Where Aguayo ranks among Bucs’ second-round busts?

by Gary Shelton on August 14, 2017 · 5 comments

in general

Aguayo always seemed out of balanc ./JEFFREY S. KING

Aguayo always seemed out of balancc ./JEFFREY S. KING

Mobday, 4 a.m.

In the mind's eye, he is solid. He is dependable. He is a cornerstone.

Most of the time, he is not a star. He lacks the skill set to get him into the first round. But he makes up for it by being an excellent support player. You can count on him.

Unless, of course, he is a Tampa Bay Buc.

This may be their greatest failing. In a lot of years, perhaps in most of them, the Bucs have simply whiffed in their second rounds of the draft. For a team that has usually needed help, they have found none at all. Yeah, their first rounds include some very loud busts. But their second rounds are perhaps worse. Their second rounders are embarrassing.

Booker Reese. Brett Moritz. Dexter Jackson. Sabby Piscitelli. Austin Seferian-Jenkins. And now, Roberto Aguayo.

And furthermore, ouch.

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When the Bucs pronouced Aguayo a failure Saturday by waiving him, it continued a long-standing tradition by the Bucs of holding your nose over the second round draft picks. It leaves you with the impression of a team throwing darts at aboard in a darkened room. How can one team miss this often? This is a team where the second-round percentages read like some team's fourth-round percentages.

Oh, there have been some successes in the second round. Some. James Wilder came in the second round, and Mike Alstott, and Ali Marpet. Donovan Smith came in the second round, and Dewey Selmon, and Errict Rhett.

But Dexter Jackson came in the second round, too. So did Austin Seferian-Jenkins. And Lars Tate and Don Smith and Brian Price. And Jimmy DuBose and Keith Browner and Danny Peebles. The Bucs traded a second-round pick for Steve Spurrier (who was 0-12 as a starter). The Bucs once traded a second-rounder to Miami for a running back named Gary Davis and a defensive back named Norris Thomas. Davis had 21 yards rushing in his Bucs career; Thomas stuck around for five seasons, but he only had 25 starts, and 15 of those came in 1981.

Yeah, Aguayo -- now a Bear -- was a bust. But he was hardly the worst of the lot. He had a game-winning 38-yard field goal last year. Did any of these other clowns ever win a game for the Bucs?

Where does Aguayo rank then?

A look.

The top 10 second-round Buc busts:

1. Booker Reese, defensive end: How wrong was this pick? How much time do you have? The Bucs actually traded their No. 1 pick in 1983 to get a two and take Reese in '82, thinking he was the team's next Lee Roy Selmon. He wasn't. Reese had two sacks in his career, and he started only seven games in three seasons. To make things worse: If the Bucs had kept that No. 1 pick in '83, Dan Marino was on the board. He might have eased the pain of losing Doug Williams. Reese's career got off to a strange start when he pulled a muscle in warmups and missed the game.

2. Dexter Jackson, wide receiver: In 2008, the Rays badly needed a wide receiver. Instead, they took Jackson, who wasn't expecting to go until the fourth round or so. As badly as the Bucs wanted receiving help, Jackson never caught a pass. He appeared in seven games as a kick returner, but he wasn't very good at that, either.

3. Brett Moritz, linebacker: The Bucs felt they had found some linebacking help with Moritz back in 1978. But Moritz appeared in only six games as a special teammer. He never started a game and was gone in a year.

4. Don Smith, running back: Smith lasted only two years with the Bucs and started only three games. He had 83 yards rushing. Convicted of drug trafficking.

5. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, tight end: Jenkins lasted three years with the Bucs, but he had only 12 starts. He caught 45 passes, but he also displayed a knack for silly penalties. Before he was cut, he was chased out of practice for not knowing what was going on.

6. Roberto Aguayo, kicker: It makes it worse that the Bucs actually traded up to get Aguayo, and he responded with his worst-in-the-league stats. Any time a second-rounder doesn't make it to his seond season, it's awful.

7. Jimmy Dubose, running back: Dubose was the second-ever draft pick of the Bucs, but he started only 15 games in his three years and gained a total of 704 yards.

8. Lars Tate, running back: Tate lasted only two years and 19 starts for the Bucs. He gained 289 yards.

9. Demetrious Dubose, linebacker: Bucs' players were once asked which player surprised them the most given his skills compared to his production. John Lynch picked DuBose, who looked the part for Tampa Bay. In four years, he had only five starts.

10. Sabby Piscitelli, safety: Piscitelli started only 20 games in his four seasons, but in them, he chased wide receivers across the goal line frequently. The fans hated him.

– Honorable mention: Danny Peebles, Melvin Johnson, Johnny Davis, Keith Browner, Jackie Walker, Brian Price.

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