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2012 NFL Draft Grades: Tampa Bay Earns Rare "A" Grade From Mel Kiper

The 2012 NFL Draft officially came to a close on Saturday evening, with teams using three days and seven rounds to bolster their squads for the upcoming season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added seven players in the draft, most notably the best safety available and the second-best running back in the draft, both in the first round.

Now comes the time for instant (over)analysis by pundits. First up to bat, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, who gave Tampa Bay the rare overall grade of "A" for this year's draft.

Summary: In terms of adding impactful talent, and working the board, it's hard to do any better than Tampa Bay did in the first two rounds. The Bucs got the best safety in the draft after moving down, then swooped in at No. 31 to get the most complete running back not named Trent Richardson. Doug Martin is a good complement to LeGarrette Blount, and has great hands. Lavonte David is an undersized tackling machine who could be a dynamic weakside linebacker; he was on my Big Board. They didn't get to add a cornerback until Keith Tandy at No. 174, but I'm not sure any other team added as much early positive impact.

After a woeful campaign last season, the Buccaneers need all they help they can get. Hopefully, this weekend set a foundation for recovery for the franchise.

For more on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, please visit SB Nation's Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation. For all the latest on the 2012 NFL Draft, please stop by Mocking the Draft. Still not enough football for you? The SB Nation NFL Hub Page has all the latest on all 32 teams from around the National Football League.

Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.