A quarter-century ago, Trent Dilfer heard his name called as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first-round draft picks. Eight years later, Dexter Jackson was announced as the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXVII, a game won by Tampa Bay over the Oakland Raiders. Now those two Buccaneer legends will help introduce the next era of Buccaneer stars.
On Thursday, the NFL announced the names of 64 former and current players who will take part in the 2019 NFL Draft by announcing each of the picks in the second and third rounds. Dilfer will announce Tampa Bay's second-round pick, currently slated at #39 overall. Later, Dexter Jackson will take to the stage to reveal the Buccaneers' third-round pick, the 70th selection.
All of the current and former players chosen to read second-round names were originally first-round picks by their former team. The Buccaneers nabbed Dilfer sixth overall in the 1994 draft and he went on to play six seasons in Tampa before finishing his 13-year playing career with stints in Baltimore, Seattle, Cleveland and San Francisco. He won a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback for the Ravens at the end of the 2000 campaign. Dilfer's run as a Buccaneer included 76 starts, a Pro Bowl berth in 1997 and two playoff campaigns.
The players selected to read third-round names were all chosen in later rounds by their original team. Tampa Bay got Jackson, a safety, in the fourth round in 1999. He had two stints with the Buccaneers covering six years and 42 starts, the biggest of which was the final game of the 2002 NFL season. Jackson's two first-half interceptions kicked off a record-setting outing by Tampa Bay's defense, including five picks of which three were returned for touchdowns, and earned him a place in history as a Super Bowl MVP. Jackson also played for Arizona and Cincinnati during a 10-year career.
The 2019 NFL Draft will be held in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The guest announcers will be on hand on the evening of Friday, April 26, when the second and third rounds are conducted, after Thursday night is devoted to the first round. Among the other former players who will announce draft picks are Hall-of-Famers Carl Eller (Minnesota), Darrell Green (Washington) Terrell Owens (San Francisco), Orlando Pace (Los Angeles Rams), Jackie Slater (Rams) and Rayfield Wright (Dallas). The list of active players who are also taking part in the evening includes Houston wide receiver DeAngelo Hopkins, Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey and Cincinnati defensive tackle Geno Atkins.
