Teams are trading up in the NFL Draft, and you can join them!!

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Listed as the top-rated cornerback not to be drafted this weekend, Joe has learned that Iowa State cornerback Leonard Johnson is expected to sign a free agent contract with the Bucs.

Bobby La Gesse, the sports editor of the Ames (Iowa) Tribune, Twittered tonight that Johnson and the Bucs have come to terms.

‏@BobbyLaGesse: Leonard Johnson signed a free agent contract with Tampa Bay. He’ll play for Greg Schiano, the coach he faced in the Pinstripe Bowl in Dec.

There’s another player that played against Schiano. That’s three today by Joe’s count.

Why is Joe posting an article on Johnson? He’s sort of a local prep legend. In his junior and senior years, Johnson quarterbacked his high school team, the Largo Packers, to the state semifinals only to lose each time to national powerhouse Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.

Bucs newly drafted tight Drake Dunsmore may have an advantage when he reports to Bucs rookie minicamp, tentatively scheduled for next weekend.

That’s because his stud college quarterback, Dan Persa, will be joining him.

Though the Bucs have not signed Persa (yet), he told the Chicago Tribune that he plans to work out for the Bucs next weekend and hopes to impress Greg Schiano enough to warrant a free agent contract, reports Teddy Greenstein.

@TeddyGreenstein: Dan Persa tells me he will head down to Tampa Bay next weekend. He is unsigned but hopes that will change after his workout.

Personally, Joe is geeked about this. Persa was one of Joe’s favorite quarterbacks to watch. Sort of a modern day Doug Flutie, Persa was dangerous both with his feet and his arm.

The old cliche about how scouts can’t measure heart perfectly describes Persa. It’s a shame that Persa went down with an Achilles injury at the end of the 2010 season as he rallied Northwestern to a major upset over Iowa in the snow at Evanston.

Persa never seemed to recover from that injury last year and was hobbled all through the 2011 campaign.

If Persa has (finally) recovered from his Achilles injury, Joe’s confident he could make a run at making the Bucs final roster as a No. 3 quarterback.

What a great opportunity for Joe to smack all the Bucs fans that emerged from their caves to smack Donald Penn around when they realized the Bucs might have a shot at drafting Matt Kalil.

Sure, Joe was on board with a potential Kalil pick. He would have looked great at right tackle as the left-tackle-in-waiting for two or three seasons. But many Bucs fans were eager to draft Kalil and kick Penn to the curb completely via trade.

This is and was mind-boggling to Joe, and clearly mind-boggling to NFL players, who voted Penn the 97th best football player in the league.

The Top-100 of 2012 countdown show on NFL Network (the real man channel not viewed at home by men whose ladies own the remote control) began tonight with Nos. 91-100 unveiled. Those honored are voted in by NFL players.

Joe can’t understand why some fans are quick to blast Penn. The man has started 76 consecutive games and played damn well. So what if he mows down the doughnuts. At worst, Penn is a Top-13 left tackle. When he’s playing well, he’s elite.

Joe expects another Pro Bowl season from Penn in 2012. Clearly his peers do as well.

Click through the limo to learn more about the best in the Bay area.

The theme for the first draft in the New Schiano Order for the Bucs seems to be discipline, guys who do the little things right.

That seems to be the case for Northwestern tight end Drake Dunsmore, who the Bucs chose with their final seventh-round draft selection tonight.

Reading a breakdown of Dunsmore on CBSSports.com, it seems he runs good routes and is more of a receiver than a blocker.

Given he’s a Northwestern guy, don’t expect Dunsmore to make too many stupid mistakes.

Also, throw in that his father, Pat Dunsmore, played two years at tight end for the Chicago Bears in 1983 and 1984.

Well, the final Bucs draft pick of 2012 ought to be able to learn a playbook and not run wrong routes in the final regular season game.

With the 233rd selection, the Bucs drafted Northwestern tight end Drake Dunsmore.

There’s not a lot of video on the guy, though some local diehards might remember him from a crazy Outback Bowl three years ago against Auburn.

Mark Dominik just snatched Utah State running back Michael Smith in the seventh round, which doesn’t surprise Joe since part of the strategy in picking a seventh rounder is taking a guy you doubt would come across the country to sign with your team as an unrestricted free agent.

Take last year’s seventh-rounder Daniel Hardy. He was an Alaska native that played for Idaho. Erik Lorig was another example, a Stanford guy who grew up in California.

The theory is the West Coast kid won’t pick Florida if he has offers closer to home, so you draft who you like but think won’t come to you in free agency.

Joe will bet a few nickels the Bucs grab another Left Coast player with their final seventh-round pick.

Call him a poor man’s LaMichael James if you will, but it appears the Bucs first seventh round pick, Michael Smith out of Utah State, is a burner.

He ran a 4.3 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and had a 40-inch vertical leap.

It seems NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell is smitten with Smith.

A back with exceptional upper-body strength, Smith made a living coming off the bench to spell Robert Turbin at Utah State. NFL.com’s Chad Reuter spoke of Smith’s outstanding pro day — he timed at 4.33 in the 40-yard dash with a 40 1/2-inch vertical jump — as part of an argument for Smith finding a home in the fourth or fifth round. Smith is overlooked because his touches were reduced as a senior, but he averaged more than seven yards per carry over his career. Smith possesses exceptional burst and exploded in December’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, with 157 yards on 12 carries, two for scores. (Are you telling us you didn’t watch the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl? Priorities, people.)

If some think this guy should have been chosen three rounds higher, than yeah, Joe thinks this guy is a value pick.

Look, there are lots of running backs who flew under the radar in college that did something in the NFL. why not Michael Smith?

To his credit, Smith was stuck in a logjam at running back playing behind Robert Turbin who was drafted in the fourth round by Seattle.

Here’s a quick breakdown of seventh round pick, Utah State running back Michael Smith.

You know it’s getting late in the draft when there is scant information about a drafted player. That’s the case with Keith Tandy, a cornerback from West Virginia.

It may be that Tandy could be converted to a safety, but he fits the mold of the New Schiano Order in that he is a versatile player. What he may lack in skills as a cornerback suggest he could play safety, in a breakdown of Tandy found on CBSSports.com.

Positives: Best fit is in a zone scheme and lacks the vertical speed to shadow elite receivers. Keeps the ball and man in front of him in zone and might be a candidate to convert to safety. Thickly built for a corner and closes with intent, chasing laterally and is effective bringing down bigger targets.

Since Tandy played in the Big East, obviously Schiano knows this guy. Perhaps he sees or knows something about Tandy few others do? That’s Joe’s hope.

Is Keith Tandy the cornerback the Bucs need, which the team selected in the sixth round? Maybe, maybe not. Watch this video to judge for yourself.

Greg Schiano comes from the paranoid branch of the Bill Belicheat and Tuna Parcells tree. Talking about what brand of toothpaste one uses may tip off state secrets which will threaten the freedom of the republic.

Hence, Schiano has done his best to keep people guessing what defense he is going to run.

However, given the defensive players Schiano and Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik have drafted, there is a clear pattern, especially on defense.

Schiano, who confessed on SiriusXM NFL Radio in February that the Bucs may run a 3-4 and may run a 4-3, are acquiring defenders who are diverse, reinforced by the selection of West Virginia linebacker Najee Goode today.

Schiano wants diverse players. Mark Barron was listed as an “athlete” coming out of high school. Lavonte David played both inside and outside linebacker but has all but been told he will be a weakside linebacker. Goode also has experience playing both outside and inside.

What do the picks tell Joe? First, Schiano likes physical players. Two, he likes fundamentally sound players. Third, it appears Schiano likes guys who can be plugged into different spots when needed.

The fact that Schiano has chosen two linebackers who can play both inside and outside also tell Joe that Schiano was sickened at the play of the Bucs linebackers last year, just like Joe was.

As Joe suggested to his good friend “The Commish,” Justin Pawlowski of WQYK-AM 1010, there is a pattern the Bucs are building which Joe believes to be “Schiano Guys,” players who seem to fit a mold that new coach Greg Schiano wants: tough, physical, diverse, good fundamentals.

This also seems to describe fifth round pick, linebacker Najee Goode.

Of course coaching at Rutgers in the Big East, Schiano knows this player well. Likely recruited him too coming out of high school.

Goode is versatile in that he can play both inside and outside linebackers. He’s physical enough that he can shed blocks from the biggest of offensive linemen.

Here is Goode’s profile from ProFootballWeekly.com:

Good flow speed and leaping ability. Plays on his feet and can bend his knees. Solid instincts. Active hands. Wrap tackler. Can turn and run with tight ends. Versatile — has played all three linebacker spots. Has special-teams experience.

The Bucs are clearly targeting upgrading their linebackers, a man walking with a white can can see this. It was a unit that sorely needed help.

This might be a Greg Schiano pick. Coaching against West Virginia, Schiano probably witnessed the hits this inside linebacker can deliver, Najee Goode.

Chatting it up with a Cornhusker reporter last night, new Bucs linebacker Lavonte David revealed he’s quite certain he won’t be playing middle linebacker.

It seems somebody with Team Schiano might have told David what to expect.

“I know I’ll probably end up playing the WILL linebacker position,” David said. “I think I’ll fit in pretty well.”

While the Bucs have trotted out Jermaine Phillips, Geno Hayes and others at weakside linebacker since Derrick Brooks was booted from the roster, per Chucky, David might be the first to resemble the Bucs icon.

Said Gruden: “I don’t compare people to Derrick Brooks. But Lavonte David has a lot of similar traits. He’s not real tall. He’s slippery, instinctive, passionate every snap.

“Don’t take him off the field. He’ll impact that franchise. They need help desperately at linebacker.” 

Joe hopes David comes as advertised, or at least 80 percent as advertised. Of the Bucs’ three picks, this one might be the one they can least afford to miss on.

Greg Schiano backpedaled a little bit tonight after enthusiastically saying freshly drafted Lavonte David would play outside linebacker, but for Joe the message was clear: David’s on the outside.

And for Joe that means Mason Foster is back starting at middle linebacker and the $11 million man, Quincy Black, is the other starting linebacker.

This troubles Joe because it feels like the positions are set and there’s not enough quality depth. Sure, Dakoda Watson and Adam Hayward are on the roster, but Joe wouldn’t bet a nickel against Black, Foster and David getting starting nods.

With the Angelo Crowell and Jermaine Phillips linebacker experiments failing quickly in 2009, then Crowell again in 2010, then Foster being gifted the starting middle linebacker job last year, Joe’s feeling like the Bucs haven’t had strong competition at linebacker in quite a while. It was one thing when veteran Pro Bowlers Derrick Brooks and Cato June played alongside up-and-comer Barrett Ruud in 2008. These Bucs haven’t proven themselves like that crew had.

Joe just wants to see depth and competition — what every coach and GM says is invaluable. Hopefully, rockstar general manager Mark Dominik is stalking a linebacker in free agency.

Joe scribbled down some notes when Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik spoke to the pen and mic club about second round draft pick, Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David.

“We thought he could make an impact,” Dominik said. “He’s the type of man we want here. His numbers speak volumes. He’s one of the best coverage linebackers in the entire draft.

“He’s a good kid — a great kid.”

Nebraska linebacker Levonte David celebrates a third down tackle.

Last year during football season Joe was hoping beyond hope that somehow, someway, the Bucs could land Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David.

Tonight was that night.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik traded up and got David in the second round.

Why is Joe, much less Dominik and new Bucs coach Greg Schiano, pumped over landing David? Joe will give you a snippet courtesy of ProFootballWeekly.com.

Positives:
Highly instinctive — moves before the snap and shows excellent ability to diagnose. Is around the ball a lot. Flies around and plays with intensity. Outstanding balance and body control — almost moves like a safety. Very dependable tackler in and outside the box — can string backs to the sideline and has outstanding playing range. Very alert eyes and zone awareness — covers ground and clings to receivers passing through his area. Superb football character — has tunnel vision, takes pride in his craft and breathes football. Coachable film junkie.

As Schiano said after the pick to the pen an mic club, “A lot of players love football. This kid lives football.”

Joe needs a beer (or five).

Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David tracks down lightning fast Michigan quarterback "Shoelaces" Denard Robinson.

Joe’s not sure if this came through on Buccaneers.com when new Bucs coach Greg Schiano addressed the pen and mic club to discuss the draft of Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David, but Schiano looked as if he wanted to buy everyone shots.

Schiano beamed, smiled, laughed. At times he looked like a kid on Christmas morning who just found a bike under the tree. At other times Schiano looked as if his wife just gave birth to a healthy, strapping baby boy.

Starting the evening with no second round picks, the Bucs, thanks to the poker playing of Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik, not only purloined a second round pick from the Texans, but were able to acquire one of the top outside linebackers in the draft.

David was a junior college transfer starting as a junior at Nebraska, his first season in Lincoln. David started right away and racked up 152 tackles in 14 games in Nebraska’s last season in the Big XII.

Last season in Nebraska’s first season in the Big Ten, David floated from outside linebacker to middle linebacker and in 13 games had 133 tackles.

In two seasons of Division-I football, David compiled 285 tackles. In one game at Michigan he had 14 tackles. His most tackles for a loss in a game were four at Texas A&M in 2010. In three different games (Kansas 2010, Michigan 2011, South Carolina 2011) David had two sacks.

Last year against Iowa, David had four pass break-ups.

This dude is simply a ballhawk and Joe won’t be sleeping well tonight, not even after pounding some beers.

“He can play all three linebacker positions but for us, but he will play the Sam or the Will linebacker,” Schiano said between smiles. “We got one of our coveted players. His production is through the roof. Sometimes production can be misleading but [David’s] production is not misleading.

“He’s clutch. He played in an NFL defense.

“We really got better in the past 24 hours.”

The Bucs have wiped out their third- and fourth-round picks in the trade up for Lavonte David, snagged with the Texans’ former second-round pick. 

That means the Bucs, barring a deal, will get some action again tomorrow around 1:30 p.m. in the fifth round of the draft. (Feel free to join Joe and The Commish at Pete & Shorty’s in Pinellas Park.) It’s a safe bet that the Bucs won’t be trading up into the fourth round. At this point, Joe suspects the Bucs are looking to stockpile quality camp bodies who can compete and various positions.

Best available cornerback, anyone?

They also landed the Texans’ seventh-round pick in the trade-up for David, so that’s another spot for rock star general manager Mark Dominik to work with.

New Bucs linebacker Lavonte David, who played for the same junior college as New York Giants and former USF defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, has made Joe’s good friend, “The Commish,” Justin Pawlowski’s night.

And Joe’s night as well.

The fact the Bucs were able to jump up into the second round and get David is outstanding. David is such a stud, Justin had David ranked as the No. 3 outside linebacker in the draft.

3. Lavonte David – Nebraska
6’1” – 233 lbs – 4.65
2nd Round

Why The Commish would take him:Instincts!!! David knows where the ballcarrier is going before the ballcarrier even gets the ball. He rarely bites on fakes and has an outstanding understanding of the game and his position. When he gets to the ball, he makes the tackle.

This David is simply a ballhawk. He was always around the ball and is outstanding in pass coverage and is not afraid to stick his nose into a fullback’s belly behind the line of scrimmage.