The NFC South has been the weakest division in football this year and the Buccaneers own the distinction of being the worst of the bunch. No loss was worse than the 56-14 embarrassment against the 3rd place Falcons who have only won one other game. This is nothing new in Tampa, though. The Bucs haven’t won a playoff game since they won the Super Bowl in 2002. Their last playoff appearance was in 2007, and if they stay in 4th place in the NFC South this year it will be the fourth consecutive year they’re in the basement. A big part of these struggles have been the five draft blunders below.
Five draft picks why the Vikings won’t make the playoffs
Five draft picks why the Rams won’t make the playoffs
Five draft picks why the Raiders won’t make the playoffs
Five draft picks why the Jaguars won’t make the playoffs
Five draft picks why the Bills won’t make the playoffs
5. Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa – 20th pick overall in 2011
Clayborn had a pretty good rookie season with a 7.5 sacks, but he only played 3 games in 2012 before going on IR with a knee injury. He bounced back to play a full season last year and managed 5.5 sacks, but after playing one game this year he’s back on IR and done for the year again. That’s two seasons on IR out of his four in the NFL. During his draft evals he was red flagged as a major health risk due to his Erb’s Palsy condition. The Bucs went ahead and drafted him in the first round anyway, and while the injuries he’s suffered are not related to his condition, it was a big gamble that doesn’t seem to be paying off. The next defensive end taken in the draft was Cameron Jordan of the Saints who just enjoyed his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
4. Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson – 4th pick overall in 2007
Coach Raheem Morris said that Adams would be a “bust” if he didn’t register double digit sacks. When you draft a guy 4th overall, the assumption is he’ll be a player that makes a difference. Unfortunately he never lived up to that draft status and after 13.5 sacks in 2 and a half seasons he was traded to the Chicago Bears for a 2nd round pick. He would finish that third season with the Bears before tragically dying of cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart condition which was never diagnosed. Obviously there are countless players in this draft that would have been available at #4 and a better call, but if the Bucs wanted a dominant pass rushing defensive end, LaMarr Woodley should have been the guy. The 6 year contract for $46 million did not produce a big return on the field.
3. Cadillac Williams, RB, Auburn – 5th pick overall in 2005
You’ll noticed that teams over the years have wised up and stopped taking backs so early because you can find capable players so much later in the draft. That, and investing heavily in a running back on a long term deal is a very dangerous game. Williams would rush for over 1,000 yards his rookie season and then never again as he battle through constant injuries. He played a total of 6 seasons for the Bucs and after his rookie season he never averaged better than 3.9 yards per carry in a season. Not what you’d hope for out of your 5th overall pick that received a 5 year $31 million deal. Other backs drafted after Williams included Frank Gore, Darren Sproles, Marion Barber and Brandon Jacobs. Of course there were numerous players at other positions that would have been a smarter pick.
2. Michael Clayton, WR, LSU – 15th overall in 2004
Like Cadillac he was fantastic as a rookie and would stay for five more years and never live up to what he did in year one. After 80 catches for 1,193 yards in 2004, Clayton’s next best season in five years in Tampa would be 38 catches for 484 yards. There were not any receivers drafted after Clayton that fared much better in the NFL, but the Bucs could have gone with Shawn Andrews, Will Smith, Vince Wilfork, Steve Jackson or Jason Babin among others.
1. Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State – 17th pick overall in 2009
Freeman’s quick fall from grace is one of the more enigmatic football developments. His second year in the NFL was good enough that he was put on a pedestal as one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. That season he finished with 25 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. The following season, though, was the beginning of a massive fall from grace. His play through 16 games was a disaster. Following that season, rumors ran that he had entered a substance abuse program. He would start 3 games, the team would go 0-3 and he would be benched. Shortly thereafter he was traded to Minnesota where he would start just one game. Now he’s out of the NFL at just 26. I remember few quarterbacks ever following up such a good season which such a horrific one. The Bucs can at least rest assured no quarterback selected after Freeman would amount to better, but I’m sure most Buc fans would rather some of the following players drafted after Freeman on the roster right now: Alex Mack, Clay Matthews, Jairus Byrd, Hakeem Nicks, LeSean McCoy.
