Rodgers told by Bucs days before 2005 draft he would be the 5th overall pick

[Feel Real Good]

This gets back to the catastrophic decision to pick Clayton the year before. If the Bucs were deciding between Caddy and Rodgers, there would have been no second option had they picked Steven Jackson in 2004. So that gets my vote as the worst pick in franchise history. The ramifications for us were catastrophic.

and I see Dom's pick of Price instead of Dunlap in the 2nd round of 2010 as potentially having a similar catastrophic domino effect.  Instead of having two guys not doing crap and looking like they could have short NFL careers (Bowers and Price) we would have one of the best young LDEs in the league and potentially another good player.

If only that idiot wouldn't have gotten a DUI 4 months before the draft, I think he may have been more of a consideration.

[Skull and Bones]

but the whole argument for taking a medical risk in Bowers in the 2nd round was that his potential was too good to pass up.  Dunlap had top 5 type of talent as well.  6'6" 275 pound DEs that can run 4.6 don't grow on trees.  Sure he was a character risk but how is that any more of a risk than taking a guy that most were saying was a 1 contract guy and might not be healthy enough to play right away? 

[Feel Real Good]

but the whole argument for taking a medical risk in Bowers in the 2nd round was that his potential was too good to pass up.  Dunlap had top 5 type of talent as well.  6'6" 275 pound DEs that can run 4.6 don't grow on trees.  Sure he was a character risk but how is that any more of a risk than taking a guy that most were saying was a 1 contract guy and might not be healthy enough to play right away?

I don't disagree, but didn't half the team get arrested or suspended in 2009? There was considerable sentiment to try and clean things up. That's probably why they didn't use a draft pick on Blount, too.

[Skull and Bones]

when your DEs were as bad as they were in 2009 you need to take that chance. 

[Biggs3535]

I posted 4 different links that had Rodgers ahead of Smith.

Anyways, it really shouldn't matter what a bunch of writers thought. All that matters is what Jon Gruden thought, and he flew to California to work out Rodgers and said ""we wouldn't be here if we weren't players in this."

I saw that. But, the credibility in about 2/4 were sketchy. There are more Smith > Rodgers mocks. That is a fact.

I agree. This topic should have been saved for the summer but since we're 4-7 bound I understand.

There is no question that the majority of them had Smith at #1...

And like FRG said, that was mainly because everybody and their brother knew that's who SF preferred, so he was going #1.

[JavaRay]

[The Anti-Java]

This gets back to the catastrophic decision to pick Clayton the year before. If the Bucs were deciding between Caddy and Rodgers, there would have been no second option had they picked Steven Jackson in 2004. So that gets my vote as the worst pick in franchise history. The ramifications for us were catastrophic.

and I see Dom's pick of Price instead of Dunlap in the 2nd round of 2010 as potentially having a similar catastrophic domino effect.  Instead of having two guys not doing crap and looking like they could have short NFL careers (Bowers and Price) we would have one of the best young LDEs in the league and potentially another good player.

You think Bowers and Price will have short careers?    Based on?

[Skull and Bones]

I think its a definite "possibility" due to Bower's surgically repaired right knee could have arthritis and weakness and  Price's hamstring's being attached to his pelvis by screws.   time will tell how things pan out.

[GameTime]

its also a definite possibility that dunlap goes to jail for a dui.