Martin inks pact with Bucs, only Mark Barron remains unsigned

With Doug Martin (right) under contract,
only Mark Barron (left) remains unsigned
from Bucs 2012 draft list

And now they are down to one.
The Tampa Bay Bucs today signed the Boise State running back Doug Martin to a five year deal, leaving only one of the players it drafted in 2012 unsigned.

Martin was a person the Bucs coveted. They moved up into the first round to get him (31^st overall pick) as their number two pick after indirectly giving up a chance to take heralded cornerback Morris Claiborne.

The Bucs have now signed six of their seven draft picks leaving only top pick, safety Mark Barron (7^th overall pick) from Alabama as the only one who has not put his name on a contract. He has been working out with the team, but unsigned draft picks are not allowed to report to regular camp without a signed contract.

New Tampa head coach Greg Schiano has repeatedly stated he wants to improve the Bucs running game and considers Martin essential. LeGarrette Blount, last year’s featured back, has been a disappointment with his fumbling and inability to play on third downs because of deficiencies in blocking and understanding the plays.

Martin ended his college career with 3,431 yards and 43 touchdowns (5.6 avg). Last season he ran for 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns. The only questions marks with him regard Boise’s weak schedule, which allowed the Broncos and Martin to put up numbers that might have more to do with a poor quality opponents than anything else.