No. 52

Pick by Buc 'Em Red Bryant Defensive Tackle Texas A&M

With the 52nd overall selection in the 2008 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected Texas A&M defensive tackle Red Bryant.  JScott, head of the Bucs community Buc 'Em, made the pick and explains himself below:

  We gambled on taking a WR/PR with that first round draft pick in Cal's DeSean Jackson and have really got a not-so-spectacular group of corners left to choose from thanks to Dave and those pesky Falcon fans who chose CB Tracy Porter with their 48th pick.  With that said we've decided to go with Texas A&M's Defensive Tackle Joseph "Red" Bryant.  The Bucs have been rumored to like Red and he's certainly a better value at this point than any cornerback we could have potentially pursued.

Red is a monster at 6'5" and 320+ pounds. He's got a great presence, ideal physique, and a mean streak the fan base will grow to love (ask OT Chris Williams about those haymakers he received during a Senior Bowl practice). Our Tampa 2 Defense needs a nose tackle that can stop the run and Bryant has proved he can do that over the course of his collegiate career. He's also shown an ability to get after the quarterback and has proved to be disruptive along the line. Our defense prides itself on the D-line being able to disrupt the passer and adding Red to the mix can only improve that aspect of our game.

The Bucs are in the middle of the pack in terms of defending the rush around the league and have been susceptible to the run in years past.  It's currently the only achilles heel of the defense (Eli Manning might discount that statement). There's a concern about Bryant's playing shape, but he did run a 4.98 in the 40, which was the second best time of all the defensive tackles in the draft.

With Phillip Buchanon and Eugene Wilson filling the cleats Lions CB Brian Kelly left behind this off-season, it made our decision to draft Texas A&M's Red Bryant an easy decision...
 
Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

A very smart pick by the Bucs. They need to add beef up front, and Bryant is certainly that. Tampa took a flyer in round one with DeSean Jackson; this pick is getting back to the basics of building a franchise. Bryant has Pro Bowl potential in this defense.

Grade: A  ::  Red Bryant Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining: 1.  LB Shawn Crable, 2.  RB Jamaal Charles, 3.  WR Earl Bennett, 4.  TE Fred Davis, 5.  QB Chad Henne

The Pittsburgh Steelers, once again represented by the fine folks at Behind the Steel Curtain, are on the clock.  Their pick will be posted tomorrow at noon eastern.  Stay tuned!