With the seventeenth pick in the 2009 draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose Josh Freeman from Kansas State. Freeman comes in at 6’6” and 248 lbs. Josh Freeman is a potential steal for the Buccaneers at number 17. His size is the prototype for an NFL quarterback. Freeman has the opportunity to learn the position behind veteran quarterback Byron Leftwich. Despite higher profile quarterbacks being taken earlier, this could turn out to be a Ben Roethelisberger situation when he was taken after highly touted Eli Manning.

Freeman possesses a rocket arm. He is also an athlete at quarterback. He is able to play the position and not just run. Last year Freeman averaged 279.08 yards of total offense per game and had a part in 17.17 points per game. He also threw for 20 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions last year. He is a very accurate passer. He also ran for 14 touchdowns. He is a potent weapon.

As the prototypical quarterback, Freeman can make any NFL throw including the deep ball. He has a good sense in the pocket and is able to scramble but doesn’t rely on that. He is able to check off receivers under pressure. He is an all-around threat in the backfield.

Despite the tons of positives, Freeman does need to work on some issues. He sometimes gets lazy at quarterback and does not use proper throwing technique, relying on his athletic arm instead. He needs to hold onto the ball better when scrambling. Overall, this is a great pickup for Tampa Bay.