2008 Tampa Bay Bucs NFL Draft Needs

Tampa Bay general manager Bruce Allen has struggled on draft day as he has not proven to be a great judge of college talent. Running back Cadillac Williams is really his only gem in the past five seasons and he is facing a lengthy rehab. One thing that often separates good drafting teams from bad ones in their ability to find talent on the second day in the late rounds. Tampa Bay has not been able to do so at all. Last season's draft was better for the Bucs with Gaines Adams, Aaron Sears, and Tanard Jackson all contributing as rookies. The Bucs will need another strong showing at the draft to improve on last season's 9-7 mark. Find out where they will look first in Jimmy Boyd's 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Draft needs preview.

#1 Wide Receiver

The Bucs needed to bring in a solid wideout last season via the draft or free agency and they did nothing about it. They can't afford to ignore it again, even if they must work out a deal to trade up to get an impact receiver. Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard are ancient and the team has little confidence in Michael Clayton or Maurice Stovall. LSU's Early Doucet will be one of Tampa's targets. If he's off the board, Oklahoma State's Adarius Bowman also looks like a nice fit.

#2 Cornerback

Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly are aging. Kelly especially is beginning to be a liability as he has missed 19 games the past two seasons. Depending on who is available, the Bucs could use their first round pick on a corner. South Florida's Mike Jenkins would probably be happy to stay right at home.

#3 Running Back

There's a chance that Cadillac Williams could never play again after tearing his patellar tendon. Even if he does, it is likely that he will never be the same player. Earnest Graham is a nice versatile, third down type back, but the Bucs could stand to cover themselves by drafting a tailback. With this being a deep running back draft, the Bucs should have several options. Oregon's Jonathan Stewart may be available in the first round when the Bucs pick 21st, but Tampa Bay could probably stand to wait until round two and could still land a player like Rutgers' Ray Rice or West Virginia's Steve Slaton.

#4 Tight End

Alex Smith is solid, but doesn't have the elite gene. Anthony Becht was lost to free agency and Jerramy Stevens is inconsistent both on and off the field. This would be a good spot for the Bucs to address on day two.

#5 Center

The Bucs need to get a capable center waiting in the wings for when John Wade hangs it up in a couple years. Dan Buenning could move over from guard to play the spot, but drafting a center seems to be the better option.

Make sure you check out all of Jimmy Boyd's 2008 NFL Draft previews to see what direction your favorite NFL team might be headed in. Also check out our 2008 NFL Mock Draft to see how Jimmy sees the first round shaping up.

April 8th, 2008