Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 15 greatest pass rushers in franchise history

Coming off a 1988 NFL season where the Buccaneers only won five games, Broderick Thomas was selected with the No. 6 overall pick to help provide a much-needed boost on the defensive side of the football.

Following an impressive career at Nebraska, it seemed like only a matter of time before Thomas found a way to make the same impact at the professional level.

Things didn’t exactly look smooth at first for Thomas after only recording two sacks as a rookie, but also the argument can be made that his numbers would have been slightly better if he actually started a game.

Once Thomas became a consistent starter the following season, the Buccaneers quickly saw his impact improve. It became even more clear they made the right decision using a first-round pick on the linebacker the year before.

From 1990 to 1991, Thomas proved to be quite the nightmare for opponents trying to protect their beloved quarterback by registering 18.5 sacks. 11 of those sacks came in the 1991 NFL season that also consisted of the linebacker forcing seven fumbles.

Unfortunately after five seasons, the Buccaneers experienced another “what could have been situations” after Thomas would go on to sign with the Detroit Lions in free agency before the 1994 NFL season, his only year with the team.

Spending his whole career in Tampa Bay would obviously been amazing for both parties, but at least when it comes to taking the risk on Thomas in the draft back in 1989, the Buccaneers avoided the pressure of selecting a bust.