Sports | Bucs

Bucs day 2 draft

By JOANNE KORTH and GREG AUMAN
Published April 25, 2005

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DAN BUENNING

Fourth-round 107th overall

Guard 6-4 320 Wisconsin

SCOUTING REPORT: A gritty, wide-bodied blocker who loves to mix it up in the middle of the line. ... Started 49 games of a possible 51 at Wisconsin, including 36 straight. ... Team captain. ... First-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior; second-team pick as junior. ... First Badger lineman to start entire freshman season since Bill Ferrario in 1997. ... Solid run blocker coming from Wisconsin's run-oriented offense. ... Gave up only one sack as a senior, but will need to work on pass-protection skills in the NFL. ... Green Bay native grew up a Packers fan. ... Born Oct.26, 1981.

DONTE NICHOLSON

Fifth-round 141st overall pick

Safety 6-1 216 Oklahoma

SCOUTING REPORT: Considered one of the nation's most physical tacklers, reminding Sooners coaches of big-hitter Roy Williams for the way he punishes running backs and tight ends. ... Started two seasons at strong safety at Oklahoma. ... Had 90 tackles, six sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery to earn Big 12 newcomer of the year honors. ... First-team All-Big 12 as a senior. ... Played two seasons at Mount San Antonio Junior College in hometown of Walnut, Calif., where he led the team in tackles both seasons. ... No significant injuries. ... Runs a 4.6 40. ... Born Dec.18, 1981.

ANTHONY BRYANT

Sixth-round 178th overall pick

Defensive tackle, 6-3 337 Alabama

SCOUTING REPORT: A massive inside presence with incredible strength, as evidenced by a 505-pound bench press and 775-pound squat, both Alabama school records. ... A run-stopper who likely will play nose tackle for the Bucs. ... Leader of the Crimson Tide line the past two years with experience in one-gap and two-gap systems. ... Had career-high 44 tackles with 12 quarterback pressures and started every game as a junior. ... Labeled an underachiever, needs to work harder and be more consistent. ... Looks forward to tackling former in-state rival and Auburn running back Carnell Williams during training camp. ... Cousin of former Alabama safety Sam Shade. ... Born Nov.6, 1981.

LARRY BRACKINS

Fifth round 155 pick overall

Wide receiver 6-4 205 Pearl River CC

SCOUTING REPORT: Brackins hasn't played above the junior college level, but he helped Pearl River to a 12-0 record and national championship in 2004. In two years there, he caught 101 passes for 1,886 yards and 20 touchdowns. ... Academics kept him from playing Division I football, but he was recruited by USC, Miami, Florida State and other top-level programs after his first season at Pearl River. ... A versatile talent, he also returned three punts for touchdowns and saw limited action at free safety, returning an interception 38 yards. ... After high school, he played basketball at Feather River CC in California, earning conference player of the year honors. He played both sports at Pearl River in 2003, averaging a team-best 15.5 points and making 43.9 percent of his 3-point attempts.

RICK RAZZANO

Seventh round 221st overall pick

Fullback, 5-11 241 Mississippi

SCOUTING REPORT: Blocking fullback had nearly as many receptions as rushing attempts in four seasons for the Rebels. ... Had 50 carries for 143 yards and one touchdown, 41 catches for 312 yards and one touchdown. ... Started 24 games in final three seasons. ... He is scheduled to go to trial this week in Birmingham, Ala., on four counts, including felony aggravated assault, for an incident at a nightclub in April 2004. ... Father Rick played five seasons with the Bengals (1980-84). ... Brother Joe is a freshman fullback at Kentucky. ... Married to Leah Henley, an Ole Miss basketball player from 2000-03. ... Born Jan.29, 1981.

PARIS WARREN

Seventh round 225 overall pick

Wide receiver 6-0 213 Utah

SCOUTING REPORT: Prolific receiver in former Utah coach Urban Meyer's offense, he caught 156 passes for 1,885 yards and 16 touchdowns in two seasons. ... Stock dropped after he ran 40 yards in 4.72 seconds at the NFL combine, and he followed that with a 4.68 at a campus workout. ... Set a Fiesta Bowl record with 15 catches in a 35-7 win against Pittsburgh, finishing with 198 yards and two touchdowns for co-MVP honors. ... Did a bit of everything in Utah's offense, including taking direct snaps from center, with 48 carries for 281 yards and three rushing touchdowns. ... Started his college career at Oregon, where he once took a lateral from Joey Harrington and threw a 50-yard pass.

HAMZA ABDULLAH

Seventh round 231 overall pick

Free safety 6-1 213 Washington State

SCOUTING REPORT: Didn't start a college game until his senior year, when he started all 12 games, finishing with 70 tackles, four forced fumbles and one interception. ... Recipient of the Cougars' Laurie Nemi Award, given for courage, spirit and attitude. ... Ran 40 yards in 4.65 seconds in a campus workout, where he benched 330 pounds. One of 12 children, his brother Husain was a backup safety for Washington State last season. ... Had only 34 tackles in three seasons before breakout season in 2004. ... Best game last fall came against Oregon, a career-high 14 tackles, two fumbles forced and a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. ... Bucs coach Jon Gruden called him one of the biggest-hitting safeties in the draft, and he'll come to Tampa Bay playing a position at which the Bucs are particularly thin.

J.R. RUSSELL

Seventh round 253 overall pick

Wide receiver 6-3 206 Louisville

SCOUTING REPORT: Projected as an early second-day pick, Russell slid until the third-to-last pick, but brings a combination of size and speed to his hometown. ... The Gaither graduate had a breakout season as a junior, catching 75 passes for a school-record 1,213 yards and eight touchdowns. He remained Stefan LeFors' top target last fall, catching 73 passes for 968 yards and seven scores. ... Ran 40 yards in 4.56 seconds at the NFL combine and followed with a 4.51 in a campus workout. ... A consistent player, he caught at least one pass in his last 34 college games, leading Conference USA in receptions per game as a senior. ... While his hands and route running could use refinement, it's hard to question his production, and Bucs coach Jon Gruden likes his size as a split end. That asset could give him a better chance of making the team than the 6-foot Paris Warren, who was picked 28 spots ahead of him.

LUKE MCCOWN

Acquired via trade with Cleveland for sixth-round pick in 2005 (203)

Quarterback 6-4 209

SCOUTING REPORT: Younger brother of Cardinals quarterback Josh McCown. ... Was a fourth-round pick of the Browns in 2004 and went 0-4 as a starter after the resignation of coach Butch Davis. ... Made his NFL debut Dec.5 against the New England Patriots, completing 20 of 34 passes for 277 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. ... McCown's performance went steadily downhill after that in losses to Buffalo (8-of-20, 62 yards, one TD, two INT), San Diego (11-of-27, 108 yards, zero TDs, one INT) and Miami (9-of-16, 161 yards, one TD, two INTs). ... Started 43 games in his college career. ... He threw for 3,246 yards and 19 TDs as a senior at Louisiana Tech, passing 49ers quarterback Tim Rattay on the school's all-time list.

[Last modified April 25, 2005, 09:02:00]

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