Former Chargers QB Ryan Leaf got his first look around Buc headquarters on Friday

On Friday, exactly two weeks after he was awarded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers off waivers from San Diego, Ryan Leaf made his first appearance at team headquarters.

Leaf arrived in town on Thursday evening and had dinner with Head Coach Tony Dungy. On Friday, his day began with Head Trainer Todd Toriscelli, as Leaf participated in the routine physical to which all new players are subjected. After the physical, he met with Dungy, Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen and Quarterbacks Coach Jim Caldwell and had lunch with the staff and further discussions in the afternoon.

Leaf's Friday at One Buc was described as an 'orientation session,' a chance for the former Washington State star to familiarize himself with the Bucs' environment. He left team headquarters in mid-afternoon and will head out of Tampa over the weekend.

The team was eager to sit down with Leaf and emphasized afterward that it is not actively pursuing a trade of the former Charger first-round pick. Leaf is expected to join the Bucs in mini-camp and compete for a job on the roster.

Between claiming Leaf on March 2 and meeting with him in Tampa for the first time, the Buccaneers signed former Washington QB Brad Johnson to a five-year contract.

*

Lucky 21: A Look at the first-round slot from which the Bucs will be drafting in April

Maybe Dennis Green ought to head to Vegas.

The Minnesota Vikings' head coach and vice president of football operations has hit 21 better than any executive in the league over the last decade – when it comes to the annual draft, that is.

Green's NFC Central rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, own the 21st pick in the first round in this year's draft. Barring a trade up or down – and, yes, the Bucs have made a trade involving a first-round pick in five of the last six springs – Tampa Bay will exercise that pick about five hours into the first day of this April's selection meeting.

And that date? Yep, the 21st.

A good luck omen? Hopefully. Tampa Bay would like to turn that pick into an immediate impact player, and they would be thrilled to match Green's success at 21.

Of the last 10 players picked at the 21st overall spot, two are (or were) bona fide NFL stars, and both are (or were) Vikings. In 1993, Green's crew selected Ohio State running back Robert Smith; five years later, they added another piece to the offensive puzzle with Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss. The very next fall, those two helped the Vikings score an NFL-record 556 points. Moss remains one of the league's most prolific receivers; Smith recently retired unexpectedly after breaking the Vikings' all-time rushing mark with 6,818 yards.

That offensive theme has held strong for the past 10 years, albeit not always with that much success. Nine of the last 10 selections at the 21st slot have been offensive players, including four running backs, three receivers and two tackles. The only defender to break up the string was Notre Dame defensive tackle Renaldo Wynn, chosen 21st overall by Jacksonville in 1997.

Here's a rundown of the last decade's Lucky 21 Picks:

Like Minnesota, Kansas City has slid into that slot twice in the last decade and used it for a running back-receiver pair, though Williams and Morris were chosen too far apart to be teammates. Williams played for most of the decade with the Chiefs and Oakland, even converting briefly to a tight end with the Raiders. Morris, one of five receivers taken in the first round last year, had a fine rookie season with 48 receptions for 678 yards and three touchdowns.

Overall, this list was rated by a Buc personnel staffer as rather respectable, which is a fairly good track record for a low first-round slot. Of course, any position in the round is bound to turn up a 'bust' or two, and Dunbar and Salaam are probably this group's least accomplished members.

Shelton took over the Cardinals' left tackle position and started 14 games there in 2000, but it is probably too early to make a determination of his value. Though drafted as a tackle, Kendall has clearly established himself as one of the game's better guards and is now a free agent after five seasons in Seattle. Morton has racked up 392 receptions over seven seasons with Detroit, good for third on the team's all-time list.

Statistically, Tampa Bay's offense would certainly appear to need more attention than its defense, though one major addition has already occurred with the signing of Johnson. Also, one must remember that the Bucs generally follow a 'best-available-player' strategy when making first-round decisions. Still, that history of offensive success at number 21 is certainly tempting, and the Bucs wouldn't mind borrowing a little Green, so to speak.

*

The Buccaneers, who have had talks with Arizona Cardinals star Simeon Rice, aren't the only teams possibly shopping the defensive line aisle in the NFL free agency aisle.

Despite what NFL.com's Andrew Mahoney describes as a bumper crop of available impact players for the defensive trenches, a series of signings has drained the market somewhat.

Click here to get Mahoney's take on the movement among free agent defensive linemen and why he says 'the time to make a move is at hand.'