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Bucs are a needy bunch

Forget the 40-yard times. Forget the Wunderlich scores. Most of all, forget all of the 18,761 mock drafts you have read.

When it comes to the Bucs hiring new recruits next weekend, just answer this:

If everything is the same, what position needs the most help?

The problem is as simple as that, and as complex. It is easy to imagine the question being debated, oh, about a thousand times a day. It is easy to picture the position coaches sitting around a conference room in one of those plead-and-need sessions, each convinced he has the greatest argument for reinforcements.

All, of course, are correct, which goes a long way toward explaining the problem at One Buc. After 12 wins in two seasons, it no longer is a matter of what the Bucs need with the No.5 overall pick.

It's a matter of what they need most.

CASE FOR: Who will be the team's starter in three years? Brian Griese? That's hard to say. Chris Simms? That's harder to say. There isn't enough evidence to suggest either is more than a short-term solution.

Now that the Bucs find themselves with a rare (these days) top-five pick, there seems to be some temptation to find someone for Jon Gruden to mold. Aaron Rodgers, maybe. Alex Smith, more likely.

CASE AGAINST: The longer the notion kicks around your head, the less likely it seems. The axiom in the NFL is if you draft a quarterback high, you're probably doing it for the next coach.

Quarterbacks take time. The Bucs don't have time.

AN OPINION: When it comes to a new passer, the Bucs should pass.

CASE FOR: Does anyone need to be convinced the Bucs need an upgrade? All you have to do is go back to the end of last season and the bite in Gruden's voice as he stood on a podium in Phoenix and vowed to repair the running game.

Facing a running back-deep draft, how can the Bucs resist taking one with the fifth overall choice? No, it probably won't be Ronnie Brown, who seems to be gaining 100 yards a day in the estimation of scouts. Still, Cadillac Williams and Cedric Benson figure to be available.

CASE AGAINST: With so many backs on the board, the Bucs could decide to wait for their runner. More intriguing: They could trade their second-round pick for a veteran.

A HUNCH: By the end of Saturday, through trade or draft, Michael Pittman will fall on the depth chart.

CASE FOR: During the Super Bowl season, this was a strength. Since then, Bucs receivers have kept going long, and there aren't a lot of bodies left.

When the Bucs raved about Mike Williams joining Michael Clayton, it seemed like more than smoke. And if Braylon Edwards is available, he's worth a ponder. (Who knows? Maybe the Bucs could trade up to the middle of the first round and draft Oklahoma's Mark Clayton to confuse sports writers and cornerbacks alike).

CASE AGAINST: Receivers can be a hard project for scouts to project. When a team spends a No.5 pick on one, it better be sure he isn't another David Terrell.

A GUESS: Possible, but they would have to secure their running back in a trade first.

CASE FOR: Every year, it's the same. Every year, the Bucs replace average players with other average players. Every year, the line is average. Go figure.

Yes, the Bucs could use another Paul Gruber. They could use an anchor to build a line around. They could use a 10-year All-Pro.

CASE AGAINST: Gruber isn't in the draft. FSU's Alex Barron is the top-rated tackle, but no one seems to see him as a top-five talent. Besides, an offensive lineman requires some waiting, too.

A QUESTION: Think Gruber would come out of retirement?

CASE FOR: This may hurt to admit, but the Bucs miss Warren Sapp. At least, they miss the Sapp of five years ago.

Last year, especially after Booger McFarland's injury, one of the things missing was the up-the-middle push they used to get.

CASE AGAINST: The Bucs have a lot of their salary cap eaten away by Simeon Rice, Greg Spires and McFarland. Adding another high-priced tackle isn't likely.

HERE'S A THOUGHT: Maybe this is why the NFL invented the middle-round draft choice.

CASE FOR: Derrick Brooks turns 32 on Monday. Shelton Quarles turns 34 in September. And Ian Gold has turned back into a Denver Bronco.

It seems the Bucs always have the help-wanted sign out for their left linebacker position, doesn't it? That's true again this year.

CASE AGAINST: No matter who has played left linebacker, the defense has been pretty good. Other wheels squeak louder.

A THOUGHT: The available draftees don't measure up to the draft pick.

CASE FOR: Yes, the immediate need is a new safety. This year, however, it is the cornerbacks who might tempt the Bucs.

Great corners are like quarterbacks. NFL teams always think twice before they let one pass. Miami's Antrel Rolle and West Virginia's Adam "Pac-man Jones" are worth discussing.

CASE AGAINST: The Bucs need offensive help more.

A PREDICTION: When the Bucs make their picks, ESPN will show a lot of defensive backs in highlights. Look for them being trampled by the team's new running back.