Draft Preview - The Secondary If the Buccaneers do make a selection at the number four slot, then it appears very unlikely that Tampa will be taking a corner in the first round, as all the corners will likely find themselves at best in the middle of the first round. Cornerbacks The corner I like the most in this draft is Arkansas' Chris Houston, his draft stock has been elevated by his great workout, he is a true cover corner, his tackling ability is marginal at best but he has managed to tie up most of the top receivers in the SEC many of which will be populating the first or second round of this draft. Very athletic but as with any prospect who increases his draft stock dramatically from his combine numbers, the question has to be asked is he a work out warrior, he will also suffer from the comparisons to former Razorback Ahmad Carroll. Corners such as Leon Hall (Michigan) and Darrell Revis (Pittsburgh) are the most likely corners to go in the first round, Revis helped his stock with a 4.3 40 at his pro day. The corners in this draft really shouldn’t start coming off the board in large numbers until the back end of the first round, there is a chance that some of the borderline first rounder’s could still be hanging around when the Buccaneers select in the second round. I think drafting a corner in the second round is unlikely given the efforts to solidify this area through free agency especially the resigning of our own free agents. That said other names to look out for in the middle of day one would be names such as Aaron Ross (Texas), Eric Wright (UNLV), Marcus McCauley (Fresno State) and Tanard Jackson (Syracuse) if they are still available. It would however make sense to look at corners later on in the draft, one name that sticks out is Cal’s Daymeion Hughes at one point of the season was talked about as the best corner in this draft yet his stock has been in freefall in part due to his poor timed speed, he is s a pure cover 2 corner who still has a lot to learn anddoesn’t support well against the run. A great natural athlete who will be a beast on special teams from day one. Will probably still be a first day pick but nearer the end than the start of day one. A name that could come into consideration is that of Georgia Tech’s Kenny Scott, he has wonderful measurables and a whole lot of potential, however this is what he will be drafted on and not his production at the college level, someone will take a chance on him but he is a true boom or bust pick. Another prospect that falls into a similar category is Jonathan Wade (Tennessee) with great size and speed, Wade was originally a wide receiver and is still learning the position, has a long way to go but has a high level of potential that could make him a mid round gamble worth taking. These three are also interesting prospects, Ryan Smith (Florida) a ball hawking corner who has size issues, would be great on special teams and could develop into a good nickel back, Ramzee Robinson (Alabama) has played well for three years in the SEC without much recognition, has great cover skills but also lacks size, David Irons (Auburn) who might get a bit of extra publicity because his brother is a top RB, if Irons can stay healthy he could be great value late in the draft, has a history of ACL problems but he is a tough physical corner with good speed. Safeties For some fans this is a greater concern than the corners, with the starting safeties looking to be Philips and Allen drafting a safety might not be the worst idea, especially because this draft looks quite deep at that position. Most would say that LSU’s Laron Landry is the top safety in this draft however I would obviously go with Florida Reggie Nelson who was simply dominant in one of the top conferences in football, that said both Landry and Nelson will be gone by the time the Buccaneers pick for the second time although it appears Nelson has been dropping of late, I just cant see him getting past the Cowboys or Patriots. The other two big names at safety would be Michael Griffin (Texas) and Brandon Meriweather (Miami), while I would expect Griffin to be in the mix with Landry and Nelson I could see Meriweater been further down many draft boards. Miami has a history of producing good defensive backs and like most of them he is an excellent athlete with great potential but like many of them has issues on and off the field, which could drive his stock down. Meriweater had a key role in the infamous fight against FIU along with a firearms incident earlier this year these cant help prospective teams opinions of him. Eric Weddle (Utah) is probably a late first day pick, a smart kid who just keeps going, is undoubtedly a overachiever, and the level of competition which he faced isn’t the best, he would contribute to special teams straight away and has the potential to play either corner or safety. A similar prospect to Weddle but even more underrated is Wyoming’s John Wednling, the big difference is Wendlings frame, he has the size and speed to play in the NFL but again his competition level is low and even at that level of competition has never dominated like some would have thought. Good workout numbers and a very solid prospect. Second day names that look promising include Arizona’s Michael Johnson, has a ton of athletic ability but there have to be concerns over his durability after a number of injuries, has some bad habits that will need correcting but he could be popular come draft day. Josh Gattis (Wake Forrest) and Marvin White (TCU) have potential to be late round steals (especially White), Gattis lacks good coverage skills and misses a few tackles but has a lot of physical tools to work with, while White is a physical run stuffer of a safety, wasn’t asked to do much other than hit hard in college, but he does it so well, has limited experience at division one level following his time in the JUCO ranks Wayne Maw, March 2007