day leading up to the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll take a look at the player’s college stats, their pre-draft numbers (either via the NFL Combine or their Pro Day), their NFL stats, some player footage and analysis at the end on whether the pick itself was a good one .
It’s draft week, so our series is winding down. There are still some Bucs legends to get to, but first, we’ll take a look at Tampa Bay’s first two picks in 1996 as we enter the creamsicle era.
Check out the draft rundown on the first one, DE Regan Upshaw, below:
College Accolades
RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Regan Upshaw played college football at California. He was voted a first-team All-American in his junior year.
Pre-Draft Measurements
Scott Halleran / Allsport
|
Height |
Weight |
40-yard dash |
Arm length |
Hand span |
Vertical leap |
Broad jump |
Bench press |
|
6ft 3in |
249 lbs |
4.81s |
34 in |
9 1/2 in |
34.5 in |
10 ft |
25 reps |
Pick Selected
Jonathan Daniel / Allsport
Regan Upshaw was selected with the No. 12 picks in the 1996 NFL draft.
Player selected before him: CB Alex Molden, New Orleans Saints
Player selected after him: CB Walt Harris, Chicago Bears
NFL Stats
Tom Hauck / Allsport
Regan Upshaw played four seasons for the Bucs, one for the Jaguars, three for the Raiders and one for the Commanders.
|
Year |
Team |
G |
Solo |
Asst |
Tot |
Scks |
|
1996 |
TB |
16 |
20 |
5 |
25 |
4.0 |
|
1997 |
TB |
15 |
23 |
5 |
28 |
7.5 |
|
1998 |
TB |
16 |
23 |
6 |
29 |
7.0 |
|
1999 |
TB/JAX |
7 |
8 |
1 |
9 |
0.0 |
|
2000 |
OAK |
16 |
17 |
5 |
22 |
6.0 |
|
2001 |
OAK |
16 |
24 |
8 |
32 |
7.0 |
|
2002 |
OAK |
5 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2.0 |
|
2003 |
WAS |
16 |
16 |
5 |
21 |
1.0 |
|
Total |
110 |
133 |
36 |
169 |
34.5 |
Pick Analysis
Scott Halleran / Allsport
It’s certainly not that Regan Upshaw was bad — he was a decent producer at defensive end his first few seasons in Tampa and had a far more consistent career than the other DE the Bucs drafted in the same round. It’s more so who was drafted after him.
Players like Eddie George, Marvin Harrison and Ray Lewis were all taken after Upshaw was picked. Two of those three players are Hall of Famers, and five other Pro Bowlers were selected after Upshaw was picked 12th. That’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow, even if Upshaw had some decent years in Tampa Bay (not decent enough to retain him instead of trading him to the Jags in 1999, though).
He’s put together a few more decent seasons in Oakland and he’d play against the Bucs in 2002 when the Super Bowl came around, but Upshaw was overall not a particularly memorable first-round selection.
Story originally appeared on Buccaneers Wire