Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Over the past week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ division rivals have been just as busy as the Bucs, adding to the roster via the draft and free agency. And just like the teams, the writers of the teams have been hard at work scouring the web for information on the newest members of the division. To get an outsiders’ perspective of the Buccaneers’ draft choices, we got the chance to have the editors of the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers sites on the Fansided network grade the Bucs draft, and here’s what they thought of the job Mark Dominik and his team did.

Ken Dye of CatCrave graded the Buccaneers draft like this:

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Leading up to the NFL Draft, most experts felt that there would be a run on quarterbacks at the end of the first round, as teams in need of a franchise QB would trade into the bottom of the first day of picks and select a quarterback to sign to a team-friendly five-year contract. Ryan Nassib, Matt Barkley, Geno Smith, E.J. Manuel, and even Mike Glennon were all tabbed as potential first rounders, with teams like the Browns, Cardinals, Jets, Jaguars, Chiefs and others possibly looking to select a quarterback for the future.

Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Greg Cosell, one of the most well-respected NFL analysts, said before the draft that he thought Mike Glennon was one of the best quarterbacks in the draft, and was worthy of a first round pick. Other various draft experts went back and forth on their rankings for Glennon, but usually focusing on bigger names like Smith and Barkley. But Glennon caught the eye of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because they offered him a situation unlike the one he faced in Raleigh with NC State: talent to surround him.

In the same article linked above, Cosell said that Glennon needed to be put in the right situation, and not asked to be the lead dog from day one. He’s not Andrew Luck or Russell Wilson, so he’s not going to have the precision or creativity to take an awful team and make them successful on offense like last year’s rookie stars did. But Cossel said of Glennon “I think he has, probably, more of the attributes you look for than, maybe, anyone else in this class,’’ and that having a team around him would put him in a position to be successful.

Luckily for the young NC State product, he’s been drafted into a situation where he has an excellent team around him, and he doesn’t have to step in and start on day one (if ever). Looking back at his college game film, we see a young man put into a very dire situation talent-wise and able to still produce at a fairly high level.

Take a look at this video (it should start at the 2:26 mark, otherwise scroll there yourself) and you’ll see the main problem with Glennon’s NC State teammates. You’ll see two straight passes where Glennon is patient and waits for his receivers to come into open space in the middle of the field. He stands tall despite a bit of pressure, and delivers a perfect strike each time. Both passes result in drops bouncing off of his intended receivers’ hands. Watch each play, and then the replay for each that shows on the video, and you’ll realize just how great of a throw Glennon made, and just how bad his receivers are.

Taking a look through the rest of his film, you see a QB that had poor blocking and inconsistent receivers. Even with these shortcomings, Glennon was able to create moments like this one. Watch that video, and think about how it looks like Josh throwing a deep ball to Vincent Jackson or Mike Williams (and might look even better than those throws).

Mike Glennon was drafted into the perfect situation in Tampa Bay, where he’ll be afforded all the help and talent he needs should he ever be pressed into duty. Glennon is a talented quarterback who can make every single throw asked of him by an NFL offense, and he fits the Buccaneers’ system beautifully.  So while many fans of the Buccaneers felt like selecting Glennon in the third round was a waste of a pick, they may find that he’s the perfect fit should something happen to Josh Freeman in 2013.

Oct 6, 2012; Madison, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive tackle Akeem Spence (94) prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

After a crazy weekend of wheeling and dealing, not even the general managers of the NFL can tell you who the best player selected in the 2013 NFL draft is, because the careers of these young players are months away from being tested on the field. But that should not stop us from looking at how the Bucs drafted, and judging them for the successes and failures based on an early assessment of the teams’ needs and how they have been filled.

Hits:

Cornerback: We got freakin’ Darrelle Revis, man. This made the draft a successful. Teams have to gameplan for a Bucs defender. They have not had to worry about that since the heyday of the Tampa 2, and this is a much different beast than the Buccaneers’ team defenses of the early 2000′s.

DT Akeem Spence: Call the police – the Bucs stole Akeem Spence with their first pick of Round 4. If you watch a lot of Big Ten football, which I do, you know that Spence is a real warrior and extremely durable – he started 38 games in college – and has the physical grit to fight for a starting spot at defensive tackle right away. He is not as big as a lot of 4-3 tackles, but he has a real nose for the ball. He finished with 72 tackles last year, a rare number for an interior defensive lineman at any level. He can push the pocket a little bit and add real depth to a position where the team has been thinned out because of free agency. I really like this pick.

Dec 31, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarterback Mike Glennon (8) looks to pass against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half of the Music City Bowl at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Misses:

Where is the TE?: Clearly the front office and the coaching staff is comfortable with Luke Stocker. The free agent market is extremely thin at this position so it seems unlikely that someone with the potential to contribute will be brought in post-draft. It seems the staff is comfortable with the TEs currently on the roster: Stocker, Nate Byham, Tom Crabtree, Drake Dunsmore, Zach Miller, and Danny Noble. Anyone feel comfortable with any one of these guys lining up as the opening day starter? You had better get used to it.

QB Mike Glennon: Glennon was one of the guys that jumped up – way up – the draft boards. Glennon has a cannon arm and a thin build. At NC State his starting record stands at 15-10. Scouting reports compare him to Ravens QB Joe Flacco, by which I assume they mean he is tall and can throw the ball really far. Why spend a third round pick on a QB? If you do not believe in Josh Freeman, address the position in free agency in a year when the QB class is universally considered weak. Scouting reports say Glennon reminds them of current NFL QB Joe Flacco, by which I think they mean he is really tall.