General Info

6'3", 197 lbs. 22 years old
Louisiana State

Clayton was the 1st round draft pick for Tampa Bay this year. He was the 15th overall person selected, and the 5th Wide Receiver taken in the draft. He's currently listed as #3 on the Tampa Depth chart behind holdout Keenan McCardell and Joe Jurevicius.

Will Grant's Thoughts

2004 Outlook

1st round draft pick WR Michael Clayton stands 6'2", and 210 lbs. He would benefit be adding another 10 lbs, but he is a natural athlete with great hands. He has great leaping ability, and runs great routes.

With WR Keenan McCardell holding out for a better contract, Clayton has an opportunity to step right into the starting line up with a good camp. So far, everything is working out perfectly for Clayton, he has been making some excellent plays in training camp. "He made a couple of great plays today, phenomenal plays," Coach John Gruden told the St. Pete Times on 8/13.

Although there is a gut of WRs on the Buccaneers, because of the McCardell holdout, Clayton's only real competition is WR Joe Jurevicius who missed significant time in 2003 with injuries. Should McCardell continue to stay away from practice, and not be with the team when the season starts, Clayton could put up the numbers to be the best rookie WR of the class in 2004.

2007 Outlook

By 2007, Clayton should be at the top of his game with a team in the yearly hunt for the Super Bowl. Over the past 5 seasons, Head Coach Jon Gruden QBs have averaged 3,590 yards with 25.4 passing touchdowns. During that same period,, Gruden teams have been in the top 8 in the league for passing TDs 4 out of 5 years. Simply said, Gruden Offenses deliver points in the passing game.

2004 is WR Keenan McCardell's 13th season in the league. Assuming that he is still with Tampa Bay in 2007 (looking highly unlikely), he will certainly be on the down side of his career. The other clear-cut starter in 2004 is Joey Galloway, who at 32 years old, has been in a downward spiral for the last few seasons. This is Clayton's team by 2007, and with Gruden, his numbers could be in the elite of the game.

Final Thoughts

Stuck behind McCardell and Galloway, Michael Clayton just wasn't supposed to be valuable to Fantasy Owners this season. Now, with McCardell not only holding out, but also asking to be traded, Clayton could step right into the starting lineup, and be an outside candidate for ROY. By 2007, Clayton is the top WR on a team that challenges for the Super Bowl on a regular basis.

Chris Smith's Thoughts

2004 OUTLOOK

Michael Clayton is one of those special talents that doesn't come around very often at the professional level. He has great size at 6'3 and 209 pounds that he uses well on the field, he has good quickness and acceleration and decent top-end speed. He is very smooth in and out of his cuts and runs tight routes. His size makes him extremely difficult to jam at the line of scrimmage and his soft hands make him a very reliable receiver. Add in a tremendous ability to block defenders down the field and you have the makings of a player capable of making an impact as a rookie in 2004.

Here are a couple of blurbs from him during minicamp this season…

Jun 27, 2004, 09:08
Buccaneers - Making His Mark
Buccaneers.com - [Full Article]

Rookie receiver Michael Clayton has been very impressive in his two months as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer...just ask his head coach. Clayton has earned his praise in just two months as a Buccaneer, working hard, performing well on the practice field and humbly trying to perfect his craft. So far, Clayton has struck the perfect chord for a rookie who may end up with a significant role during the regular season.

---

Jun 25, 2004, 10:49
Buccaneers - WR Clayton Ready For Glare Of Spotlight
Derek Redd, Naples Daily News - [Full Article]

As Bucs minicamp closed Thursday, it will only get hotter for WR Michael Clayton, both literally and figuratively. The hot training camp sun of Orlando will beat down upon him in August, as will the spotlight from being a first-round draft pick in the middle of what has become a wide-open wideout competition. Both Gruden and WRs coach Richard Mann have been pleased with Clayton's progress.

It is looking more and more that Clayton will get some significant playing time in 2004. He is quite polished for a rookie receiver but also works very hard at his craft which will help him improve significantly throughout his first season. Don't be surprised if he puts up solid numbers in 2004. I have him down for 58 receptions, 758 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns.

2007 OUTLOOK

There is no question that Clayton has the potential to become a top ten or better receiver by 2007 for a number of different reasons…

• Talent - Clayton has the entire package of skills. He is a tall, athletic receiver with soft hands and a tremendous work ethic.
• Desire - Nobody works harder than Clayton at improving his game. He had that reputation while at LSU and has worked ever harder since becoming a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Situation - The Buccaneers currently feature two older receivers as their starting receivers in Joey Galloway and Keenan McCardell (if he ends his current holdout for a larger contract). By 2007, both will be out of the picture paving the way for Clayton to be a legitimate # 1 receiver (he will likely become that by next year at the latest as it is). The Buccaneers also have a future quarterback being groomed in Chris Simms who is talented enough to get the ball into Clayton's hands on a consistent basis. Simms to Clayton will be a household name by 2007. Expect 1200+ yards receiver per year on a consistent basis.

Final Thoughts

While receivers Roy Williams, Larry Fitzgerald and Reggie Williams have received more accolades at this point of their respective careers, I would not be surprised at all to find Michael Clayton being the best of the bunch by the 2007 season at the latest. All four receivers have terrific skills and athletic prowess but what may separate Clayton from the others is a work ethic that is reminiscent of a certain young receiver in the Bay area who became the best receiver of this era in Jerry Rice. Don't hesitate to target Clayton for your team. You'll be glad you did.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

To view the Entire Message Board Thread, Click here.

EastBayFunk:
Clayton has some potential. At first glance he looks like a pretty good bet to be Tampa Bay's #1 WR by the 2006 season. He is considered a good possession WR who has some ability to make plays with the ball in his hands. I see him as a good bet to be a 70 reception for 900 yard kind of guy, although I'm not sure he really has the kind of explosiveness needed to ever be truly elite statistically. He is a nice prospect who will make a solid #3 fantasy WR with an outside chance to become a mid level #1 fantasy WR like Hines Ward.

Pinequick:
I honestly never saw Clayton play in college--except for maybe the Sugar Bowl. What I do know is that he is a Gruden-guy, so that helps his chances. Not in 2004, as noted above, too many guys are ahead of him (and of course, duh, rookie WRs struggle in Year 1). But in 2007, Clayton will have 3 years under his belt in Gruden's system (barring an unforeseen firing). Still, I probably don't draft him this year--too worried about that QB situation. If I lose out on him, so be it--but I won't pick him this year.

ExtraPoint:
Clayton's opportunity might come sooner than people think. The McCardell holdout is serious yet being practically ignored by fantasy owners. I do urge caution though as Gruden has a history of going with veteran players. In fact Gruden's draft picks at skill positions have yet to amount to much in the NFL. If the McCardell situation is resolved we might not see Clayton hardly at all for a couple years. Which will make him a better value then than as a rookie. Recommendation: Sell