For those unsure what Joe will do as the New Schiano Order drafts new players tonight, Joe wants to make sure everyone knows Joe will pound out as all kinds of stuff on these here pages as the picks are revealed.

Whatever intriguing background Joe can find, Joe will deliver through the night. Also, the newest Buccaneers are sure to get a little quick love on local sports radio, and Joe surely will pass on whatever is interesting.

Then, of course, there’s reaction from One Buc Palace.

In short, stick with Joe through all weekend, as the Bucs score more draft picks and start luring undrafted free agents. Joe also will have an open thread going through tonight’s second and third rounds, so you can moan, groan and cheer for all your Internet comrades.

Replacing Dashon Goldson was the 49ers’ top priority last night

It’s feels a little warm and fuzzy to note that the Super Bowl 49ers’ top priority in the draft was to replace Dashon Goldson by trading up in the first round to nab former LSU safety Eric Reid last night.

Apparently, the hole left by Goldson, the Bucs’ top free-agent prize this offseason, was perceived to be that big.

USA Today penned an interesting feature on the Niners’ moves and how they played smokescreen games by not bringing Reid to their headquarters for an official visit, and head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed replacing Goldson was paramount.

“Why would we want to advertise to the rest of the league that we had interest in a player?” Baalke [the 49ers general manager] said.

When the draft began, though, landing Reid was apparently the priority for a team that lost all-pro safety Dashon Goldson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent.

“This was definitely Option A,” Harbaugh said.

As for the Jets drafting Dee Milliner to fill the void of mighty Darrelle Revis, well, Joe knows that unlike the Niners, the Jets are often draft-day fools. So Joe’s not comforted by that move. However, Joe would take Revis over Milliner any day.

Joe hates acting like a Nervous Nancy, but Joe must always share what’s on his mind when it comes to the Bucs.

Watching Darrelle Revis enter the field off Dale Mabry Highway and greet Bucs fans last night, walking and bouncing and looking like he might be limping, was a sobering sight. It was simply a cold reminder that the guy’s knee still has a ways to go to be ready for NFL football, let alone dominate.

You can watch the video here. Revis comes out about the 10 minute mark after several other Buccaneers.

Revis’ movements also caught the eye of Tampa Tribune columnist/humorist Martin Fennelly.

“Now, Bucs fans, meet your newest Buccaneer … four time Pro Bowler … three-time, first-team All Pro … your new shut-down cornerback. Ladies and gentlemen … Darrelle Revis.”

Out of the tunnel he walked, wearing a No. 1 jersey, his name on the back. Then he jogged, then he walked, then danced ever so slightly, then he walked. Are you writing all this down?

Yes, Joe knows Revis has about 130 days to prepare himself for opening day, and Joe will join the ranks of Bucs fans praying he doesn’t have a health setback.

Revis also conspicuously was wearing No. 1. Mark Barron has yet to cough up his No. 24 jersey to Revis — and Revis hasn’t picked another number.

Barron has taken to Twitter to agonize over giving up his No. 24 and express sadness about being unable to wear his Alabama No. 4 in the pros. You can follow Barron’s commentary here.

Joe wonders whether Barron is pulling a Revis and cleverly holding out for a better payoff. After all, Revis is taking in $1 million per game.

Pat Welter reports on the fun both fans and Bucs players had at the team’s draft party at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway Thursday night in this TBO.com video.

Will Jamar Taylor land in Tampa?

Joe can’t spell this out any clearer. The Bucs are thin at cornerback.

Their two projected starters? One is coming off major knee surgery, and the other is returning from Achilles issues and a league-imposed drug suspension.

Their nickel cornerback and backup candidates? Danny Gorrer, Leonard Johnson, Myron Lewis and Anthony Gaitor.

If all that makes you feel confident the Bucs can make a successful playoff run, then Joe’s happy for the calm and optimism that flows through your world. Joe suspects Drew Brees is good with that, too.

Last night, four cornerbacks came off the NFL Draft board, Dee Milliner (Jets), D.J. Hayden (Raiders), Desmond Trufant (Falcons) and Xavier Rhodes (Vikings).

But that leaves a stable of allegedly quality cornerback prospects to be had. They include:

Jamar Taylor (Boise State)
Darius Slay (Mississippi State)
Johnthan Banks (Mississippi State)
Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Connecticut
Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana
David Amerson CB, N.C. State
B.W. Webb, William & Mary
Jordan Poyer, Oregon State
Logan Ryan, Rutgers
Dwayne Gratz, Connecticut
Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

The Bucs (for now) have the 43rd overall pick when the draft resumes at 6:30 p.m. with the Jaguars on the clock at No. 33.

Joe’s keeping an extra close eye on Jamar Taylor, who’s known for his crazy work ethic and speed, and he’s considered strong all around. Greg Schiano also has a connection with the Boise State staff. And Joe’s watching the Rutgers kid, Logan Ryan. Joe’s done quite a bit of research on Ryan, and it’s hard to imagine Schiano doesn’t trust and covet him.

Of course, the Bucs might not go cornerback at all. But they still need another good one, or perhaps they can go back to Brandon McDonald to fill their nickel back role, like they did to open last season.

You want to hear a confident Buccaneer? Take a listen to the audio cut below of Dashon Goldson chatting on the Buccaneers Radio Network tonight via WDAE-AM 620.

Goldson gets into his choice of the Buccaneers in free agency, how he talked Xs and Os with Bucs coaches before signing, and how he is more than ready to take on the beastly receivers of the NFC South.

The entire interview with former Bucs tight end Dave Moore and Ronnie Lane is below.

The leader of the New Schiano Order stepped out of the One Buc Palace war room this evening to talk to the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, of WDAE-AM 620.

Schiano talked about how Darrelle Revis is the Bucs’ first-round pick, how he’s excited about big things from Eric Wright in 2013, and he explained what the Bucs target in the draft that doesn’t show up in college game film.

“If they love the game of football, and they’re willing to sacrifice for something bigger than themselves, they have a great chance of being a Buc,” Schiano said.

Schiano’s entire interview is below.

Mark Dominik will be joined by a new guy in the Bucs’ draft war room, director of college scouting Eric Stokes, who comes from a team with a solid rep for finding studs in the middle- to late-rounds.

Now Joe knows that despite recent additions the past couple of years to the Bucs roster by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik, there are still Dominik detractors out there.

One bone of criticism is that Dominik, being a draft-first guy, has a poor batting average of picks in the middle-to-late rounds. That’s a fair rebuke. But that may soon change.

This year, joining Team Glazer, Dominik, Bucs coach Greg Schiano, trainers, director of player personnel Dennis Hickey and Bucs scouts in the draft war room at One Buc Palace will be a guy by the name of Eric Stokes. While many Bucs fans may immediately ask “Who?” Stokes may be Dominik’s biggest selection since Gerald McCoy.

Stokes, Bucs director of college scouting, was groomed in the Seahawks organization, a scouting department once tutored by current Packers general manager Ted Thompson, perhaps the best general manager in the NFL. Thompson avoids free agents like the Ebola virus yet because of solid scouting, the Packers are an annual playoff contender, if not a Super Bowl contender, because the Packers are able to succeed in the draft.

Consider some of the draft picks Stokes helped oversee while in Seattle: running back Robert Turbin, a fourth-round pick; cornerback Richard Sherman, a fifth-round pick; safety Kam Chancellor, a fifth-round pick; and running back Justin Forsett, a seventh-round pick, now with Jacksonville, who rushed for over four yards a carry in two seasons with the Seahawks.

If Stokes can help mine talent for the Bucs like he did in Seattle, he may prove to be almost as valuable a free agent signing as Dashon Goldson.

Joe might have heard the most spirited defense of Josh Freeman in history this afternoon.

Esteemed Tampa Tribune Bucs beat writer Woody Cummings joined host Justin Pawlowski of 98.7 FM for a pre-draft discussion and wanted to stifle any Freeman bashers in their tracks, and those yearning to draft Freeman’s eventual replacement in the coming hours.

Cummings balked at the notion that Freeman isn’t a successful quarterback with a huge upside yet to be revealed. While talking about drafting quarterbacks, Pawlowski asked Cummings if he’d rather have Andrew Luck or Freeman.

“I don’t want Andrew Luck. I want Josh Freeman,” Cummings exclaimed.

Cummings cited Luck’s 18 interceptions last season (Freeman had 17) and Luck’s limited experience compared to Freeman’s, saying fans and some in the media proverbially would “hang” Freeman for tossing the number of picks Luck did.

Cummings said the perception of Freeman was hurt by the Bucs defense and by those who are quick to blame Freeman. He noted Tampa Bay’s ninth-ranked offense and Freeman’s midseason stretch of greatness last year.

Joe can’t deliver such spirited support of Freeman. All Joe knows is that Freeman is an inconsistent and talented veteran who is 24-32 as a starter.

Regardless, the table is set with everything Freeman needs to win, including a second year with the same menu — from the same kitchen. For Joe, there’s not much to say. Just win, Freeman.

Sandwiched in between Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey breaking his leg during the 2007 season and Martellus Bennett having a strong year with Big Blue last year, the Giants won a couple of Super Bowls without much of a focus at the tight end position — on the field or financially.

The Bucs offense under Mike Sullivan has a load of similarities to the Giants’, and right now the Bucs have ditched surehanded veteran Dallas Clark in favor of Luke Stocker and Tom Crabtree, unproven guys with 46 catches combined over five total years in the NFL.

So legions of Bucs fans are wondering whether in the hours-away NFL Draft whether the Bucs will invest in a tight end or let Stocker and Crabtree prove themselves.

Joe’s unsure what the Bucs will and should do.

If the Bucs aren’t going to use the tight end much, and plan to run the ball more with a healthy Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph, then why invest in a tight end? In that scenario, why not let Stocker have a defining year in this his third season?

On the other hand, a dangerous tight end would complete the offense. But Josh Freeman certainly already has more toys than most, and the Bucs were the ninth-ranked offense in the NFL last season.

The more Joe thinks about it, the more Joe wouldn’t mind having Clark back.

Former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland dropped in on “The Tim Brando Show” this week to talk to host Tim Brando about how much Darrelle Revis helps the Bucs’ secondary in this CBS Sports Network video. The Revis talk begins at the 2:54 mark.

If pass rushing specialist Tank Carradine slips to the second round as Mike Mayock suggests, should the Bucs take a chance?

Yes, Joe touched on this before, but he further scoured Mike Mayock’s lone and only NFL mock draft which was released last night. By the looks of things, there are some really decent players falling out of the first round.

(Everyone else doing mock drafts can just stop now. When Mayock releases his, mocking has come to a halt.)

They include defensive end Tank Carradine, defensive tackles Kawann Short and Johnathan Hankins, as well as cornerbacks Blidi Wreh-Wilson, B.W. Webb and the Mississippi State boys Johnthan Banks and Darius Sray.

While Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has stated he has ammunition to trade back up in the first round, but Joe asks, “Why?”

Now Joe has learned the Bucs love how deep the cornerback talent is through three rounds. If, say, Carradine slips to the second round, it may make more sense for Dominik to grab a guy who has a chance to be a beastly pass rusher. We all know Dominik likes to gamble with second-round picks.

The way Joe is looking at it, there may be so many good players at positions the Bucs need in the second round, Dominik could just stay pat.

It’s been about a year since Tampa Bay Times beat writer Stephen Holder proclaimed Greg Schiano’s “autonomy,” which was “granted by the Glazers” (per Holder), and called Schiano one of the most powerful head coaches in the NFL.

Joe wrote back then that Holder’s take appeared to be baloney. Joe has since studied various nuances of Schiano’s relationship with rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, and Joe still believes Holder was off the mark and Dominik is calling the final draft-day shots while working very closely with Schiano.

Here’s Schiano’s recent comment about Dominik to NBC Sports Network:

“He gets a ton of credit [for the Revis signing]. He did a great job. You know, the thing that I love about our relationship is we communicate constantly throughout the day. And it’s been that way since the day I took the job. And I think that’s why it’s workin’. And, you know, I saw his level of patience throughout this thing, you know, sitting there in the office just he and I and him on the phone. You know, I give him a lot of credit of hanging in there and being patient and he did a great job. It takes a whole group of people to have a successful organization and I’m blessed that Mark’s our GM.”

Schiano’s loving comments reminded Joe of the head coach’s words last June, when Schiano said the following without being asked about Dominik during an interview on Mad Dog Radio.

“There’s no doubt there’s really two learning processes. First you need to learn your own personnel and the team you take over, and then as we got into free agency first then the draft, but I think where I’ve been blessed is our general manager Mark Dominik has been great in getting me up to speed. You know he and Dennis Hickey, who is the head of player personnel, have just been, you know, spoon feeding me since the day I took the job with video and write-ups and certainly I’m willing to put the time in. It’s been a really good relationship. We’ve been able to really build a consensus on who are the guys we need to target.

One of the things that’s just paramount to us is guys who love the game of football. That’s what’s going to work with us. I know my personality. I know how we do things. That passion to play the game, when the business side is done and all the financials are decided, the guy just loves to go out and play and practice. That’s critical to us.”

Schiano also has described in other interviews how he took a watch-and-learn approach during last year’s draft and was busy building a coaching staff and a regime during last offseason rather than giving full attention to the draft.

Last week, it was also made clear to Joe and others in the media by a ranking insider at One Buc Palace that it was Dominik driving the bus on the Revis trade.

Look, Joe knows Schiano has his finger on the pulse of everything, and rightfully so, but Joe fully believes the Bucs will enter tonight’s draft with a full Schiano-Dominik consensus on their draft board with Dominik making the final calls and deciding on any trades up or down.

Given what the Bucs accomplished in the first three rounds of last year’s draft — and Schiano’s apparent trust and love of the Bucs’ first three picks of 2011 — Joe can’t imagine much is going to change.

“Here’s the deal, Greg. The draft war room stays at 72 degrees. I can’t play great poker when I’m cold.”

The current draft guru of all draft gurus, NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, who actually played safety in the NFL, has laid out his one and only and much-awaited mock draft of 2013.

Joe scanned it furiously last night to see how many cornerbacks Mayock had coming off the board in the first round. The total was four, including Dee Milliner (No. 10, Titans), D.J. Hayden (No. 24, Colts), Xavier Rhodes (No. 29, Patriots), Desmond Trufant (No. 30, Falcons).

Joe was jacked up to see the corners because the Bucs remain desperate for short term and long term help at the position. (On that note, why the hell is Ronde Barber still leaving the Bucs hanging before draft day?)

There’s lots of hope/excitement surrounding the chance rockstar general manager Mark Dominik moving up from the 43rd overall pick (second round) and into tonight’s first round. The benefit is two-fold: you grab a better prospect and get to sign him to a five-year deal, versus four years for second round picks and below.

Joe would be shocked if the Falcons traded with the rival Bucs, but Bill Belicheat is always a possibility. Perhaps the Bucs could return the Patriots’ fourth-round pick (Aqib Talib) and give up the No. 43 overall pick and swap third round picks to move up?

On the flip side, Joe wouldn’t be surprise to see Dominik, in fact, look to move down tomorrow in the second round and possibly score another third-round pick.

So much will come down to how the cornerbacks move off the board. The Bucs are in need, and how they rank the entire cornerbacks class is a military secret.

(This is a repost of a previously published article Joe will use as an annual tradition for the morning of the first day of the NFL draft.)

Joe’s going to go slightly personal here, a rare, albeit tiny window into Joe’s background on this holiest of high football holidays.

Joe got hooked on the draft as a kid from an alien-like voice that floated through the night air from a city Joe finally visited for the first time last fall.

Growing up as a kid, there were two people who turned Joe into the football freak he is today. One was Joe’s high school football coach, a guy who played for a virtual who’s who of football coaches: John Madden, Tom Landry, Gene Stallings and Lou Holtz. It kills Joe how much he has forgotten about football from a man unknown by 99.99999 percent of the populace. Joe remembers covering his first NFL training camp warmly. There, grizzled Stallings was head coach and vividly remembered Joe’s high school coach playing for him. After learning Joe played for one of his proteges, Stallings treated Joe like one of his family members.

The second source fueling Joe’s unwavering football fetish originated from an unlikely location: a Brooklyn apartment.

Joe first heard of Joel Buchsbaum on a blowtorch radio station out of St. Louis, KMOX. There, each Monday night (only prior to Monday Night Football broadcasts), and Sunday nights (during baseball season), Buchsbaum, the original draftnik, would talk to strangers throughout the Midwest, giving listeners knowledge on college football players and the NFL that to this day, Joe finds unmatched — not even by Mike Mayock, not even by Mel Kiper, not even by Pat Kirwan.

People would call the show and ask Buchsbaum about (pick a player), and often before the caller finished his question, Buchsbaum would interrupt and begin rattling off the talents of said player.

Pleasantries were not a forte of Buchsbaum. He was not rude, not even close, but he was very short and impatient with rambling callers.

To this day Joe remembers some guy asking Buchsbaum about (name of the player long ago forgotten), who the caller claimed was a starting cornerback at Utah. Buchsbaum, in his nasally, thick Brooklyn accent, corrected the caller almost immediately. No, the player is not from Utah, Buchsbaum said, but from Utah State. And in fact he was a backup cornerback.

This did not stop Buchsbaum from launching into why the player was not starting and why coaches thought he had some promise.

Mind you this was long before the days of laptops so Buchsbaum couldn’t have Googled the player’s name in five seconds to pull up his information.

It was unreal what this guy knew. And in Joe’s circle of fellow football friends, guys who rarely if ever listened to an AM station, Buchsbaum had their attention. He was like the Rain Man.

Fast forward maybe 15 years and the Sporting News decided to find out who was the best draftnik. They researched Buchsbaum, Mel Kiper and a third guy Joe had not heard of before and still can’t remember. The Sporting News broke down each man’s final mock draft through four rounds for three consecutive years.

Buchsbaum won not only the race but he had more correct picks each year.

Buchsbaum, a recluse, died 11 years ago. In a perverted way Joe was jealous of the guy. All he did was study football, read football, write football, talk football and work his many NFL inside sources, which included at the top of the list, Bill Belicheat, who tried to hire Buchsbaum but was spurned with each offer.

So as Day 1 of the draft is here, and in a few hours or so we find out if the Bucs trade back into the first round, Joe can’t help but remember Buchsbaum and that unforgettable voice.

Here’s a nugget from acclaimed football scribe, and a friend of Buchsbaum, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Did you know Buchsbaum was on ESPN when the network first televised the draft? He looked like such a nerd. I imagine the network executives didn’t like the way he looked or sounded, so they hired Mel “Ki-pa.”

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe decided to dig up Buchsbaum’s breakdown of Tom Brady coming out of Michigan and with the “positives,” Buchsbaum nailed the analysis.

Positives: Good height to see the field. Very poised and composed. Smart and alert. Can read coverages. Good accuracy and touch. Produces in big spots and big games. Has some Brian Griese in him and is a gamer. Generally plays within himself. Team leader.

Negatives: Poor build. Very skinny and narrow. Ended the ’99 season weighing 195 pounds and still looks like a rail at 211. Looks a little frail and lacks great physical stature and strength. Can get pushed down more easily than you’d like. Lacks mobility and ability to avoid the rush. Lacks a really strong arm. Can’t drive the ball down the field and does not throw a really tight spiral. System-type player who can get exposed if he must ad-lib and do things on his own.

Summary: Is not what you’re looking for in terms of physical stature, strength, arm strength, and mobility but he has the intangibles and production and showed great Griese-like improvement as a senior. Could make it in the right system but is not for everyone.

Urban legend is that Belicheat, one of the few friends Buchsbaum had, took a flyer on Brady based on Buchsbaum’s recommendation. Belicheat since has acknowledged he would annually go over his draft board with Buchsbaum in the hours leading to the draft.

Joe will raise a bottle of beer tonight for Buchsbaum… after the draft and when Joe is finished banging out story after story.

Here and here and here are some cool stories about Buchsbaum.

Former Bucs QB Jeff Carlson

**This post got lost a bit in the Darrelle Revis hoopla on Sunday morning, so Joe’s tossing it up here again. Enjoy.

Former Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlson (1990 & 1991) writes The QB Blast column here at JoeBucsFan.com. Joe loves when Carlson fires away. Carlson is often seen as a football color analyst on Bright House Sports Network, and he trains quarterbacks of all ages locally via his company, America’s Best Quarterback. Plus, he’s a really cool dude.

By JEFF CARLSON
JoeBucsFan.com

This year’s draft does not offer an Andrew Luck, RGIII or Russell Wilson, quarterbacks with the ability to come in and start on Day 1. The Buccaneers don’t have that Day 1 need, but developing a QB for the future should be a priority even though Freeman is still very young, a third- or fourth-round pick used on a quarterback with promise is prudent.

Whether Josh Freeman has the best season of his life this year and earns a big multi-year contract or doesn’t, having another up-and-coming player ready to go is in the Bucs’ best interest for multiple reasons.

The Dallas Cowboys just rewarded Tony Romo with an unbelievable contract extension ($108 million, $55M guaranteed, $25M signing bonus). That’s for a guy that has led his team exactly nowhere and was on the verge of losing his second head coach under his leadership of the team.

I wrote before last season that if the Cowboys had another year of futility, it should be Romo’s last season in Dallas. They struggled again yet gave him one of the richest extensions in history, mainly because Jerry Jones did not do his due diligence to develop another young QB like they had in Romo behind Drew Bledsoe under Bill Parcells,. That left Jones without options and now they have mortgaged their future against a good regular season QB who can’t seem to lead them to anything that matters.

I don’t want to see the Bucs make that decision with Freeman because they don’t have the foresight to develop the depth of their roster at the most important position.

Landry is the right fit for the Bucs for a variety of reasons, writes former Bucs QB Jeff Carlson

Of this year’s group, I came away most impressed by Oklahoma’s Landry Jones. He has the best mechanics and pro-style potential and very well could be available to the Bucs when they should invest in the quarterback position.

Better ball protection was his biggest issue, but he owns the best balance in the draft and can learn to throw the ball away a little bit better and work on his pocket movement as well. He has a lot of starting experience and he fits the Bucs’ style better than the rest of this year’s hopeful signal-callers.

Florida State’s EJ Manuel would probably be my next choice based on potential upside. I would probably bore JoeBucsFan readers with analysis of his spotty and inconsistent mechanics and what he should do to improve them, but Manuel is big, mobile and also has an awful lot of experience on his resume.

E.J. Manuel’s mechanics need work

Freeman has 108 million reasons to hope he can take a couple of steps up and lead the Bucs into the playoffs in 2013, –while he keeps Landry Jones on the bench learning the ropes of the NFL game all season long.