Bucs watching youngsters closely Little by little, they're creeping into the lineup. A play here, a series of plays there. To the causal fan it might seem insignificant. It's not to the players. It's certainly not to the Bucs. Tampa Bay's most critical draft in years draws closer by the day. The Bucs have 10 picks, including three in the first two rounds. Imagine if they could trade a fifth and a third for another second. That's what Tim Crowder, Chris Pressley and Corey Lynch could do for them. More than just save the Bucs a draft pick or two, they could give them greater flexibility with the picks they already have. So watch closely. Right now, Crowder, Pressley and Lynch represent the depth at defensive end, fullback and safety, respectively, that the Bucs would hope to get from players chosen in the middle and later rounds of the draft. Even if that's all they ever represent it's a plus. But take the matter a little further. Think of what could happen if one or two of those players prove to be starting caliber players. It's not out of the realm of possibility. Crowder, who has forged a virtual platoon with Stylez White at right end, has been one of the Bucs' most impressive linemen the past few weeks. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Texas product is a former second-round pick of the Broncos, and though he's always been seen as something of a "tweener" because he lacks ideal size, he doesn't lack run-stop and pass-rush skills. He's a player who has always been best suited to play in the kind of one-gap scheme the Bucs are now employing and he's only 24, so there's a chance he could continue to fill the role of a regular. The same goes for Pressley. A 5-foot-11, 260-pound rookie out of Wisconsin, Pressley was pulled off the Bengals practice squad only a month ago and he figures to contribute more and more as the season goes on. Given a full offseason to learn the offense, Pressley could alleviate the nagging need to use Earnest Graham at fullback and possibly take over as the starter. After all, he does have elite-level blocking skill. Considered the strongest player on the Badgers squad last year, he was lauded by scouts for his ability to plow through the line and was a key part of an attack that averaged more than 200 rushing yards per game in 2007 and 2008. It's quite possible, then, that the Bucs already have picked up two key members of their 2010 team, two players who could greatly alleviate the need to spend valuable draft picks on their positions on draft day. And if Lynch can prove to be of some help at safety and Connor Barth can develop some consistency at kicker, the Bucs just may wake up on draft day with the flexibility they need to max out on their 10 picks. That will be their draft-day objectives, of course, because the Bucs badly need an insurgence of talent. And with all due respect to Sammie Stroughter, it's a long shot to think it will come from fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks. What the Bucs need and need quickly are top-level players, the kind you find at the top of the draft. The likes of Crowder, Pressley, Lynch and Barth can help the Bucs get them, so keep an eye on them. It might only be a play here and a series of plays there, but how they play down the stretch could go a long way toward determining just how quickly the Bucs move down the road back to respectability. The Tampa Tribune 6 December 2009