Faces To Watch From The East-West Shrine Game

January 23rd, 2012

Might the Bucs seek behemoth guard Brandon Brooks in the draft?

As loyal JoeBucsFan.com readers know, Buccaneers pregame and postgame radio host Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski also is one of Joe’s favorite draft gurus.

So, of course, The Commish was matching his observations of Saturday’s East-West Shrine Game with his early 2012 draft notes. Here’s a handful of players from The Commish to keep an eye on moving forward:

Jarius Wright – WR – Arkansas
Wright is one of the fastest players entering the 2012 draft. He does not have elite size (5-10, 176lbs), but he is electric with the ball in his hands. It wasn’t a great week of practice for Wright, but a player with this much speed might be a nice mid-round selection.

Tank Carder – LB – TCU
What’s amazing with Carder is how well regarded he was a year ago with TCU as the MVP in the Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin and how he was forgotten this year.  He has flown under the radar this season and is starting this process as a late round prospect. I like his overall football instincts. I think he is a player that needs to put up some good numbers at the combine. As a red-shirt senior, Carder has a lot of experience on a good defense and is a good leader.

Akiem Hicks – DT – Regina
Hicks was slated to play at LSU before recruiting violations forced him elsewhere. Hicks could be a big-time sleeper in this draft. He has excellent size (6-5, 323lbs) with the ability to play tackle in a 4-3 defense or end in the 3-4 defense. A solid combine could have Hicks rising up draft boards in a weak defensive line class.

Josh Norman – CB – Coastal Carolina
Norman was one of the standouts at Shrine practices last week. He has very good size (6-3, 203 lbs) and the insticts and skill to match it. Norman is a physical corner that should get better with experience. He looks to be a 3rd/4th round pick.

Brandon Brooks – OG – Miami (OH)
Brooks is a massive offensive lineman (6-5, 353lbs) that packs a lot of power in his punch. Strength and balance don’t really come into question with Brooks.  However, quickness off the ball is a slight concern. Expect Brooks to draw comparisons to Saints OG Carl Nicks who was a fifth-round selection in 2008 and an All-Pro in 2011.

8 Responses to “Faces To Watch From The East-West Shrine Game”

  1. ZanyZack Says:

    Wonder if they took Chip Kelly because they want to go offense, or if he was just the best man for the job. Wouldn’t mind seeing the Bucs make their first three picks offensive guys. Receiver, guard, running back.

  2. I_Miss#40 Says:

    I like Carder as well, always around the ball making plays. Very High motor and he has some pop, he also is a great tackler…something this team lacks at the LB position, at the very least a good depth/developmental pick up in the 5th or 6th round. He could go as high as 4th round but since we don’t have a 4th I can’t really say he’d be a good pick up there.

  3. Vince Says:

    Chip isn’t coming here my friend

  4. Macabee Says:

    I hope the Bucs will make a hard run at Carl Nicks, because the Saints aren’t going to have enough money around to do Brees, Colston, and Nicks. He may not want to play here, seems like Tampa is a pretty unpopular place these days. If not, we should look at Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State, 6-6, 347 for LG in the 2nd round. He is big mean and nasty in the vein of Arron Sears, someone like Joseph that can pull and block down field.

  5. bucfanjeff Says:

    In the Glazers attempt to hire Chip, I’m guessing their focus is on offense – thankfully.

  6. paul Says:

    What happened with Justin on the radio? His Saturday show is no longer listed on 620wdae.com.

  7. Vic Says:

    That would really suck if Polowski is off the air.

  8. frige bob Says:

    Justin was my favorite radio personality, I hope he lands on his feet.