Winston hopes tings are looking up./CARMEN MANDATO
Wednesday, 4 a.m.
A look at the NFL draft:
5 Players the Bucs Might Draft
1. Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.
2. N.C. State defensive end Bradley Chubb
3. Notre Dame guard Quenten Nelson
4. FSU safety Derwin James
5. Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick
Guesswork
(Who they might pick)
Round one: FSU safety Derwin James
Round two: Georgia running back Nick Chubb
Round three: No pick
Round four: Boston College cornerback Isaac Yiadom
Round five: Idaho State guard Skyler Phillips
Round six: FSU defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi
Round seven: Penn State defensive end Garrett Sickles
Areas of Need (ranked)
1. Running back
2. Cornerback
3. Offensive line
4. Defensive line
5. Safety
10 Best Draft Choices in History
1. Derrick Brooks, linebacker, FSU (28th overall): He made 11 Pro Bowls, the Hall of Fame and won a Super Bowl.
2. Lee Roy Selmon, defensive end, Oklahoma (1): The original star of the Bucs. He made the Hall of Fame, six Pro Bowls and an NFC title game.
3. Warren Sapp, defensive tackle, Miami (12): Sapp was the drink-stirrer for the Bucs' best team. He made the Hall of Fame and seven Pro Bowls.
4. John Lynch, safety, Stanford (82): Lynch was a hard-hitting safety who has been on the verge of the Hall of Fame for years.
5. Ronde Barber , cornerback, Virginia (66): One of the NFL's most instinctive players. He could rush the passer or intercept the pass.
6. Mike Alstott, fullback, Purdue (35): Often, he led the NFL in sheer effort. A tough player who made six Pro Bowls.
7. Warrick Dunn, running back, FSU (12): He gained 10,967 yards for the Bucs and Falcons.
8. Mike Evans, wide receiver, Texas A&M (7): Evans is young, but he's already one of the best Bucs ever. In four years, he has 309 catches for 4,579 yards and 32 touchdowns.
9. Doug William, quarterback, Grambling (17): Williams was the spiritual leader in the early successes of the Bucs. His impact was beyond his statistics.
10. James Wilder, running back, Missouri (34) Wilder gained 5,957 yards to lead the Bucs during his time.
10 Worst Draft Picks
1. Booker Reese, DE, Bethune-Cookman (32): (1982) Reese would have been a bust if the Bucs, as intended, took him in the first round. Instead, they gave up their first-round in 1982, which could have been Dan Marino. Reese had two sacks.
2. Eric Curry, DE, Alabama (6): (1993) In five years with the Bucs, Curry had 12 sacks.
3. Charles McRae, OT, Tennessee (7): (1991) The Bucs always thought McRae had the size and quickness to be a player. He didn't have the desire, however.
4. Keith McCants, LB, Alabama (4): (1990) McCants was a wrecking ball in college, but he never had a defined position. In three years, McCants tried to play linebacker and defensive end, neither successfully.
5. Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson (4): (2007) Adams was supposed to be the next Simeon Rice. It didn't work out that way. he had just 13 1/2 sacks in his three years.
6. Dexter Jackson, WR, Appalachian State (58): (2008): At a time when the Bucs desperately needed receivers, they drafted Jackson ... who never caught a pass. He was gone after a year.
7. Kenyatta Walker, OT, Florida: (2001)The Bucs traded a first- and a second for Walker. Walker was unable to play left tackle, however.
8. Brett Moritz, LB, Nebraska (44) (1977): He never started and played in only six games for a new football team. Not enough for a second-round draft pick.
9. Demetrius Dubose, LB, Notre Dame: (1993) He looked the part of a player, but his on-field performance never measured up.
10. Roberto Aguayo, K, FSU: Aguayo had a horrible first season, so horrible he didn't get a second season.
(Note: Bo Jackson doesn't make the list. His problem was the Bucs' inability to sign him, not his ability).
10 Forgettable Draft Trades
1. Traded a No. 1 pick in 1983 (17th) to draft Booker Reese. The Bucs meant to draft Reese No. 1 in 1982, but flubbed it. So they traded their No. 1 pick in '82 for Reese, who was a massive bust. What made it worse was the departure of Doug Williams. If the Bucs didn't make the trade, they could have drafted Dan Marino.
2. Sent the No. 4 overall pick for Chris Chandler,1992: Chandler never won a start with the Bucs.
3. Traded third-round and fourth-round picks to move up to the second round to draft kicker Roberto Aguayo, who was the worst kicker in the league..
4. Traded a second-round pick for Steve Spurrier, 1976. Spurrier lost all 12 of his starts with the Bucs.
5. Traded No. 4 overall pick for Wally Chambers, 1979: Chambers started only 18 games for the Bucs.
6. No. 1 overall pick traded for quarterback Jack Thompson, 1984: Chambers lasted two years and won just three games.
7. No. 13 overall pick to N.Y.Jets for Darrelle Revis. Revis played only one year for the Bucs and was hurt during much of it.
8. The Bucs traded a first- and a second-round pick to move up to take Kenyatta Walker in the draft. Walker didn't play well and eventually moved to right tackle.
9. Traded their No. 3 draft pick in 1978 to the Rams for guard Greg Horton.
10.Traded a second-round pick to Miami 1982 for running back Gary Davis and defensive back Norris Thomas.
Best and Worst of the Bucs' Drafts
Best Worst
1976 Lee Roy Selmon (1) Jimmy DuBose (2)
1977 Ricky Bell (1) Randy Hedberg (8)
1978 Doug Williams (1) Brett Moritz (2)
1979 Dave Logan (12) Greg Roberts (2)
1980 Scot Brantley (3) Ray Snell (1)
1981 James Wilder (2) Denver Johnson (8)
1982 Sean Farrell (1) Booker Reese (2)
1983 Randy Grimes (2) Weldon Ledbetter (7)
1984 Chris Washington (6) Keith Browner (2)
1985 Donald Igwebuike (10) Mike Heaven (4)
1986 Jackie Walker (2) Rod Jones (1)
1987 Ricky Reynolds (2) Vinny Testeverde (1)
1988 Paul Gruber (1) Lars Tate (2)
1989 Broderick Thomas (1) Danny Peebles (2)
1990 Reggie Cobb (2) Keith McCants (1)
1991 Lawrence Dawsey (3). Charles McRae (1)
1992 Mark Wheeler (3) Roderick Green (5)
1993 John Lynch (3) Eric Curry (1)
1994 Errict Rhett (2) Trent Dilfer (1)
1995 Derrick Brooks (1) Melvin Johnson (3)
1996 Mike Alstott (2) Nilo Silvan (6)
1997 Ronde Barber (3) Reidel Anthony (1)
1998 Brian Kelly (2) Jacquez Green (2)
1999 Martin Gramatica (3) John McLaughlin (5)
2000 Cosey Coleman (2) David Gibson (6)
2001 Dwight Smith (2) Kenyatta Walker (1)
2002 Jermaine Phillips (5) Marquise Walker (3)
2003 Chris Simms (3) Lance Nimmo (4)
2004 Will Allen (4) Michael Clayton (1)
2005 Carnell Williams (1) Chris Colmer (4)
2006 Davin Joseph (1) Alan Zemaitis (4)
2007 Aron Sears (2) Gaines Adams (1)
2008 Aqib Talib (1) Dexter Jackson (2)
2009 Roy Miller (3) Josh Freeman (1)
2010 Gerald McCoy (1) Brian Price (2)
2011 Luke Stocker (4) Da'Quan Bowers (2)
2012 Doug Martin (2) Mark Barron (1)
2013 William Gholston (4) Johnthan Banks (2)
2014 Mike Evans (1) Austin Seferian-Jenkins (2)
2015 Jameis Winston (1) Kenny Bell (5)
2016 Noah Spence (2) Roberto Aguayo (2)
2017 O.J. Howard (1) Jeremy McNichols (5)
Five of the Best Trades
1. Traded back and drafted defensive tackle Warren Sapp in 1995. With the ammunition gained, they moved up and drafted Derrick Brooks later in the round. Both made the Hall of Fame.
2. Swapped two No. 1s and two No. 2s for coach Jon Gruden. When Gruden won the Super Bowl, it was worth it.
3. Traded a seventh-round draft pick in 1977 to the Jets for Batman Wood.
4. The Bucs traded quarterback Craig Erickson to the Colts for a No. 1 draft pick, with which they picked Marcus Jones. Jones had 13 sacks in 2000.
5. The Bucs sent tight end Harold Bishop, a third-round draft pick who had not worked out, to Cleveland for a second-round pick. Bishop lasted only one year with the Brows.
Best Hidden Gems
(Fifth Round or Later)
1. Chidi Ahanotu, defensive end, 1993
2. Jermaine Phillips, safety, 2007
3. Ian Beckles, guard, 1989
4. Bruce Gradkowski, quarterback, 2006
5. Mike James, running back, 2013
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