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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ talent is on full display on national TV, as the NFL Network’s Top 100 for 2013 has featured yet another Buc. Doug Martin, Darrelle Revis, Gerald McCoy, and Dashon Goldson have all already had their names called for the list, and one more was added tonight as Vincent Jackson was announced as the 52nd best player for 2013 according to the player vote.

The Buccaneers’ leading receiver in 2012 received high praise from his peers, especially safety Thomas DeCoud of the Atlanta Falcons, who recalled his ability to go up and catch passes that seem impossible to get to. You can see the whole video here.

Take a moment to consider the fact that five of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are considered among the 100 best in the league. With 32 teams in the league, not every team will have even 3 or 4 players on this list, and it speaks to the job the front office has done that the players they have brought in via trade (Revis), signing (Jackson and Goldson), and the draft (McCoy and Martin) are paying off in such a major way.

So, what other Buccaneers do you expect to see on the list? I would guess that Carl Nicks may still have his name called. There doesn’t appear to be another logical addition to the top 50 from the Buccaneers, but if you have an idea, let us know in the comment section. I think it would be pretty awesome to head into 2013 knowing that the players in the NFL think 5 or 6 of the 100 best players are Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the potential for others (like Lavonte David, Mike Williams, Davin Joseph, Donald Penn, and maybe even Josh Freeman) to perform at such a level that makes them strong candidates for next year’s list. This Buccaneers team has undoubtable talent. The job for this season is to translate that talent into wins, which is something that is far from automatic in the NFL.

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The Buccaneers put pen to paper with another rookie today, as Johnthan Banks, rookie corner out of Mississippi State, signed his first professional contract to stay on with the Buccaneers for 4 years. Sports Talk Florida’s Bucs Insider Jenna Laine broke the news of the contract details, outlining that Banks will receive fully guaranteed pay in years one and two of the deal, in addition to a singing bonus. Here is the breakdown from Jenna:

Details of player contracts are not made available to the public, but a source tells Sports Talk Florida that Banks’ deal is worth $4,726,321 and includes a signing bonus of $1,817,324.

Banks will earn a base salary of $405,000 in 2013, which is standard for NFL rookies. In 2014, that figure jumps to $619,833. In 2015, he’ll make $834,666 and in 2016, $849,498.

This is just another sign of how valuable draft picks can be, because Banks will be making a very small salary (in NFL terms) for four years, and may wind up being an every week starter at some point during this deal, making him a massive value pick for the Bucs.

Banks may not step into a starter’s role right away, but he doesn’t have to. He’s got plenty of competition at cornerback, which is a surprising statement given the results from the secondary last season, and there are questions about his speed and his lack of experience as a press-man corner. His inexpensive contract and the presence of Eric Wright and Leonard Johnson combine to allow him time to develop into the cornerback the Buccaneers drafted him to become.

Mike Glennon remains the only unsigned rookie for the Buccaneers, which is not surprising, as quarterback contracts always take a while, even under a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Expect to see Glennon signed soon, and the Buccaneers poised to make some bargain moves after June 1st, when another wave of cuts across the NFL may happen.

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When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers added Tom Crabtree this offseason, they did so in hopes that he would be able to take a step forward and prove he’s ready for a bigger role in an offense lacking a true number one tight end. Crabtree was just one of many potential targets in the Green Bay, and now finds himself in Tampa Bay where the competition is perceived to be less steep. And while it may just be an act of goodwill towards the team that’s giving him a chance to earn a bigger role in the offense, Crabtree things that the competition in Tampa Bay is just as fierce. In fact, he went so far as to compare the talent to that of the Green Bay Packers.

Pewter Report’s Mark Cook quoted Crabtree as having said the following about his new teammates:

“Man, I’ll tell you what – being here for a month, some of the best, just gifted athletes I’ve been around. Some really talented guys. That’s not taking anything away from Green Bay. They’ve obviously had talented guys, as well. But coming here there’s been no dropoff as far as the athleticism and the talent of guys.”

Crabtree may be a bit biased towards the team who offered him a contract versus the team that neglected to offer him a restricted free agent tender, but he may also be on to something. Are the Buccaneers as talented as the Packers? Let’s quickly go position by position and see if the Bucs’ newest tight end has a point.

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Quarterback: This one is easy. No matter how you feel about Josh Freeman, you can’t say he’s better than Aaron Rodgers. Advantage, Green Bay.

Running Back: This one is just as easy. Doug Martin is miles ahead of anyone in Green Bay. Advantage, Tampa Bay.

Wide Receiver: The Packers lost Greg Jennings, but still have Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and James Jones. The Buccaneers counter with Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, and a mix of players competing for the third wide receiver job. Nelson is injury prone, and Cobb and Jones may be producing over their talent level thanks to a great quarterback, but the fact that the Packers roll three deep here means they have the slight advantage. Slight Advantage, Green Bay.

Tight End: I’m not a big fan of Jermichael Finley‘s talent, but the Buccaneers have nothing to stand out as better than him, so Advantage, Green Bay.

Offensive Line: The Buccaneers have this one in the bag once everyone gets healthy. The Packers have a couple of solid linemen, but the Buccaneers have some of the best in the business. Advantage, Tampa Bay.

Defensive Line/Pass Rush: These teams run different systems, so this is tougher to judge. So I’ve included Clay Matthews in this group to give a more level playing field, and because of that, Green Bay comes out ahead. Advantage, Green Bay.

Linebacker: With the way I have broken out the teams, Clay Matthews is a part of the pass rush section listed above. That means that Lavonte David is the best linebacker left between the two teams, and Mason Foster is good enough to give the Buccaneers a slight edge here, along with the potential that Jonathan Casillas brings. Slight Advantage, Tampa Bay.

Secondary: The Packers lost Charles Woodson, and the Bucs lost Ronde Barber. That’s where the similarities end. The Bucs are clearly better at this position, with Dashon Goldson and Darrelle Revis dwarfing anyone the Pack have to offer. Advantage, Tampa Bay.

Special Teams: Mason Crosby used to be a pretty reliable guy, but fell off last season. Connor Barth has been reliable. As for the punters, Tim Masthay and Michael Koenen aren’t that much different, but a slight edge goes to Masthay. On kickoffs, the Buccaneers were the best in the business at kicking for touchbacks, and Green Bay was below average. But Green Bay’s return game was much better than the Bucs. This section is a Push.

So in other words, there is no clear favorite here, when we break the teams down in the most simple of fashions. Obviously, there is a wider margin between the talent at some of these positions (Quarterback and Pass Rush come to mind.), but as a whole, the Buccaneers line up well against Crabtree’s former team.

What do you think, Bucs fans? Do our guys have a chance to be better than the Packers? Or is Crabtree crazy? Comment below and let us know.