The Buccaneers selected Maryland defensive tackle Dre' Moore with their fourth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft on Sunday.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Moore has a unique combination of size, speed and strength. He notched 140 career tackles, 10.5 sacks and 17.5 stops for losses in 44 games (26 starts).

As a senior, Moore was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team choice. He started all 13 games at under tackle and led the team with six sacks and 63 tackles.

Moore's stock was on the rise after an impressive senior season, Senior Bowl performance and outing at the NFL Combine, where he put up 36 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press and posted a 4.82 time in the 40-yard dash and a 34.5-inch vertical jump.

However, Moore fell to the Buccaneers in the fourth round due to inconsistency throughout his career and the fact that he didn't start playing varsity football until his senior year in high school.

“I think it was a culmination of all the work,” said Moore of his breakout senior year. “I really have only been playing for four or five years going into my senior year and everything just came together in my senior campaign, and now I’m a Buc.

“I wasn’t very surprised [where I was picked in the draft]. I’m glad I ended up in Tampa Bay and I thank Coach Kiffin and Coach Gruden, and I think by the end of my rookie year 31 teams will be shaking their head.”

Moore has also been accused of taking plays off, but he he attempted to address that criticism shortly after he was drafted by the Bucs.

“I think that when people say that they don’t understand the scheme of defense that we play and the style of defense that we play at Maryland,” said Moore about criticism that he disappears for series of plays. “I spent a lot of time dropping into coverage. I had an interception and batted down passes, I was used in different ways. For example we had two d-tackles we use a lot in spot technique where we offset the option from a lot of teams we played against in the ACC so a lot of times when people say that they don’t know what play was being called and what I was asked to do on that play, where they think I’m just standing there.”

Although he has experience playing both under and nose tackle, Moore likely will compete at the three technique spot with Jovan Haye, who led the Bucs defensive linemen in tackles last year, and second-year DT Greg Peterson, who was a fifth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

"I don't really have a preference because looking at Tampa Bay's defense I think I will probably spend equal time at both," said Moore. "Depending on what set the offense comes out in, what hash the ball is on, and the strength of the formation, I think I will spend equal time at both."

To learn more about Moore click here to read Pewter Report's 2008 Bucs Draft Prospect Profile on Moore.

Tampa Bay traded up with the Chicago Bears to land Moore in the fourth round. The Bucs moved up from pick 120 to 115 overall. In addition, Chicago received one of Tampa Bay's fifth-round picks (158 overall) and the Bucs received one of the Bears' sixth-round selections (175 overall).

Even though Tampa Bay traded away the fifth-round pick it acquired while trading down with Jacksonville on Saturday, the Buccaneers still own their own fifth-round (153 overall) selection.

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