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.

Here are some clips of new Bucs linebacker Lavonte David.

Eddie Van Halen is humbled. The rock star comes through again!

Joe is simply geeked about this. Joe is a Big Ten honk and watches Big Ten games religiously on The Big Ten Network. Joe first noticed David as the dude was a ballhawk, flying to the ball from sideline to sideline. Joe wrote about his desire for David back in December.

This is a freaking dynamite pick! For reasons unknown, David and other linebackers slipped and slipped and slipped until Dominik couldn’t wait any longer and pulled the trigger with the Texans in order to get David.

This is the third time in this draft, third time in two days, Dominik has traded up or down to get the man he wanted.

The cool thing about David, in addition to his talents, is that he was coached up by one of the better defensive coaches in the land, Bo Pelini.

Greg Schiano is on record saying he’s “got to have that guy,” that “bell cow” running back you can feed.

Now Schiano has LeGarrette Blount and Doug Martin in his barn, and Joe can’t wait to see the competition unfold. This should pose quite a challenge for the New Schiano World Order. And it’ll be quite a wake-up call for Blount, who hopefully realizes the competition starts immediately.

Damn, these two talented young backs could push themselves, with Earnest Byner up their asses, to incredible heights.

If these guys are busting butts to win a job, Bucs preseason football should be more entertaining than it’s been in years.

Joe believes both backs will be called upon this season, but Joe also believes Schiano truly wants his bell cow.

So who gets the bell? Loyal JoeBucsFan.com readers likely know who Joe wants to get the bell. But Joe’s most cheering for a fiesty slug-it-out competition.

New Bucs safety Mark Barron, left, and running back Doug Martin meet the press at One Buc Palace this afternoon.

So Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik came out with what many NFL experts call a coup, landing Alabama safety Mark Barron and Boise State running back Doug Martin as first round draft picks.

It’s a bit ironic that both Barron and Martin both made their bones in high school football on the opposite side of the ball.

Barron was an offensive star, though he was told he would be a natural fit someday as a defensive player.

“My coaches all told me I was a natural free safety,” Barron said at One Buc Palace Friday. “I played almost [exclusively] on offense.

“When I came out of high school I was listed as an ‘athlete.'”

Barron wasn’t certain which side of the ball he would play when colleges began recruiting him out of St. Paul’s Episcopal High School in Mobile, Ala. Once he decided he would play defense, Alabama, he said, seemed like a natural fit.

Martin too excelled on the other side of the ball. He was a linebacker while playing for St. Mary’s High School in Stockton, Calif.

“I wasn’t heavily recruited coming out of high school,” Martin said. “Boise was the first [Division-I] college to offer me. I didn’t know anything about Boise.”

And that included the blue turf.

Originally, Martin was a linebacker at Boise “until a running back got hurt,” Martin said.

Once he began as a Broncos running back, he never played linebacker again. Despite being a dangerous runner, Martin also logged quite a bit of time on special teams.

Joe thinks it’s kind of cool that the Bucs were able to purloin a couple of versatile athletes like Barron and Martin.

One reason the Bucs drafted Alabama safety Mark Barron was that he’s not afraid of physical contact. In fact, it may be one of his best traits.

For Barron, speaking at his introductory press conference from One Buc Palace, a blast on an opponent is two-fold, and no, neither reason for the hit has anything to do with getting on BSPN or CBS Sports Network or NBC Sports Network.

A big hit, he said, sends a message to both friend and foe.

“It gets people excited,” Barron said of the reaction among his teammates when he buries a ball carrier. “But it also makes a big statement [to opponents]. It means you mean business. It lets [opponents] know you are here to play.”

There hasn’t been a good nickname for a Bucs running back since “The A-Train,” Mike Alstott, the great Bucs fullback who Bucs fans still miss.

Well, Joe’s got the nickname for new Bucs running back Doug Martin, and no, Joe cannot take claim for it.

They call Martin, “The Muscle Hamster.”

“I got it from a friend,” Martin said at his introductory press conference at One Buc Palace. He seemed so embarrassed he wanted to hide behind his nameplate in front of him.

Martin said he was tagged with the nickname in college, mostly because of his physique and how he isn’t the tallest guy on the team.

Joe can say this, the guy has a chest that looks like an offensive tackle. Dude’s a barrel chest.

“I like being rumored to be everywhere. I mean that in the sense that I’m going to call and find out what it takes to get anywhere in this draft class. That’s just how I do it. So if I call and I check to the St. Louis Rams and say, ‘What is it going to take? What would you want to do if you want to move up?’ Or if I talk to the Cleveland Browns or the Minnesota Vikings, I just want to know what’s going on because I want to be able to value what trades are going for in the National Football League. We all have these point charts but sometimes they’re obsolete. What are things actually going for? So you have to stay involved in those. Now at the end of the day I’ll talk to [teams] and say, ‘hey, we’re not in on that.’ But I need to know going ahead. That I think is just the way you need to be prepared.” — Mark Dominik following the selection of Mark Barron. Dominik was asked about rumors he was looking to trade up.

Joe led with the above quote because it meshes with the contention today from popcorn-munching,coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, beer-chugging Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports, that Dominik was looking to trade up to No. 3 overall. King’s source is the Vikings head honcho.

Talked to Minnesota GM Rick Spielman after round one. He told me there was another team — Tampa Bay — interested in moving to No. 3. And before the round began, Spielman was in talks about swapping picks with Cleveland at four and Tampa Bay at five.

Cleveland had two picks in the fourth round (100 and 118 overall), the second pick acquired from Atlanta in the Julio Jones deal last draft day. The Browns also had two picks in the fifth round (139 and 160 overall), the second one part of the Brady Quinn deal with Denver two years ago. And the Browns had three seventh-round picks (211, 245, 247 overall), the final two compensatory picks awarded by the league.

Was Spielman bluffing? Would Tampa Bay have made the move up? I’m not so sure. But after the Browns lost Robert Griffin III to Washington because the Redskins made a better “final” offer for the second overall pick in March, you can be sure Cleveland wasn’t going to get caught short again.

Joe doesn’t think this is much of an X-file. If the Bucs really wanted to trade up, they could have outbid Cleveland. King’s not claiming the Bucs were in a bidding war.

Good luck finding anyone who will say anything negative about new Bucs safety Mark Barron.

John Lynch is raving about him. Mike Mayock’s already calling him a perennial Pro Bowler, (if there is a Pro Bowl anymore).

Speaking on WDAE-AM 620 this morning, even former Bucs QB Shaun King, a college football color analyst for NBC Sports Network and noted Bucs critic (and lover), joined in the love. And Perhaps King offered the biggest endorsement of all.

King agreed that Barron does everything well and said he watched every snap of Barron the last two seasons.

“He’s never had a bad game,” King said.

Joe enjoys all the hype, but Joe’s a realist. Joe will be happy if Barron stays healthy, stuffs the run and becomes a top-10 safety.

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