3 Biggest NFL Draft Busts in Tampa Bay Buccaneers History
With the NFL Draft just around the corner, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and new head coach Todd Bowles will be looking to strengthen their roster. They won the Super Bowl in 2020, before being knocked out in the Divisional Round against the L.A. Rams in 2021.
Bowles has taken over the reins as head coach from Bruce Arians, and with Tom Brady’s famous un-retirement, the Bucs have no need to draft a quarterback.
The Bucs hold the 27th overall pick in the first-round of this year's draft, and Bowles will be hoping their selection proves to be a solid addition to an already stacked roster.
So this happened.
Tom Brady is back in the NFL just 40 days after announcing his retirement.
Recently, they’ve drafted very well, picking up the likes of Devin White, Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr., but throughout their history they haven’t always drafted this well.
Here are the three biggest NFL Draft busts in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history.
3 Biggest Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Draft Busts Ever
#3 - Roberto Aguayo, Kicker
Even the best kickers often go undrafted, or are selected in the sixth or seventh-round of the draft. Even Justin Tucker, the most accurate kicker of all-time, went undrafted.
This makes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' selection of Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second-round of the 2016 draft even more astounding.
Aguayo’s college career was fantastic, nailing 69 out of 78 field goals, and converting all 18 extra points. However, after being picked in round two by the Buccaneers, Aguayo massively struggled in the pros.
His field goal percentage was ranked as the worst in the league by any kicker attempting more than two field goals, as he went 22 for 31 on FGs. After missing a field goal and an extra point in the Bucs' first preseason game of the 2017 season, Aguayo was released.
He hasn’t kicked in an NFL regular-season game since, spending time on the practice squads of the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots.
Oh boy. Roberto Aguayo misses a 49 yard FG. https://t.co/EXXzYl6tar
#2 - Vinny Testaverde, Quarterback
Quarterback Vinny Testaverde was selected first-overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1987 NFL draft after an excellent college career at Miami. Despite making two Pro Bowls in his career, as well as spending 21 years in the league, his time in Tampa Bay left much to be desired.
During his second NFL season in 1988, his first as a regular starter, Testaverde had the Bucs regretting that first-overall draft selection.
He threw a league-high 35 interceptions in 15 games, which was the second-most interceptions in a single season in NFL history. He only threw for 13 touchdowns, and his completion percentage for the year was 47.6.
In six seasons with the Bucs, Testaverde passed for just 77 touchdowns against 112 interceptions, with a completion percentage of just 52.1.
He would later find success with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, but his first-overall selection by the Buccaneers would go down as one of the worst picks in their history.
#1 - Bo Jackson, Running Back
Following one of the best seasons ever for a running back at Auburn, Bo Jackson had begun to shift his focus towards baseball rather than football in the run-up to the 1986 NFL Draft.
In a desperate attempt to get Jackson, Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse took Jackson on a private jet to meet the team and get a physical, while Jackson was still playing senior baseball.
Culverhouse had told Jackson this followed all NCAA and SEC rules, which it didn’t. Jackson was banned for his senior baseball season, as according to the SEC, he wasn’t allowed to play professionally in one sport and be an amateur in another.
Jackson saw this as an attempt by Tampa Bay to sabotage his baseball career so he would choose football. Jackson vowed not to play for them, telling Culverhouse:
"You draft me if you want. You're going to waste a draft pick. I can promise you that.”
The Bucs picked him anyway, with the first-overall selection no less. Jackson turned down all contract offers from the team, instead choosing to play baseball for the Kansas City Royals.
Bo would join the league a year later, with the Los Angeles Raiders picking him in the sixth-round of the 1987 draft. He was be permitted by the Raiders to continue playing baseball, even if it meant missing Raiders games.
The Bucs missed out on a generational athlete. Jackson’s first-overall selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers goes down as one of the biggest draft busts in league history.