The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tried to load up on D in the 2011 NFL Draft and they found some keepers.  Here is a look at how the rookies did in their first taste of NFL action in 2011:

23-year old DE Adrian Clayborn was picked in the first round by the Bucs.  He was by far the best player the Bucs picked.  Clayborn played in all 16 games for the Bucs in 2011 and he had 42 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 3 forced fumbles.  He has a huge upside.

21-year old DE Da’Quan Bowers was a second round pick for the Bucs last April.  He played in all 16 games for the Bucs last year and he had 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 9 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 4 passes defensed.  If Bowers can stay healthy, he could wind up being a better player than Clayborn down the road.

22-year old LB Mason Foster was picked in the 3rd round.  He played in all 16 games for the Buccaneers last year and he had 84 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and 2 passes defensed.  The Bucs want Foster to bring more thump in his tackles in 2012 and beyond.

23-year old TE Luke Stocker was a 4th round pick for the Bucs.  He played in 14 games for the Bucs last year and he caught 12 passes for 92 yards (7.7 avg).  Stocker will need to improve soon if he wants to get more P.T. as he is behind Kellen Winslow.

22-year old safety Ahmad Black was a 5th round pick for the Bucs.  He played in 4 games for the Bucs last year and he had 5 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.

23-year old RB Allen Bradford was picked in the sixth round.  Bradford played in 1 game for the Bucs last year and he carried the ball 5 times for 13 yards (2.6 ypc).  He is now on the Seahawks.

23-year old CB/S Anthony Gaitor was picked in the 7th round by the Bucs.  He played in 8 games for the Bucs last year and he had 5 tackles.

24-year old TE Daniel Hardy was also picked in the 7th round.  He was cut early in the year and he is now on the New Orleans Saints.  He didn’t get into any games for the Saints.

GRADE FOR 2011:  C

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B

The Tampa  Bay Buccaneers loaded up on defense this time around in the NFL Draft.  They had almost no pass rush last season so they took DEs Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers in the first two rounds.  Those guys could both be starters from day #1 for the Bucs.  Inside linebacker Mason Foster is a tackling machine and he will also likely start for the Bucs in 2011.  He is a run thumper.  Safety Ahmad Black and S/CB Anthony Gaitor could help the secondary in 2011 and beyond.  TE Luke Stocker (4th round), RB Allen Bradford (6th round) and TE Daniel Hardy (7th round) were brought in to help out the offense in 2011 and beyond.

PROJECTED GRADE:  A+

The Buccaneers picked 24-year old TE Daniel Hardy out of Idaho with the 238th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Hardy is 6’3″, 245 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40.  Hardy is basically an oversized WR as he isn’t much of a blocker at all.  He can get down the field in the passing game though as he is a big time threat over the middle of the field.  Hardy played in 8 games (all starts) for Idaho last year and he caught 32 passes for 545 yards (17.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He played in 28 games (12 starts) in his four years at Idaho and he caught 80 passes for 1,364 yards (17.1 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

UPDATE:  (9/6/2011) – The Buccaneers have waived rookie TE Daniel Hardy.

The Buccaneers have picked 22-year old CB/S Anthony Gaitor out of Florida International with the 222nd overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Gaitor is 5’9″, 174 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  Gaitor probably project more as a safety because he might have issues winning one on one battles with big WRs.  He is a good tackler and he makes plays on the ball.  Gaitor played in 13 games (all starts) for Florida International and he had 52 tackles, he broke up 5 passes, had 2 interceptions, forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked RB Allen Bradford out of USC with the 187th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Bradford is 5’11″, 242 pounds and he runs a 4.56 40.  Bradford started his career as a fullback with USC before moving to tailback his last two years.  Bradford’s style is very similar to LeGarrette Blount as he is a pure power runner.  He played in 12 games (4 starts) for USC last year and he carried the ball 110 times for 794 yards (7.2 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 3 passes for 74 yards (24.7 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  Bradford played 5 years for the Trojans and he carried the ball 267 times for 1,585 yards (5.9 ypc) with 16 TD grabs.  He also caught 14 passes for 176 yards (12.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs at USC.  This could wind up being a really good pick for the Bucs.

The Buccaneers drafted 21-year old safety Ahmad Black out of Florida with the 151st overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Black is 5’9″, 183 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40.  Black is a small guy but he’s also very tough.  He is a good tackler but he lacks elite speed which could be an issue in the NFL.  Black played in 13 games (all starts) at Florida last year and he had 108 tackles, he broke up 5 passes, had 5 interceptions, he forced 3 fumbles and he recovered 2 fumbles.  Black played in 48 games (39 starts) in his four years with the Gators and he had 244 tackles, he broke up 15 passes, had 13 interceptions, forced 3 fumbles and he recovered 2 fumbles.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took 23-year old TE Luke Stocker with the 104th overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Stocker is 6’4″, 255 pounds and he runs a 4.8 40.  Stocker is a good postional blocker in the running game, but, despite his size he doesn’t block with a lot of power.  Stocker has great hands and he makes catches in traffic as he’s fearless running routes over the middle of the field.  He does not have enough speed to break long runs after the catch though.  Stocker played in 13 games (all starts) for Tennessee last year and he caught 39 passes for 417 yards (10.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He played in 52 games (38 starts) in his four years with the Volunteers and he caught 85 passes for 956 yards (11.2 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  Stocker gives the Bucs another solid weapon in the passing game.

The Buccaneers took 22-year old ILB/OLB Mason Foster out of Washington with the 84th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Foster is 6’1″, 241 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40.  The Buccaneers are likely to use him at inside linebacker as he is a tackling machine.  Foster played in 13 games (all starts) for Washington last year and he had 163 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks and he broke up 3 passes.  He played in 50 games (41 starts) for the Huskies in four years with the team and he had 378 tackles, 38.5 tackles for a loss, 10.5 sacks, he broke up 11 passes and he had 4 interceptions.  This was another solid pick for the Buccaneers who continue to rebuild the defense with possible impact players.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked 21-year old DE Da’Quan Bowers out of Clemson with the 51st overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Bowers is 6’4″, 275 pounds and he’s very strong as his game is bull rushing.  He slipped because of an arthritic knee condition, but no one doubts his potential as he looked awesome last year.  Bowers played in 13 games (all starts) at Clemson last season and he had 74 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, he broke up 2 passes and he forced 1 fumble.  Bowers played in 38 games (30 starts) in his three years with the Tigers and he had 179 tackles, 45 tackles for a loss, 19.5 sacks, batted down 6 passes, he forced 2 fumbles and he also recovered 2 fumbles.  Bowers would have went #1 overall if he was healthy, so the Bucs got tremendous value with this pick as he fills a HUGE need for the team.

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.