Buccaneers: Five Best Second Round Draft Picks in Franchise History

2. Mike Alstott

I think we have jumped back into familiar territory with this one, have we not?

Mike Alstott was chosen in the second round of the 1996 draft, with the 35th overall pick. To paraphrase the great Chris Berman, the Bucs were always in good hands with Alstott. The key with him, and I am sure most of you will agree, was the skill set he brought to the table. When you think of a traditional fullback, you think blocker. This is a player that is going to take the running back through the hole, and you won’t hear much else about him.

Well, Alstott did all of that and so much more. He could run the rock as the lead back, carrying the ball 242 times for 949 yards and seven touchdowns in 1999. He could punch it in from the goal line as well. From 1997-2002, Alstott never posted less than five rushing touchdowns in a season, and posted ten in 2001 alone. As Chris Berman used to bring out with his explosive sounds as Alstott would make first contact with someone, he was tough to bring down.

Here are some “A-Train” highlights for you to enjoy:

Remember he could also catch the football out of the backfield, with 305 receptions for 2,284 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career. He was a big man with soft hands. A rare quality in a man who could intimidate like he could.

He also got it done in a big spot. In the run through the Super Bowl title over the Raiders, Alstott helped his team with four rushing touchdowns.

His 5,088 rushing yards rank him second on the franchise all time list. He was selected to the Pro Bowl six times, and named first team All-Pro three times. The “A-Train” sits firmly at number two on this list.