Brown could prove to still have value for Bucs

The list is a 'long one. It's a rather impressive one as well. Antonio Bryant is on it, after all. So are Ike Hilliard, Chris Hovan and Phillip Buchanon, just to name a few.

Their connection? All were acquired by the Bucs with the idea that, given one more chance, they just might prove themselves worthy of not only a roster spot but also a regular role in Tampa Bay's lineup.

That's how the Bucs have gone about adding veterans, be it through free agency or trades, in recent years, and they continued the trend last week when they sent a 2011 sixth-round draft pick to the Eagles for receiver Reggie Brown.

Brown today is no different than Bryant, Hilliard and Hovan were a few years ago. He's a player hungry for a chance to prove he can still play in this league. Who knows? Maybe he can.

When scouts talk about him they still talk about his top-end straight-line speed and they nod their heads in approval at the way he's improved as a route runner.

They like his courage and his concentration in traffic and the fact that in addition to playing outside of the numbers, he can play inside them if the need arises.

What they don't like is his tendency to disappear from games and his lack of acceleration, particularly out of his cuts. Those traits suggest Brown will never be anything more than a No. 2 receiver, at best.

Even if that is the case, Brown might still be a good fit with the Bucs. They're in need of a No. 2 receiver, too, after all, and if he can create some room underneath for Kellen Winslow, Brown could have some value.

If not, so what? It's not like the Bucs gave much up for him. There may not even be a draft in 2011, and even if there is there probably won't be anyone available in the sixth round with Brown's credentials.

This is a guy who was chosen 35th overall on draft day and who started 11 games and caught 43 passes as a rookie before catching 107 more passes and scoring 12 touchdowns the next two years.

This is a guy the Eagles liked so much that after that rookie year, they signed him to a five-year contract extension that included $10 million in guarantees.

His usefulness has clearly faded the past two years, but the Bucs seem to think he still has something left to give, and if their judgment on players like this in the past is an indication, they're probably right.

Back to the future
The addition of Brown to the Bucs' roster gives Tampa Bay three of the first seven players selected in the second round of the 2005 draft.

Brown was selected one spot ahead of linebacker Barrett Ruud and four spots ahead of fellow Bucs wideout Mark Bradley, who was claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs in December.

The Bucs have eight receivers on their roster, including Michael Clayton, Maurice Stovall, Sammie Stroughter, Micheal Spurlock, Terrence Nunn and Mario Urrutia, and at least one more is on the way.

Bucs coach Raheem Morris said as much last week, when he said Brown will wind up competing for playing time with the likes of Clayton, Stovall, Stroughter "and whoever we're fortunate enough to add in the draft."

With two picks in the second round, it's quite possible that drafted wideout will come there. At least one mock draft - the one done by WalterFootball.com - has the Bucs taking LSU's Brandon LaFell in the second round.

Others suggest the Bucs could actually have a choice between LaFell, Golden Tate of Notre Dame, Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech and Mardy Gilyard of Cincinnati. That's not a bad group to be choosing from.