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BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Pick No. 51 -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers Select Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh

A tip of the cap to Bringin' the Wood(ley) for the solid writeup and pick at No. 51 for Tampa Bay.  Having played his college ball here in Pittsburgh, I imagine a number of you had a chance to see Sheard play a fair amount in recent years. Next up: the New York Giants, represented by PCISteeler. - Michael B. -

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In the second round, after taking an Offensive Tackle in the first, the Bucs will be looking to shore up their putrid pass-rush, which ranked T-30th in 2010. I think drafting a strong, quick defensive end would be the perfect piece to their defense, especially after taking 2 DT's with their first 2 picks of the draft in 2010. Here is an excerpt from my first round write-up: "I really wanted to take a DE here, most likely Adrian Clayborn, but this draft is incredibly deep at the position, and I think with their second round the Bucs will be able to nab a guy like Jabaal Sheard or Clayborn's teammate Christian Ballard..."
 
Well, as it turns out, this draft went about as well as I could have guessed it, and both Sheard and Ballard are available at this point. After doing a lot of number crunching (from Combine and Pro Day performances, watching a limited amount of game tape and reading analysts reviews, the choice was still very difficult. Jabaal Sheard had a great career at Pitt, playing opposite of Greg Romeus, and he excelled after filling Romeus' shoes after he suffered multiple injuries. Ballard was a very solid member of a stout Iowa defense, but was overshadowed by his counterpart Adrian Clayborn. I also looked at guys like Allen Bailey from Miami, and Pierre Allen from Nebraska, but I was still convinced my choice would come down to either Sheard or Ballard.


With that being said, with the 51st pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select...

Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pitt

Sheard was named 2010 Big East Conference Defensive PotY, was an ACFA All-American, and compiled 52 tackles, 14.5 TFL, 9 sacks, 4 FF, and 1 FR in his senior year. Over the course of his career, he had 142 total tackles, 35.5 TFL, and 19.5 sacks. He stands at 6'3", 264lbs- which may be slightly smaller than some teams would want at DE, but with a proper NFL strength and conditioning program, he will be up to ideal size rather quickly.
 
Sheard is a very strong yet quick edge-rusher, and he uses a good burst to beat offensive linemen into the backfield, but his technique and rushing repertoire will need some work for him to be as effective in the NFL, where he can't out-athlete guys as easily. However, his speed and agility were well documented at the combine, where he ran a 4.68 40 yard dash (6th overall for DE), and he also ran a 2.63 second 20-yard split, which puts him at 4th on the all-time combine list for DE, and he posted the fastest 10-yard split for all DE in the 2011 combine at 1.59seconds (according to NFLdraftscout.com- is this a reliable source, who knows...). He also had a 9'7" broad jump, and a 31.5" vertical.
 
Along with being Big East DPotY, Sheard was also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski and Ted Hendricks awards. He was also award a bravery medal for helping an elderly woman escape her burning home in Florida. But with all of his successes, he has had some failure too- Sheard was arrested on assault charges, but the charges were later reduced. This charge may cause some teams to question his character, but this seems to be a small blemish on an otherwise great collegiate career, and I think he will fit in very well with the philosophies of Coach Morris and the Bucs' organization.  
 
Lastly, I went with a DE here, because it seemed to be BPA and fills a big need. Linebacker and DB (thanks to quick-draw Talib) are a big need as well, along with an OG/OC. I think there will be good LB's to choose from in the 3rd/4th round with guys like Ross Homan, Casey Matthews, Brian Rolle, Shareece Wright, and Marcus Gilchrist hopefully still on the board, but if not, there will also be a lot of interior OL in the 3rd and 4th who could have a chance of starting Day 1 for the Bucs.

BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Selections:

  1. Carolina Panthers -- Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
  2. Denver Broncos -- Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
  3. Buffalo Bills -- Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
  4. Cincinnati Bengals -- Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
  5. Arizona Cardinals -- Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
  6. Cleveland Browns -- 'The Snow Cone Machine' A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
  7. San Francisco 49ers -- Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
  8. Tennessee Titans -- Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
  9. Dallas Cowboys -- Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
  10. Washington Redskins -- Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina
  11. Houston Texans -- Aldon Smith, DE/OLB, Missouri
  12. Minnesota Vikings -- Tyron Smith, OT, USC
  13. Detroit Lions -- JJ Watt, DE, Wisconsin
  14. St. Louis Rams -- Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
  15. Miami Dolphons -- Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
  16. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Brooks Reed , DE, Arizona
  17. New England Patriots -- Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
  18. San Diego Chargers -- Ryan Kerrigan, DE/OLB, Purdue
  19. New York Giants -- Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
  21. Kansas City Chiefs -- Martez Wilson, LB, Illinois
  22. Indianapolis Colts -- Cameron Jordan, DL, California
  23. Philadelphia Eagles -- Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
  24. New Orleans Saints -- Justin Houston, DE/OLB, Georgia
  25. Seattle Seahawks -- Jake Locker, QB, Washington
  26. Baltimore Ravens -- Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland
  27. Atlanta Falcons -- Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
  28. New England Patriots -- Mike Pouncey, OG, Florida
  29. Chicago Bears --Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State
  30. New York Jets -- Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple
  31. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
  32. Green Bay Packers -- Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor

ROUND 2

  1. New England Patriots -- Cameron Hayward, DE, Ohio State (33rd overall)
  2. Buffalo Bills -- Kyle Rudolph, TE, Notre Dame (34th overall)
  3. Cincinnati Bengals -- Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State (35th overall)
  4. Denver Broncos -- Mikel LeShoure, RB, Illinois (36th overall)
  5. Cleveland Browns -- Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois (37th overall)
  6. Arizona Cardinals -- Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada (38th overall)
  7. Tennessee Titans -- Andy Dalton, QB, Texas Christian (39th overall)
  8. Dallas Cowboys -- Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor (40th overall)
  9. Washington Redskins -- Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh (41st overall)
  10. Houston Texans -- Aaron Williams, CB, Texas (42nd overall)
  11. Minnesota Vikings -- Brandon Harris, CB, Miami (43rd overall)
  12. Detroit Lions -- Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina (44th overall)
  13. San Francisco 49ers -- Rahim Moore, FS, UCLA (45th overall)
  14. Denver Broncos -- Benjamin Ijalana, OL, Villanova (46th overall)
  15. St. Louis Rams -- Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina (47th overall)
  16. Oakland Raiders -- Stefan Wisniewski, OG/C, Penn State (48th overall)
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas (49th overall)
  18. San Diego Chargers -- Leonard Hankerson, WR, University of Miami (50th overall)