The competition at Tampa Bay's linebacker position got even stiffer on Sunday when the Bucs used the sixth-round pick they acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bears to select Florida State linebacker Geno Hayes.

The 6-foot-1, 226-pound Hayes is considered versatile enough to play both inside and outside linebacker.

Hayes notched 156 career tackles, eight sacks and 29.5 stops for a loss in 35 games (21 starts) at Florida State.

An early-entry junior, Hayes opted to enter the 2008 NFL Draft shortly after an academic scandal at Florida State in which more than 30 Seminoles were suspended from playing in the 2007 Music City Bowl. A university official later confirmed that Hayes was not enrolled at Florida State at the time of that contest, yet still played in the game.

With Derrick Brooks, Barrett Ruud and Cato June established as starters, Hayes will compete with Quincy Black, Adam Hayward, Ryan Nece, Teddy Lehman and Matt McCoy, among others, for a roster spot.

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