Former Buccaneers star Lee Roy Selmon was named the ninth best first overall draft choice in the modern draft era.
Buccaneers fans have suffered through a lot of losing. I’m not trying to make an example of it, but it is a fact. Not every fan base can say they have suffered through a winless season. Add that to the fact it was the first season of existence, and that makes it even harder. Why stay when the new team can’t win a game? It’s because Bucs fans are loyal and special. It makes a great fan base.
But with a lot of losing comes high draft picks. The Bucs have certainly had their fair share of high draft picks. They had the first pick the year they came in via expansion, and most recently they had it in 2015. Those are far from the only times. Losing seasons translate into hearing your team’s name early on day one of the draft.
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Well, as we often say here, it is fun to look back. Looking back at the history of the draft can give us an interesting perspective.
NFL.com shares that philosophy. Elliot Harrison of the NFL website released a list, ranking the last 50 number one draft picks, in reverse order from 50 to 1.
If you take a look at the top ten, one of our very own Bucs comes in at number nine. He was the first pick in team history, Lee Roy Selmon:
"The Bucs’ first real star, Lee Roy Selmon came out of Oklahoma ready to play in 1976, and by 1979, he was making the Pro Bowl every year. Selmon would make six straight Pro Bowls before a bad back forced him to retire prior to the 1985 season. Selmon was the best player the Bucs ever had prior to the Tony Dungy teams."
Some of our younger readers may have to talk to their parents to understand the true impact that Selmon had on the Bucs. Simply put, he was dominant. Think about when Selmon was dominant. He excelled for some of the worst teams in franchise history. To be a shining star when the team has difficulty winning just elevates his stardom to another level.
It’s great to see Selmon recognized so high. There were more Bucs included on this list. Here they are:
- Jameis Winston (35)
- Ricky Bell (32)
- Bo Jackson (29)
- Vinny Testaverde (22)
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Talk about Selmon, Bucs fans. Any memories? Share them below for our younger readers that might not know what he did.