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

By Michael Bean Apr 19, 2011, 4:59pm EDT

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.