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Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Heading into this year's draft, Josh Freeman was considered to have the highest upside of any quarterback entering the NFL in 2009, while also possessing the biggest downside. The Buccaneers, in need of a true franchise quarterback for the first time since ... well, they've never really had one, were not only willing to take the chance on Freeman, but they were also willing to move up two spots to get him.

During the NFL draft a lot of fancy buzzwords get thrown around by analysts, bloggers, fans and, well, pretty much anybody watching the annual selection meeting. Smoke screen, reach, tweener, value ... you get the idea. When it comes to smoke screens, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers attempted to use one of their free-agent signings in an effort to hide their interest in eventual first-round pick, quarterback Josh Freeman. That is, if we believe Freeman.

Appearing in an NFL.com chat after being selected by the Bucs, Freeman claimed that the Tampa Bay front office informed him that its two-year deal with free agent quarterback Byron Leftwich was nothing more than a giant ruse.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

What started off as a promising season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned into an embarrassing finish, as the team lost its final four regular season games in 2008, missing the postseason for the third time in four years. When all was said and done, it was enough to cost head coach Jon Gruden his job, while the team said goodbye to several starters, including Derrick Brooks, Jeff Garcia and Cato June.

After missing the 2008 season with a shoulder injury, it was possible that Alex Smith's tenure as a San Francisco 49er was over. Despite the injury, and the fact his play, when healthy, has been rather disappointing for a No. 1 overall pick, the 49ers seemed interested in keeping the 24-year-old quarterback around under one condition: him being willing to take a pay cut.

On Monday, the 49ers and Smith agreed to re-work his contract, agreeing to a two-year, $6.5 million deal. According to Matt Maiocco of the Press Democrat, the reduced salary is expected to save the 49ers as much as $6 million against the league's salary cap.

Derrick Ward has left the band. The only current free agent member of "Earth, Wind, and Fire," the Giants' trio of running backs, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last night, inking a deal that is reported to be worth four years and $17 million ($6 million guaranteed).

Ward joins a running back corps that now includes Earnest Graham and a broken down Cadillac Williams, the latter of whom dealt with two serious injuries in 2008. The signing by the Bucs is another interesting move in what has been an already "bizarre" offseason in Tampa Bay.

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For all those secretly coveting and projecting Derrick Ward as the 2009 version of Michael Turner (you know the capable back-up who signs with a new team to be the man) you just might wanna pay attention. Ward just signed with the Tampa Bay Bucs with aspirations of finally being the man.

If another season plagued by knee injuries wasn't the signal of the end for Carnell Williams, this should be. Ward had other suitors in the fold, but chose the re-vamped Tampa Bay offense that is beginning to take on a new shape in the early going of this new regime. You may recall Ward was quite the steady contributor the past few seasons in New York and he caught the eye of many in the fantasy football world after he blistered the Carolina Panthers for 215 yards on National TV. So who else is impacted?

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

Following a disastrous end to the 2009 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gone through some pretty significant changes. Gone are head coach Jon Gruden, general manager Bruce Allen and starting quarterback Jeff Garcia.

That's what happens when you haven't won a playoff game since 2002 and closed out your season on a four-game losing streak.

With Jeff Garcia out of the picture in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers' quarterback position is a bit of a question mark. If the season opened right now, the team's starting quarterback would likely be Luke McCown, whom the team recently signed to a two-year contract extension. They also have veteran Brian Griese and 2008 draft pick Josh Johnson on the roster.

According to some of the local scribes in Tampa Bay, there's some chatter around the NFL combine that Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson could be a target in a potential trade.

In an announcement that is pretty much only confirming the obvious, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have decided to officially part ways with quarterback Jeff Garcia. The 39-year-old started 12 games for Tampa in 2008 and completed nearly 65 percent of his passes for a Buccaneers team that finished a disappointing 9-7.

After Luke McCown was re-signed to a two-year contract extension earlier in the offseason, it was a pretty good indication that Garcia's time in Tampa Bay was coming to an end.

The signing of Luke McCown earlier this week likely signaled the end of the Jeff Garcia era in Tampa Bay, leaving the team's quarterback situation in the hands of McCown, Brian Griese and Josh Johnson. Not exactly an ideal situation for rookie head coach Raheem Morris.

McCown and Johnson are relatively unknown, while Griese isn't likely to lead his team to the promised land. How should the Bucs address this in the offseason? If you ask Mel Kiper, by taking a quarterback in the first round of the draft.