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Buccaneers: Five Best First Round Picks in Franchise History

By Alan Schechter

Mar 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht speaks to the media during the 2017 NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht speaks to the media during the 2017 NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; A view of an official Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmet on the sidelines at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; A view of an official Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmet on the sidelines at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Lee Roy Selmon

For our number two selection, we go right back to the beginning. Lee Roy Selmon was the first college draft pick in team history. Right off the bat he was dominant. With 40 sacks and 325 total tackles in college, this was to be expected. Many of the stats we know of today weren’t kept during Selmon’s early days in the league, so we have to evaluate him differently. Take a look at this quote about Selmon from the Gainesville Sun back in 1981 (from Wikipedia):

"Buccaneer assistant Abe Gibron said, “Selmon has no peers” at defensive end, while former Detroit Lions coach Monte Clark compared him to “a grown man at work among a bunch of boys”."

Starting in 1979, Selmon was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his final six years, before a back injury ended his career after the 1984 season. In 1982, the NFL started recording sacks as an official statistic. From there until the end of his career, Selmon recorded 23 sacks, including 11 in 1983. In 1979, he earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.

It’s also important to take note of how he shined on very bad Bucs teams. Through Selmon’s entire career in Tampa they posted a winning record twice. They were winless in 1976, and won only twice in 1977. Selmon was a star through some really ugly days in Tampa, and it earned him a bust in Canton in the class of 1995. He died in 2011 from complications stemming from a stroke.

But what a player he was.

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