Draft breakdown: Day 2

This is elsewhere on our site, but for the sake of convenience, here's the second installment of our position rankings. Today's edition looks at the defensive:

1,Chris Long, End, 6-4, 275, Virginia: Play a traditional 4-3 defense and want a pass-rusher who comes off the edge? He's your man. Or perhaps your team prefers the 3-4 alignment and you'll ask Long to be a stand-up outside linebacker. Well, that would be fine, too.

2,Vernon Gholston, End, 6-4, 258, Ohio State: Registered 22½ sacks in 25 starts and is considered adept at dropping into pass coverage.   

3,Glenn Dorsey, Tackle, 6-2, 316, LSU: Game has some resemblance to Warren Sapp's given his quickness and ability to create havoc.   

4,Sedrick Ellis, Tackle, 6-1, 305, USC: Boosted his stock at the Senior Bowl in January, where he was, arguably, the most impressive defender.   

5,Derrick Harvey, End, 6-5, 252, Florida: Versatile player who can succeed in both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes; started just 18 games but had 20½ sacks.   

6,Phillip Merling, End, 6-5, 272, Clemson: Plays well against the run (31 tackles for loss in two seasons); coming off a recent hernia surgery.   

7,Kentwan Balmer, Tackle, 6-5, 298, North Carolina: Some are concerned about a college career best described as inconsistent; started just 22 games for the Tar Heels.   

8,Calais Campbell, End, 6-8, 282, Miami: Exceptionally tall but vulnerable to the run; might be best suited as a third-down specialist a la the Bucs' Greg White.   

9,Trevor Laws, Tackle, 6-1, 304, Notre Dame: Compact build makes him a natural against the run; started 37 games for the Irish with 224 career tackles.   

10,Pat Sims, Tackle, 6-2, 310, Auburn: Inexperience — just 12 college starts — is a concern; questions linger about a lack of strength necessary to compete against NFL guards.

Comments

[aaron]

i think #1-6 are out of our range. i think sims is way overrated. Campbell is intriging because he is one of those players who has the potential to be a star or a major flop. nowhere in between. he needs a d-line coach who can reach him. Balmer is a beast but i am not sure he fits the mold of what we need. i think the man we should be targeting is Dre Moore from maryland. he is quick and powerful. But he is on the second tier of defensive players. we may be able to get him in the third.

[Alan Kapell]

Bucs need to do better job of conditioning current players. R Sims is 50lb over weight, G Adams needs upper body strength Haye, White, Hovan & entire offensive line can lose at least 20lbs each. Finally, Allen, Gruden & Co have NOT drafted a Pro Bowler, which indicates how braindead they are on draft day. Bucs need NEW leadership from top down..........

[Staggie]

Trevor Laws is our guy. Trade down a few spots out of #20, pick up an extra late round pick and draft this stud.

We have no picks after the 5th round.

Sorry to the locals, but Jenkins will be long gone by #20.

WR Donnie Avery from Houston (4.3 speed) is the playmaker we need in the second round.

CB Terrell Thomas from USC is the guy in the 3rd round.

[aaron]

i have been saying all along Dwight Lowery, cb, from SJSU in the 4th. played cover 2 in college and in two years at the school had 13 int's. stock has dropped because of a "slow" 40 time at combine, it was like a 4.6
we dont need top end speed at cb. that isnt the defense we run, we need ability to cover zone and instincts and this guy has it.

[staggie]

Aaron, you are on the mark. Lowrey would fit well in our scheme. I am certain he is on our Draft Board for day two.

My guess here is the "copy cat" Lions will grab him early in the third.

I am amazed how speed is such a premium. We want FOOTBALL PLAYERS, guys who eat, breathe and sleep it, like our Coach.

Ronde Barber is a 4.6 guy, that seemed to work out ok. Tarnard Jackson had a slow time last year also.

This is a deep draft at the holes we need to fill, I am confident Allen and Gruden will get it right, as they have with Jackson, Ruud, Joseph and Trueblood in the past few drafts.