With the #20 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected defensive end Adrian Clayborn from the Iowa Hawkeyes. Most analysts were expecting the Bucs to pick either Cam Jordan or Da’Quan Bowers with their pick, as both players were still on the board and considered top talents, but the Bucs went slightly unconventional with their pick.
Clayborn is a player that isn’t represented well by statistics: when you look at his senior year, it’s rather disappointing in many regards. As J.B. Long from the Bright House Sports Network pointed out, Clayborn had just four sacks in his senior year. He does come with some minor character and injury concerns, as he arrested for disorderly conduct during his senior year and suffered some right-arm weakness when he was younger. These concerns are relatively minor, and the Bucs must have felt they wouldn’t be an issue to select Clayborn so high.
For a full scouting report on Clayborn, check out the report over at SB Nation’s blog on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bucs Nation:
As a player, Clayborn is a power defensive end. There’s not a lot of speed and burst to his game, and he won’t be able to threaten the edge with any consistency at the NFL level. His impact likely won’t come as a right defensive end in the NFL because of his limitations as a pass rusher, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be worth a first-round pick. Clayborn can be a very solid, 3-down player at left defensive end. His strength lies in shedding blocks and making the tackle. He has tremendous lower-body strength, and he’s a good run defender. His violent use of his hands really stands out on film. He is constantly working to beat his man and get to the ball. And his power still gives him the ability to get to the quarterback, if not as consistently if he had some speed to go with it. Clayborn won’t be a superstar, but as a defensive end he may be as safe a pick as you can get at that point in the draft.
We’ll also be updating this stream with full coverage and analysis of the Bucs’ moves through the NFL Draft, so keep checking back at SB Nation Tampa Bay for more news.