Buccaneers Begin Camp With Their Freshly Signed Red Barron

I know I am a couple of days late with the Barron signing, but what do you expect. The Olympics started, and the Orioles and Noles have had big news lately. Let's give it up for the 12 Seminoles in London. Plenty more is coming on that story. Also trying to follow this Penn State stuff is wild. I also know the Red Barron analogy is extremely corny. Let's look at the signing though and the start of camp.

The deal is worth 14.5 million and for 4 years. It was signed last Friday and gives the final draft pick without a contract, just that. No unsigned picks. The Bucs have to be pleased with that. Barron was the crown jewel of the draft, and had to get done. The Bucs expect Barron to make a huge impact. I also expect Barron to make a big impact. I am not the biggest Bama fan or the biggest SEC fan, but Barron can play. He was a very solid pickup for Tampa.

Barron and the rest of the Bucs started training camp yesterday. Admission is free! Go check out the Bucs @ One Buccaneer Place all of you Bucs fans. Enjoy training camp! The season is almost here.

-Noland

Buccaneers Mini Camp Update

This update is slightly behind schedule, but it is here now. Buccaneers mini camp opened last Tuesday and it was a newsworthy day for the Bucs. One of the reasons it was newsworthy is that despite it being mandatory there were some that missed. It was missed by blog favorite Amobi Okoye. He had a pretty good excuse though. Okoye had arthroscopic knee surgery that caused him to miss that date.

Okoye elected to have the surgery now, rather than have further complications down the road. The procedure he underwent is considered relatively minor. He is expected to make a full recovery and be back in time for training camp in late July. I'll try to go to a day or two of training camp before the season starts and post about it here. It is unfortunate that Okoye missed mini camp, but good that he won't be out for long.

Da'Quan Bowers also was not at mini-camp as he ruptured his Achilles tendon. Don't expect Bowers on the field this season. The other person to miss was DT Brian Price, the former UCLA standout. Price, heading into his 3rd season, was excused from Day 1 of the mini camp.

Eric Wright finally showed up for the Bucs as they install their new defense. Wright is a guy who has high expectations, as he just signed a 37.5 million dollar contract.

Finally, Preston Parker is impressing at Bucs camp. I had a class with Preston Parker and I have to say that he is a very entertaining character. Obviously, as a FSU guy, I have always been impressed with his talent. However, as an FSU guy I was frustrated with a lot of his off the field antics. It appears at least that Parker has put it together, and I really hope that he has. The sky is the limit for this guy if he has put it together. In fact, Josh Freeman has said that Parker is one of the most improved players that the Bucs have. Wide receiver is very competitive for the Bucs now though, because they signed Vincent Jackson. Josh Freeman has got to be happy with this receiving corps.

Former Alabama safety Mark Barron remains unsigned.

-Noland

Bucs Trade Down, Get Mark Barron

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were not totally sure with their pick and got something extra while still getting their guy. Tampa traded from 5 to 7 and still got Alabama Safety Mark Barron. Not only did they get Barron, but they also got an additional draft choice. This seems to be a bit of a reach for Barron, but Charley Casserly had Barron rated as the #7 player overall, so not really. I would have preferred Luke Kuechly, but Mark Barron definitely fills a need. Solid job by the Buccaneers here.

-Noland

Charley Casserly's Mock Draft (2 Rounds)

Charley Casserly released his mock draft on April 13th and it has some very interesting predictions on it. I will post some of the more interesting picks, but you can get the full mock here.

First Round
2) Robert Griffin III. No surprise here from Casserly, but my cousin Adam thinks RG3 is the greatest. I am not entirely convinced, but I like RG3. I do not think the Redskins should have given up so much to get him though.'

3) Minnesota Vikings select Matt Kalil (USC). I will go on record in saying that Kalil will be an all-pro within 5 seasons.

5) Tampa selects Morris Claiborne (LSU). Help with the aging secondary, let's see if this is the way the Bucs actually go.

6) St. Louis selects Justin Blackmon (OK St). I am a big Justin Blackmon fan and think he and Sam Bradford will do big things over their careers. Great pick if it happens.

9) Carolina selects Fletcher Cox (Miss St). Cox is an animal and will do big things in the pros. If Carolina gets him it will be a great selection. This guy will be a stud.

11) Chiefs select Luke Kuechly (BC). Kuechly is an awesome linebacker. He is my personal favorite player in this draft, even more than the Seminoles. I just love the way he plays. His grit and effort will make up for what he lacks in physical ability. I do not think he is the best player in this draft, but I think he will do great. There will be another post on Kuechly in the near future.

14) Dallas selects Mark Barron (Bama). Casserly thinks the world of Barron. He has the safety rated 7th overall and wrote an article about how great Barron is. The former GM even had Barron rated ahead of former great Sean Taylor.

29) Ravens select Peter Konz (Wisconsin). He would serve as Birk's eventual replacement, possibly playing at guard right away.

2nd round
36) Tampa selects David Wilson (VT). Wilson would be help for a weak Tampa Bay backfield. Wilson is the 3rd rated back on most boards. I think the Hokie has a pretty good chance at being a solid back on most teams.


47) Jets select Andre Branch (Clemson). This would be tremendous value with the 47th pick. Branch can play.

55) Atlanta selects Zebrie Sanders (FSU). Sanders will be the first Seminole off the board without a doubt. The question is when Sanders will be selected. I must say that as a Seminoles fan I think Sanders is overrated, but he can be a solid pro. Needs to control the penalties.

60) Baltimore selects Chris Givens (Wake). Givens is fast and would give the Ravens one of the fastest receiving cores in football. Givens would be a huge upgrade over the mess that is Lee Evans. Givens, Boldin, and Smith is a great receiving group. Lets see if this actually happens. Joe Flacco would be one happy man with this.

We are getting close. Should be interesting.

-Noland