Cody Grimm:  Cody Grimm came to the Buccaneers in the 7th round (#210 overall) out of Virginia Tech.  Grimm played in 11 games (9 starts) for the Bucs last year and he had 57 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 2 interceptions (one returned for a TD) and he forced 1 fumble.  Grimm might win the starting job at free safety for the Bucs as he was impressive as a rookie in 2010.

Dekoda Watson:  The Buccaneers took OLB Dekoda Watson in the 7th round (#217 overall) out of Florida State.  He played in 15 games (1 start) for the Bucs last year and he had 30 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he defensed 1 pass.  Watson really played well late last year and he’s in position to get more P.T. in 2011.

Erik Lorig:  The Bucs took FB/TE Erik Lorig in the 7th round (#253 overall) out of Stanford last year.  He played in 9 games (1 start) for the Bucs last year and he caught 1 pass for 10 yards.  The Bucs like Lorig’s versatility so he’s going to have a good shot of making the roster again in 2011.

GRADE FOR 2010:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A