Who will the Bucs take in the first round this year?

The Bucs are now one day away from making the 20th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Bucs enter the draft with a few needs, some from last season and some more recent. Unfortunately with the current state of the NFL labor situation, this is really just a temporary reprieve from the constant CBA-BS that is now unfolding in the courts of Minneapolis. But, still, for three days we get to be football fans again and dream about what could be during next season (if and when that happens).

The Bucs need help in all levels of their defense at this point, regardless of whether Aqib Talib is on the roster next season the Buccaneers will not likely extend him long-term and will probably look to add another talented corner to eventually succeed him (and the aging Ronde Barber). The team has some interesting prospects at corner already on the roster, but none are slam dunks and it would behoove the Bucs to address that position in the draft. The need for a pass-rush and upgrades at linebackers were evident all of last season. The conventional wisdom has the Bucs taking an end in the first round, I don’t know that’s a foregone conclusion anymore though.

The Bucs could choose to pick a corner in the first, especially if either Jimmy Smith or Prince Amukamara is available, Amukamara is unlikely to last that long but Smith could still be on the board. Tampa could still get a decent end in the 2nd and 3rd if they went corner in round one. If none of that happens the Bucs will go end, but it seems like there are about ten potential candidates for the pick right now. This is a very deep draft in regard to pass-rushers, so if Mark Dominik decides to stay at 20 he should have his pick of the pass-rusher that best fits the Bucs defensive style, or he could grab a corner or even a linebacker. But who is that going to be? Let’s break it down…

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