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After ending last season on a 10-game losing streak, no team needed more out of the NFL draft than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On the surface, it looks like they got at least three starters in safety Mark Barron, running back Doug Martin and linebacker Lavonte David. Add them to key free-agent pickups Carl Nicks, Eric Wright and Vincent Jackson and Tampa Bay should have a very different look come September. Let’s take a look at what I suspect at the moment will be Tampa Bay’s starting lineup.

OFFENSE

• QB Josh Freeman

• RB Doug Martin (LeGarrette Blount will get some carries, but Martin’s an all-purpose back)

• FB Erik Lorig

• WR Vincent Jackson

• WR Mike Williams (he may have to beat out Arrelious Benn for the starting job)

• TE Kellen Winslow

• LT Donald Penn

• LG Carl Nicks

• C Jeremy Zuttah

• RG Davin Joseph

• RT Jeremy Trueblood

DEFENSE

• DE Adrian Clayborn

• DT Gerald McCoy

• DT Brian Price (Amobi Okoye will factor heavily in rotation and could start if injury woes continue for McCoy and Price)

• DE Michael Bennett (might have to beat out second-year pro Da’Quan Bowers in training camp)

• OLB Lavonte David

• MLB Mason Foster

• OLB Quincy Black

• CB Ronde Barber (if he doesn’t switch to safety)

• CB Eric Wright (Aqib Talib could factor in, but his future is uncertain)

• FS Cody Grimm

• SS Mark Barron

SPECIALISTS

• K Connor Barth

• P Michael Koenen

• KR Preston Parker (rookie Michael Smith also could factor into return game)

• PR Sammie Stroughter

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could end up drafting a tight end that played defensive end in college.

Southern Methodist University’s Taylor Thompson told Sirius NFL Radio on Saturday night that he will work out for the Buccaneers (as well as several other teams) in the coming days. Thompson was highly-recruited prospect as a tight end coming out of college. But he made the switch to defensive end soon after arriving at SMU, when the team had a rash of injuries at defensive end.

Thompson had a decent, but not spectacular career, as a defensive end. Thompson said he wants to play tight end in the NFL and believes most of the teams showing interest view him as a tight end. Tampa Bay has little depth behind Kellen Winslow at tight end. New Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said the college ranks generally aren’t loaded with lots of NFL-quality tight ends. He said that’s why NFL teams sometimes have to go outside the box when looking at tight-end prospects and he talked about how many teams look at former college basketball players.

The Bucs already have a little history at moving college defensive ends to other positions. Erik Lorig played defensive end in college, but they moved him to fullback shortly after he joined them. Lorig also has lined up at H-back and tight end.

When asked to compare himself to a current NFL tight end, Thompson mentioned New England’s Rob Gronkowski. Although Gronkowski is coming off one of the best seasons ever by a tight end (90 catches for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns), that comparison might not be all that farfetched. Gronkowski is 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds.

Thompson said he measure in at just under 6-6 in the combine and has shed weight for the expected transition to tight end. Thompson said he now weighs about 260 pounds. He was listed at 287 in his final college season.

Former NFL personnel guru Gil Brandt said Thompson had a strong workout as a tight end at SMU’s pro day and projects him to go somewhere around the fourth round.

Unless you’re a die-hard fan of the New Orleans Saints, you might not even know who Jed Collins is.

That’s understandable because a season in which you compile four carries for four yards and two touchdowns and catch 11 passes for 50 yards and two touchdowns isn’t going to catch the eyes of casual observers.

But die-hard fans and casual observers alike might want to take a closer look at how much Collins meant to the Saints this past season. He had bounced around the NFL since 2008, but had never appeared in a regular-season game. But the Saints brought in Collins and he wound up replacing Heath Evans quite nicely.

In a season in which New Orleans set all sorts of records, Collins quietly played a very big role. He was responsible for protecting Drew Brees and opening holes for Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory.

Collins obviously had to be doing something right because the coaching staff used him extensively. According to playing time numbers from the 2011 season obtained by ESPN.com, Collins was on the field for 42.5 percent of New Orleans’ offensive plays. That’s the second-highest percentage of any fullback in the NFL.

Only Baltimore’s Vonta Leach (52.8 percent) was active in a higher rate of his team’s offensive snaps. Collins was on the field for 489 of New Orleans’ 1,152 offensive plays. He also contributed heavily on special teams. Collins took part in 32 percent of New Orleans’ special-teams plays.

Collins easily got more offensive playing time than any other NFC South fullback. Tampa Bay’s Erik Lorig was next at 23.6 percent. Lorig also got considerable time on special teams, participating in 66.8 percent of the Bucs’ special-teams plays. Tampa Bay’s Earnest Graham suffered a season-ending injury. But, prior to that, he got in on 18.8 percent of the offensive plays as a fullback and also was used at tailback.

Carolina’s Jerome Felton was next at 15.3 percent. Atlanta’s Ovie Mughelli also suffered a season-ending injury, but got in for 13.1 percent of the team’s offensive plays. Replacement Mike Cox was on the field for 11.9 percent of the Falcons’ offensive plays.

About the only good thing that can be said about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Sunday’s loss to Chicago in London is that their bye week is coming at an ideal time.

The Bucs entered the game banged up with running back LeGarrette Blount (knee), defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (ankle) and center Jeff Faine (biceps) not dressing. Things got even worse once the game started.

Running back Earnest Graham (ankle) and fullback Erik Lorig (shoulder) quickly suffered injuries. The Bucs had to go through much of the game with Kregg Lumpkin as their only healthy back.

Depending on the extent of the injury to Graham and how Blount’s recovery is progressing, the Bucs may have to acquire another running back. That’s probably something Tampa Bay should have done in the offseason. I know the Bucs drafted Allen Bradford, but he was signed off the practice squad by Seattle before making any sort of impact.

Tiki Barber is still out there, but nothing is going to happen on that front. If anything, the Bucs will pluck a young running back off someone’s practice squad or sign a back that currently is not on a roster.

The defense also got banged up in London. Rookie middle linebacker Mason Foster left with an ankle injury and has been bothered by a similar problem much of the season. Safety Tanard Jackson also left the game with a hamstring injury. Jeremy Zuttah, who started for Faine at center, suffered an ankle injury.

The bye week should be a quiet time for most players, but the injured guys will be spending lots of time with the trainers. The busiest people in the building might be the personnel guys because it looks like the Bucs will have to make some roster moves.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Sit down with Mark Dominik even for just a few minutes and you’ll quickly hear his theory on why the term “youth movement’’ shouldn’t come with negative connotations.

“Don’t confuse youth with immaturity,’’ the general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers said. “There’s a big difference between those two things. I’m sure we’ve all met 23-year-olds that act like they’re 28 and we’ve met people that are 28 but act like they’re 23. I feel like we’re a mature, young football team, which is important.’’

Yes, the Bucs, who were the NFL’s youngest team last season, are going to be young again. They have only three players 30 or older and they’re counting on big things from a lot of rookies and second-year players.

But this is a team that won 10 games last season with a lot of young players in key roles, and all of them should be a year better. That experience only encouraged the Bucs to continue with their youth movement and steer clear of making any dramatic moves in free agency. Instead of worrying about regressing, like a lot of fans and media are predicting, the Bucs fully expect to take another step forward.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are,’’ quarterback Josh Freeman said. “It matters how well you’re playing and if you have the ability to step up in big situations.’’

Freeman epitomizes what Dominik was talking about. The quarterback is 23, but spend a few minutes with him or think about how he led his teammates through workouts during the lockout and you’d swear he was 28. Or 38.

“It’s about the type of player we’re looking for,’’ Dominik said. “Certainly, the skill level has a lot to do with it. But it’s also very much about the type of player we’re looking for in terms of their demeanor. Plus, I have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff as far as getting guys prepared.’’

The Bucs hit it big when they drafted Freeman, and pickups such as receiver Mike Williams and running back LeGarrette Blount have made quick impacts. That’s part of the reason why they plan to plug rookie Adrian Clayborn in as an immediate starter at defensive end and why they’re willing to put rookie Mason Foster at the all-important middle linebacker position.

"When we talked to Adrian Clayborn and Mason Foster in the draft process, we felt that sense of someone who was wise beyond his years," Dominik said. "It gives you confidence to be able to see a young man who takes his game and his craft seriously and puts time into it and it’s important to him. That's the kind of thing that's important to us. We have a young team that we like very much and we look forward to it growing older together."

THREE HOT TOPICS

1. Where will the pass rush come from? The Bucs were among the worst in the league at pressuring quarterbacks last season. That’s why they drafted Clayborn in the first round and fellow defensive end Da'Quan Bowers in the second in April. A year ago, the Bucs used their top two draft picks on defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Brian Price.

There’s a lot invested in those young defensive linemen and the Bucs expect immediate results. Sure, they wouldn’t mind getting some sacks from blitzes by their linebackers or defensive backs, but it’s not like the Bucs have some other pass-rushing defensive end hidden up their sleeves.

Throughout camp, Clayborn’s looked even better than the Bucs thought he was when they drafted him. Bowers, coming off knee surgery in January, hasn’t been quite at Clayborn’s level. But he has looked better than the Bucs expected him to be at this point. At worst, Clayborn will start right away and Bowers will be used as a situational rusher. At best, Bowers might get on the field more than that and show every team that let him slide to the second round that his knee is fine.

2. Can Blount be a complete running back? That’s the hope and the plan, but Blount is a work in progress. We learned quickly last season that he can run between the tackles. He didn’t take the starting job from Cadillac Williams until midseason, but he still managed to rush for 1,007 yards.

Williams thrived as a third-down back last season, but he left via free agency, creating a void. When Blount was on the field last season, it was pretty obvious the Bucs were going to hand the ball to him. He caught only five passes and the team was hesitant to rely on Blount to pick up on blitzes on pass plays.

Earnest Graham and Kregg Lumpkin can do some of those things, but the Bucs have been working hard to make Blount a more balanced player. The coaching staff said he’s now up to speed on pass blocking and he has worked a lot on catching the ball out of the backfield in camp. If Blount can do everything this season, Tampa Bay’s offensive intentions no longer will be telegraphed.

3. Was Freeman’s first full season as a starter misleading? Not at all. He threw for 25 touchdowns with only six interceptions and pretty much carried an offense that had to do a lot of shuffling through a series of injuries.

Freeman took over as leader of the team last season, and he only reinforced that with the way he kept the Bucs together during the lockout. Those workouts only improved his chemistry with Williams, Arrelious Benn, Sammie Stroughter and tight end Kellen Winslow. Freeman is capable of throwing for 30-plus TDs and passing for more than 4,000 yards.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

The Bucs had a pretty strong feeling about receiver Dezmon Briscoe when they made the unconventional move of signing him to the practice squad, but paying him like he was a member of the regular roster at the start of last season. Briscoe later earned his way onto the regular roster and has made the Bucs look like geniuses throughout camp and in the first preseason game. The team believes Benn is coming along well after suffering a torn ACL late last season. But the Bucs don’t want to rush Benn. That's why Briscoe could end up starting at the “Z’’ position opposite Williams early in the season. The long-range promise of Briscoe is off the charts because he can play all three receiver spots.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

It’s not so much that the Bucs have been disappointed with what they’ve seen from McCoy and Price when they’ve been on the field. The problem is the two second-year defensive tackles simply haven’t been on the field a lot. The hopes are still high for these two, but Price is coming off a rare surgery on his pelvis and is being brought along slowly. McCoy, who had his rookie season end with a triceps injury just when he was starting to blossom, has missed some of camp with a shoulder injury. Roy Miller is a consistent player and the Bucs don’t mind starting him. But they need McCoy and Price to be on the field and making big plays.

OBSERVATION DECK

• The arrival of Clayborn and Bowers also helps the offensive line. In the old days, left tackle Donald Penn rarely had to break a sweat in practice because he worked against Stylez G. White.
• There’s concern on the outside about depth in the secondary. A lot of that concern stems from the uncertain situations of cornerback Aqib Talib and safety Tanard Jackson. Talib could face suspension by the league for an offseason incident in which he was charged with aggravated assault, and Jackson is out until at least late September as he finishes a one-year suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. The Bucs have no idea what’s going to happen with Talib. If Jackson returns to them, they view it as a bonus. But the team isn’t nearly as concerned with the depth situation as fans are. Coaches are comfortable with Sean Jones and Cody Grimm as starting safeties and think they’ve found quality backups in Larry Asante and Corey Lynch. At cornerback, the Bucs believe E.J. Biggers could step into a starting role if anything happens to Talib, and there’s hope that second-year pro Myron Lewis could succeed as a nickelback.
• The Bucs like what they’ve seen from Lumpkin during camp and think he might be a reliable backup for Blount. But Graham is a nice fallback option. He’s been playing fullback, but played tailback earlier in his career. With Erik Lorig getting time at fullback last season, the Bucs have flexibility to move Graham around.
• Although Foster is expected to start in the middle, the Bucs aren’t going to overload the rookie. At least in the short term, outside linebacker Quincy Black will wear the radio helmet and call the defensive plays. Part of that is because Black will be on the field all the time, and Foster will come out when the Bucs go to the nickel package.
• Attention, fantasy football players: Consider drafting Winslow. He was good last season, despite missing a lot of practice time with an achy knee. Winslow said the knee feels better than it has in years. He spent most of the offseason working out with Freeman in Tampa and their chemistry should be even better than last season.

Josh Freeman isn’t the only Tampa Bay quarterback trying to guide the Buccaneers through the lockout.

In a few hours from now, Rudy Carpenter and Allen Bradford will meet Thursday in Westlake, Calif. for a crash course in Tampa Bay’s offense. Carpenter is one of Freeman’s backups and he’s got something Bradford, a running back and a fifth-round pick, doesn’t.

Carpenter has a Tampa Bay playbook or at least carries one in his mind.

“It’s hard for any young guy to learn the offense when you don’t have the time at the facility,’’ Carpenter said by telephone from California on Wednesday night. “I’m not going to be able to teach him the whole playbook because we install new stuff all the time. But my plan is to go over our most basic running plays and our most basic passing plays with him just to give him something to build on. I’ll run him through the verbiage we use in the huddle and we’ll work out.''

The sessions will be more mental than physical because Bradford is taking part in a conditioning program at the University of Southern California, but the plan is to meet a few times a week and go over the playbook as long as the lockout remains in place.

Carpenter has spent much of his offseason in California and has been on the lookout for other players to work out with. That’s how joining forces with Bradford came about. Carpenter and Bradford have a mutual friend. That’s tight end Jordan Cameron, who played with Bradford at Southern California.

After the Bucs drafted Bradford and the Cleveland Browns used a fourth-round pick on Cameron, Carpenter called Jordan to congratulate him. Then he asked to be put in touch with Bradford to offer up his services to teach the playbook.

“I’ve been looking all offseason to work out with guys that are out in California,’’ Carpenter said. “I did go back to Tampa for the little passing camp (Freeman) did with some of the skill-position players a few weeks back, but I’m in California most of the time and I’ve been able to make the most of it.’’

Tampa Bay receiver Arrelious Benn, who is coming off major knee surgery, has worked out with Carpenter several times and the quarterback said he hopes that continues.

“Arrelious is such a hard worker and he’s done a great job with his rehab,’’ Carpenter said. “He’s running very well and catching balls and we’ve gotten in some good work. We’re also working to help him understand the offense a little better because he was only a rookie last year and got hurt before he could absorb everything.’’

Carpenter said receiver Sammie Stroughter and fullback Erik Lorig, who are spending most of their offseasons in California, also have come by for workouts. Carpenter said he also has attended some group workouts in California with players from other NFL teams.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without injured fullback Earnest Graham and wide receiver Sammie Stroughter for Sunday’s game with the Saints.

Graham (neck) and Stroughter (hamstring) have been declared inactive. Erik Lorig is expected to start in Graham’s place. With Stroughter out and Arrelious Benn already on injured reserve, Tampa Bay will have to look to Preston Parker, Dezmon Briscoe, Micheal Spurlock and Maurice Stovall for depth at wide receiver.

Other inactives for the Bucs are: cornerback DJ Johnson, tackle Will Barker, defensive end George Johnson, defensive tackle Doug Worthington and tight end Nathan Overbay.

TAMPA, Fla. -- One of the best things about coming out to One Buccaneer Place or covering a Tampa Bay game (anywhere) is getting a chance to hear Raheem Morris talk to the media.

It’s more than a little refreshing. No offense to John Fox, Mike Smith or Sean Payton, but they don’t come close to Morris in terms of entertainment value. Fox never says anything. Smith is a master of being very polite, but not really saying anything interesting. Payton is a bit more quotable than those two.

But Morris is in a league of his own. I just sat through Morris’ Wednesday meeting with the media and I don’t even have to go to the tape recorder to bring you the highlights. I was able to jot down seven one-liners from Morris. All of them had value. Try finding that in any news conference with Fox, Smith or Payton.

Here are Morris’ highlights:

• “You’ve got to keep building respect so, hopefully, some of those guys can go next year.’’ -- on Tampa Bay not having a player selected to the Pro Bowl.
• “He’s certainly provided a blunt force, no pun intended.’’ -- on rookie running back LeGarrette Blount.
• “It’s hard to say. We’ve got so many steals.’’ -- when asked if getting Blount, an undrafted free agent, who was cut by the Tennessee Titans at the end of the preseason, was the biggest steal of the year.
• “He kind of looks like a Ninja turtle.’’ -- on rookie fullback Erik Lorig, who was drafted as a defensive end.
• “I don’t think Sean Payton goes into any game lightly. I don’t think that’s in his makeup.’’ -- when asked if he thought the Saints might ease up if Atlanta is beating Carolina, which would lock New Orleans into the No. 5 seed for the playoffs.
• “I’m going to take a nap on the plane.’’ -- after he was asked how he planned to monitor the results of late-afternoon games if the Bucs win Sunday.
• “Stats are for losers. You’ve got to see who my stat guy is.’’ -- I can’t remember what the exact question was, but you get the point.

Some good news on the injury front for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Right tackle Jeremy Trueblood and fullback Earnest Graham will be back in the starting lineup when the Bucs take on the San Francisco 49ers later this afternoon.

Trueblood missed the past three games with a knee injury, while Graham sat out the past two games with a hamstring injury.

Linebacker Quincy Black (ankle) and defensive end Kyle Moore (shoulder) each will miss their second straight game. Adam Hayward is expected to start in Black’s place while Tim Crowder will start for Moore.

The other inactives for the Bucs are fullback Erik Lorig, tackle Will Barker, tackle Derek Hardman, wide receiver Preston Parker and defensive tackle Ryan Sims. Rudy Carpenter will be the third quarterback.

The most interesting statistic of the weekend comes to us from Tampa Bay’s media relations department.

In Sunday’s victory against Carolina, the Buccaneers became the first team since Dallas on Nov. 24, 2002 to start seven rookies and win. Receivers Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, safety Cody Grimm, guard Ted Larsen, fullback Erik Lorig and linebacker Dekoda Watson all started.

Five other rookies -- running back LeGarrette Blount, tackle Derek Hardman, punter Robert Malone, receiver Preston Parker and defensive tackle Al Woods -- also got playing time Sunday.

TAMPA, Fla. – The Panthers and Buccaneers just announced a few lineup changes for today’s game.

Center Jeff Faine, who is returning from injury, will start for the Bucs. There had been some thought that Jeremy Zuttah, who had played center in Faine’s absence, would move to left guard. But that’s not happening. Ted Larsen will start at left guard and James Lee will start at right tackle in place of Jeremy Trueblood, who had been injured, but is active today. Erik Lorig will start at fullback in place of the injured Earnest Graham.

On defense, Tim Crowder will start at end in place of the injured Kyle Moore. DeKoda Watson will start at strongside linebacker in place of Quincy Black.

For Carolina, Mike Goodson will get the start at running back because DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Tyrell Sutton all are out with injuries. Nick Hayden will start at defensive tackle in place of Ed Johnson.

The multi-talented D. Orlando Ledbetter uses his interpretation skills to figure out that Atlanta coach Mike Smith wants improvement across the board. I don’t think Ledbetter’s going out on any limb here. Smith can remain calm and cool, but you could tell he felt the Falcons lost a winnable game to the Steelers.

As expected, the Panthers re-signed kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd. They released Todd Carter, who was supposed to replace Lloyd, but injured his back.

Green Bay signed running back Dimitri Nance off Atlanta’s practice squad. The Falcons filled the spot by signing center Rob Bruggeman, who had been cut from the 53-man roster earlier this week.

After Aqib Talib served his one-game suspension for violating the league’s conduct code, the Buccaneers have placed him on the active roster and he’s expected to practice today. To clear a roster spot, the Bucs released Erik Lorig.

Adam in Chapel Hill, N.C., writes: Purely a hypothetical, but say Matt Moore comes in and within the Panthers system sets the proverbial world on fire. How much of a wrench would this throw in the works? How would talent scouts have to readjust/reassess QB evaluation?

Pat Yasinskas: If Moore does play well, I don’t think it will change the scouting process. Remember, guys like Kurt Warner, Jake Delhomme and Tony Romo have come essentially out of “nowhere’’ to have good careers. Even Tom Brady was a late-round draft pick. It is kind of amazing that teams put so much money and effort into scouting and they seem to miss on a lot of prospects. I guess it just shows scouting is an inexact science and the human element, things like heart and intangibles, can really throw it off.

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Zach in Atlanta writes: I'm not sure it counts, but TECHNICALLY the "greatest player in NFC South" history would be Brett Favre with the Falcons in the early 90s, if like most of your exercises we go beyond 2002. He didn't play long, obviously. Nevertheless, he suited up for Atlanta, making him the greatest player to pass through all of the NFC South teams.

Pat Yasinskas: Well, if you want to go that route, how about Reggie White? He played one season with Carolina. Or Anthony Munoz? He took part in a Tampa Bay training camp before deciding to retire. I suggest we stay clear of that route because it’s pointless. When I think of the greatest player in the history of the NFC South, I think of Derrick Brooks.

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Kyle in Tampa writes: I just wanted to share a thought. I saw in the chat where you said that, after a "few more years" Drew Brees could replace Derrick Brooks as the best player in NFC South history. Brooks is almost inarguably a top 10 linebacker of all time, potentially even a top 5-er. As of now, and even after a few more years, Brees would have to fight hard to even make the top 20 of his position. My Bucs don't have too much going for us in the history department, but best player all time is ours by a landslide, at least for now.

Pat Yasinskas: For right now, Brooks is the best player in NFC South history, in my eyes. But I think Brees could surpass him with a few more big years and another Super Bowl title or two.

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Kenneth in Boston writes: If there is another exciting, noteworthy season from Gregg Williams with the Saints defense, do you see a possibility of the Saints losing him to another team in search of a head coach willing to pay Williams?

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, absolutely. Williams’ stock had tumbled a bit before he joined the Saints. What he did with the New Orleans defense last year reminded a lot of people of what Williams is capable of accomplishing. I say another strong season by the New Orleans defense probably will get Williams a head-coaching job.

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Jake in Pittsburgh writes: What are the Bucs thinking? Stylez White, Tim Crowder, Kyle Moore, and Erik Lorig at defensive end? I know they drafted Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, but how can the Bucs possibly rush the QB?

Pat Yasinskas: That’s a very legitimate question. White’s at least an average player. But there’s nothing certain beyond that and I’m not sure Moore and Lorig have all that much upside. The Bucs do think the presence of McCoy and Price in the middle will help the guys on the outside and there’s probably some truth to that. But Tampa Bay doesn’t have anything close to a dominant pass-rusher. Then again, that’s not uncommon in the NFC South. Carolina doesn’t have a proven pass-rusher. Atlanta’s hoping John Abraham can bounce back from a quiet season. New Orleans’ Will Smith is the best pass-rusher in the division at the moment.

The Bucs just announced a few minor transactions.

They have signed defensive end Erik Lorig, a seventh-round draft pick, to a four-year contract. A Stanford product, Lorig is expected to compete for a backup role at defensive end.

The Bucs also said they have released safety Emanuel Cook and long-snapper Chris Mauriello.