The Pewter Plank
FanSided

Buccaneers: Five Best Third Round Draft Choices in Franchise History

By Alan Schechter

May 28, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and general manager Jason Licht watch practice at One Buc Place. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
May 28, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and general manager Jason Licht watch practice at One Buc Place. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next

5. Martin Gramatica

Hey, kickers are people too. Don’t be jaded based on your experience with Roberto Aguayo.

In 1998 the Bucs did finish 8-8. However, kicker Michael Husted was average at best. He missed four kicks from inside 40 yards, and only went 21-28 for a 75% field goal percentage. Husted missed an extra point as well, making it clear that it was time for a change. Tony Dungy and company knew the difference that a good kicking game could make

In came Martin Gramatica, drafted in the third round of the 1999 draft. As a rookie he showed that the Bucs made the right move. In 1999, he made 84% of his field goals and 100% of his extra points. In fact, for his career with the Bucs that lasted into 2004, he missed a grand total of two extra points. Over the first four years of his career in Tampa, Gramatica was perfect on extra points, and didn’t post a field goal percentage lower than 79%.

The young man from Argentina could make a kick in a big spot as well. In seven playoff games with the Bucs, Gramatica went 15-15 on his extra points and 11-12 on field goals, a percentage of 91.6%.

He fell off the pace in 2003 before leaving for Indianapolis prior to the end of the 2004 season. His career field goal percentage for the Bucs is 76.5%. He is the franchise’s leading scorer with 592 points, making him, though a kicker, more than worth of placement on this list.

Home/Bucs All-Time Lists