They say defense wins championships, and in the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that proves to be true. The team won both Super Bowls after its defense had monumental performances—one against an MVP in Rich Gannon and one against a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Pat Mahomes.
In the case of Super Bowl XXXVII, the Bucs defense was led by two Hall of Famers Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. Both players they drafted in the same first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, and they remain the only Hall of Fame defenders drafted by the same team in the same round.
The Bucs drafted Sapp after a failed drug test had him fall down the draft board to them at pick 12. There were three defensive linemen selected in front of him, only one made a Pro Bowl. The Bucs were very lucky to land the Miami Hurricane defender, but they weren’t done using up their luck. They followed that up by trading back into the first round with the Dallas Cowboys by giving up both of their second-round picks to be able to draft Sapp’s college rival, Derrick Brooks.
Sapp and Brooks ushered in a winning era for the Bucs franchise, something they never had. Sapp has spoken plenty of times about how he only knew them as the “Yucks,” that is, until they both arrived. It was good work by then-general manager Rich McKay, current Atlanta Falcons CEO, to find those two Hall of Fame talents and do what he had to in order to get them.
