Buccaneers: Five Best Second Round Draft Picks in Franchise History

3. Kevin House

Now this one is a real trip down memory lane. My apologies to fans that remember these days, but for our younger fans, we will give an idea of who Kevin House was.

Most of you probably know that after the team arrived in 1976, they didn’t win a game until 1977. They only won two games that year. Jump ahead to 1979, and the team finally put things together, well enough to go 10-6, win the division and a playoff game. Things had finally turned around for the team in creamsicle orange. (Kids, ask your parents if you need to clarify the reference).

The passing offense, however, remained relatively dormant. In 1979, they were ranked 18th on the league (per NFL.com). To date, the Bucs had not posted a 1,000 yard performance by any receiver.

Kevin House was drafted in round two of the 1980 draft with the 49th pick overall. The trend didn’t end that rookie year, as House only started one game. However, he did record 24 catches for 531 yards and five touchdowns. His coming out party came in November, when he posted three catches for 77 yards, two of them for scores against the Minnesota Vikings.

The 1,000 yard drought ended in 1981 when House posted his best season as a pro. He posted 56 receptions for 1,176 yards and nine touchdowns. His touchdown total was good for fourth in the NFL in 1981. Following the strike-shortened season of 1982, he went for 769 yards in 1983, 1,005 in 1984 and 803 in 1985. His final days with the Bucs were in 1986 when he was with the team for seven games before ending up with the Los Angeles Rams.

His 4,928 receiving yards rank him second on the team’s all time list, earning him the number three spot here.