The Buccaneers finally addressed the cornerback position in the 2012 NFL Draft with the selection of West Virginia’s Keith Tandy in the sixth round with the 174th overall pick. Tandy, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 197 pounds, finished his Mountaineers career with 13 interceptions and 24 pass breakups, in addition to 188 tackles.

Tandy was a first-team All-Big East selection as a junior in 2010 when he posted six interceptions, 11 pass breakups and one forced fumble in his first season as a starter. Last year, Tandy once again led West Virginia in interceptions with four.

Tandy’s roommate at West Virginia, linebacker Najee Goode, was drafted in the fifth round by the Buccaneers on Saturday.

“Man, we have a good time together, but then when it is time to work we always go in there and work,” Tandy said. “One of the reasons I roomed with him because he had a real hard major and I had a hard major so I knew we were going to have to do a lot of the same type of stuff.”

Goode was an industrial engineering major at West Virginia, while Tandy majored in biology. Both Tandy and Goode were team captains on defense for the Mountaineers in 2011 and excited to be drafted by the same NFL team.

“I am real excited,” Tandy said. “It is a team I followed ever since growing up. Watching when they went to the Super Bowl then the fact that Najee was my roommate going up there, too, makes it that much better.

“We started texting earlier today talking about how nerve wrecking it was and how we couldn’t be still. Every time we got a text message we think it is a team calling. We have just been texted back and forth just telling how each other feel, but after he got drafted I congratulated and then after I got drafted he actually called me while I was on the phone with Coach [Greg] Schiano.”

Tandy lacks elite speed, evidenced by his 4.51 time in the 40-yard dash, and only has marginal quickness, which limits his ability to play in man coverage. He was primarily used in zone coverage in college.

“I think one of my main things is reading the quarterback,” Tandy said. “Playing off in zone and then I like being real physical with the receiver because I am more of a bigger cornerback. I try to use that to my advantage.”

The Bucs will also get some help on special teams as Tandy was a standout special teams player at West Virginia where he was a gunner and jammer on punts.

Tandy was an outstanding high school quarterback for Christian County High School in Kentucky in addition to playing as a defensive back. Tandy set school records in passing with 8,609 yards and 90 touchdowns, and also set a school record with 32 touchdowns in one season. The Hopskinsville native also rushed for 1,007 yards as a senior and nabbed four interceptions.

“West Virginia recruited me as an athlete,” Tandy said. “ I actually thought I was going to play receiver when I went there, but when I got there my name tag was in the defensive back locker room so I went there and just started working out there.”

The Buccaneers now have seven cornerbacks on the 2012 roster in Aqib Talib, Ronde Barber, Eric Wright, E.J. Biggers, Anthony Gaitor and Myron Lewis.