From General Manager Charlie Fitzpatrick:
Adrian Clayborn
Ht: 6'3" Wt: 285 40 Speed : 4.84
The 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers lacked a dominant pass rusher, with Styles White leading the team in sacks with 4.5. We believe that Clayborn will be a dominant pass rusher for the Bucs and paired with Defensive Tackles Gerald McCoy and a healthy Brian Price will be the preeminent defensive line in the NFC South for years to come.
Clayborn is a High Motor,High Energy player and will contend immediately for the Left Defensive End position.He is disruptive at the line-of-scrimmage and has a wide array of tools to rush the passer and constantly draws a double team facing off against the opponents Left Tackle. He is also tall enough to knock down passes at the Line of Scrimmage when he doesnt get penetration,which is rare.Simply put he was born to play the defensive line position excelling at Iowa at either of the defensive end positions and also at tackle.He is also a nightmare in the running game with his athleticism making him difficult to block and he quickly fills gaps to shoot through to bring down the ball carrier.
Clayborn had an outstanding Junior season where he tallied 70 tackles,11.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss.In addition he was the MVP of the 2010 Orange Bowl for his efforts.He fell off a bit his Senior season but we do not perceive that as a problem coming into the Tampa Bay defensive line.
We feel that Adrian Clayborn will be a perfect fit for the Buccaneers and welcome him into the Tampa Bay organization. We feel that this is a guy whose athleticism and competitiveness Head Coach Raheem Morris would love to work with for years to come.
From the Commish
Sayre: I like Adrian Clayborn a lot. I think he can come in right away in the NFL and contribute. Having watched him for the last couple of years up close, I know what kind of player he is capable of becoming, and that encourages me. I would not be surprised in the least if he out-performs his draft status. He was considered the best player in the entire crop at the beginning of the season, and he earned that distinction. Clayborn is a four down guy who has some health concerns, but I think that he will be a very good NFL starter.
