With the 51st pick of Pride of Detroit's 2011 NFL Mock Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Texas cornerback Curtis Brown. Lions_sucker is serving as the Buccaneers' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.
Unlike the first round, there are not guys available that fill a huge need at this spot that are worth the pick. Going into this pick, I was hoping to either land a LB, S, or even another DE as those are the biggest areas of need even after taking Adrian Clayborn in the first round. But looking at who is left at those spots, it is mostly third round or later talent so I would have to reach big time.
So I go to the biggest variable on the Bucs, the CB spot. A couple of big "ifs" are on the roster right now, Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber. Talib is one of the best young corners in the league, but he can't stay out of trouble and could find himself in the same spot as Tanard Jackson was last season, out of the league. Barber has shown to be ageless, but as history shows us, age will begin to show and he will have to be replaced.
I looked at my choices and decided that Curtis Brown was the best player available at an area of need. As was obvious when Talib was out this past season with an injury, the Bucs' depth at the position is lacking regardless of what happens with the "ifs". To land a guy like Brown, who can step in and play nickel immediately and be groomed to replace Barber, would be great value in the second round. Brown is a versatile corner with great speed. He could improve against the run, but it's not as much of a "soft" issue as it is an issue of missed or broken tackles.
Overall, I am happy with this pick as any way the Bucs can upgrade their defense is a huge boost and Curtis Brown works out in various ways.
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Check out the 2011 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.