The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected ILB Najee Goode out of West Virginia with the 140th overall pick (5th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Goode moved to inside linebacker for his senior season and he was a standout.  His range is pretty much just tackle to tackle, but he controlled the middle of the field defensively for the Mountaineers last year.  Goode is also an outstanding special teams player, so he’s going to likely get on the field early on in his career with the Bucs.  Goode played in 13 games (all starts) for West Virginia last year and he had 87 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 1 pass broken up and 1 interception.  Goode played in 52 games (26 starts) in his four years in college and he had 157 tackles, 22.5 tackles for a loss, 8 sacks, 7 passes broken up and 2 interceptions.  I like this pickup for the Bucs as Goode should help them improve the run defense and the special teams.

The Buccaneers selected OLB Lavonte David out of Nebraska with the 58th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2012 NFL Draft.  David is on the small side at 6’0″, 225 pounds and he runs a 4.65 40, so he is a great athlete.  David is a good tackler and he can get into the backfield using his speed.  But, bigger blockers have little problem eliminating him from plays due to his lack of size.  David played in games (all starts) for Nebraska last year and he had 133 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and 1 interceptions.  David played in 27 games (all starts) in his two years at Nebraska and he had 285 tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks, 10 passes broken up and 2 interceptions.  I like this pick for the Bucs as they needed an upgrade at outside linebacker big time and David might give them that starting in 2012.

The Buccaneers dealt the #36 overall pick (2nd round) and the #101 overall pick (4th round) to the Denver Broncos for the #31 overall pick (1st round) and the #126 overall pick (4th round) to move up and take RB Doug Martin out of Boise State.  Martin is a good athlete as he is 5’9″, 219 pounds and he runs a 4.49 40.  Martin played in 13 games (12 starts) for Boise State last year and he carried the ball 263 times for 1,299 yards (4.9 ypc) with 16 TD runs.  He also caught 28 passes for 255 yards (9.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs for the Broncos last year.  Martin played in 51 games (25 starts) in his four years at Boise State and he carried the ball 617 times for 3,431 yards (5.6 ypc) with 43 TD runs.  He also caught 67 passes for 715 yards (10.7 avg) with 4 TD grabs at Boise State.  This was a great pickup for the Bucs as it will only be a matter of time before Martin bumps LeGarrette Blount to the bench.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded down two spots with the Jaguars in the first round and it return they picked up the #101 overall pick (which they dealt later to move back into the first round and take RB Doug Martin).  With the #7 overall pick of the NFL Draft, the Bucs picked strong safety Mark Barron out of Alabama.  Barron played in 13 games (12 starts) for Alabama last year and he had 68 tackles, broke up 5 passes, had 2 interceptions and he had 1 fumble recovery.  Barron played in 53 games (38 starts) in his four years with the Crimson Tide and he finished up with 237 tackles, 22 passes broken up, 12 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.  Barron is excellent at playing the run, as he is a strong tackler and quick to fill.  He also is very fast and big at 6’1″,223 pounds, so he matches up well with TEs in pass coverage.  This was an excellent pick for the Bucs as Barron will start from Day #1 for them.

The Buccaneers are going to try to hit a homerun in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft and then try to fix the linebacking corps, which was pretty poor last year.  Here is who I see the Buccaneers picking in my mock 2012 NFL Draft:

1. (5) Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

2. (36) Shea McClellin, OLB, Boise State

3. (68) Mychal Kendriks, ILB, California

5. (140) Jerry Franklin, ILB, Arkansas

6. (174) B.J. Coleman, QB, Tennessee-Chattanooga

7. (212) Thomas Compton, OT, South Dakota

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have decided to add a lot of high impact players in free agency while re-signing 7 of their own key free agents.  Here is a look at who they have brought in and kept so far this off-season:

Offensively:  The first player the Bucs signed was WR Vincent Jackson and he will give them a true #1 WR and downfield threat for QB Josh Freeman to throw to.  The Bucs have also re-signed WR Preston Parker and they signed TE Chase Coffman to help out with the passing game in 2012.  The Bucs have re-signed RB LeGarrette Blount who will head into the 2012 season as the starter unless the Bucs draft Trent Richardson.  The Bucs have signed Carl Nicks to start at guard and they have re-signed C Jeremy Zuttah to start at center in 2012 and beyond.  The Bucs have re-signed OT Demar Dotson and they have signed OT Jamon Meredith to give them depth along the O-Line in 2012.  The Bucs have also signed QB Dan Orlovsky to backup Josh Freeman in 2012.

Defensively:  The Buccaneers’ big move this off-season defensively was signing CB Eric Wright.  He will likely start right from Day #1 for the Bucs.  The Bucs have also signed DT Amobi Okoye to help out as a rotational player on the interior of the D-Line in 2012.  The Bucs also re-signed DE Michael Bennett and CB Ronde Barber, who will both likely be backups in 2012.

Special Teams:  The Bucs slapped the franchise tag on kicker Connor Barth and it was a solid move as he keeps improving.

GRADE SO FAR THIS OFF-SEASON:  A

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released 26-year old safety Tanard Jackson due to a failed physical (shoulder injury).  Jackson played in 10 games for the Bucs last year and he had 35 tackles, 3 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery.  He played in 56 games in his five years with the Bucs and he had 239 tackles, 10 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), 27 passes defensed, 8 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 6 forced fumbles and 6 fumble recoveries.  The Bucs were looking to probably get rid of Jackson anyway due to his off-field behavior, so his shoulder injury gave them an out.

The Buccaneers have signed 24-year old DT Amobi Okoye to a 1-year, $2 million dollar deal.  Okoye played in all 16 games for the Chicago Bears last year and he has 27 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  He has now played in 78 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 165 tackles, 15 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 6 passes defensed.  This was a great move for the Bucs, as Okoye will strengthen the interior of the defense when he’s on the field.

The Buccaneers have re-signed 25-year old RB LeGarrette Blount to a 1-year deal.  Blount played in 14 games for the Bucs last year and he carried the ball 184 times for 781 yards (4.2 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 15 passes for 148 yards (9.9 avg) last year.  Blount has now played in 27 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 385 times for 1,788 yards (4.6 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  He has also caught 20 passes for 162 yards (8.1 avg) in his first two years for the Bucs.  It was smart of the Bucs to re-sign Blount, as he is a solid RB.  The Bucs have also waived 25-year old QB Rudy Carpenter.  He played in 1 game for the Bucs last year but he didn’t throw any passes.  He won’t be missed.

The Buccaneers have re-signed 25-year old WR Preston Parker.  Parker played in all 16 games for the Bucs last year and he caught 40 passes for 554 yards (13.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He also returned 23 punts for 210 yards (9.1 avg) and 20 kickoffs for 439 yards (22.0 avg) last year.  Parker has now played in 25 games in his first three years with the Bucs and he has caught 44 passes for 596 yards (13.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He also has returned 23 punts for 210 yards (9.1 avg) and 30 kickoffs for 617 yards (20.6 avg) so far in his career.  This was a good move for the Bucs.