Aqib Talib.

Who?

The newest Buccaneer.

Aqib Talib.

The TV announcers Saturday would have pronounced the name Aah-keeb Tah-leeb.

Our NFL man, Ira Kaufman, had him listed among his top 10 defensive backs in the Saturday paper, in advance of the draft at Radio City Music Hall where it was announced. Kaufman and our Bucs felt Talib was the best available with their first-round pick (20th overall) in a draft that featured offensive and defensive linemen in solid numbers, the first two chosen surnamed Long.

Aqib was a standout member of that standout University of Kansas team that whipped up on so many teams this year past. It had to be a solid choice. There seemed to be big-time competition for the first dozen but then trades were made and chances taken. Some of those longshots, though first rounders, will surely be All-Pros.  One may well be Aqib — seems like there should be a “u” after the q. But, the young man probably will have trouble with “McEwen.” Plenty of people do.

And, hey, Chidi Ahanotu was a star defensive end here. And how about Donald Iqwebuike, our terrific field goal man? Hasson Arbubakrr was a Buc for a while.

Truth is, the first day of the draft is fun. I attended, and reported several. John Matuszak, the perfect defensive specimen out of the University of Tampa was in it. Bill Peterson, the late great coach of the Florida State Seminoles, master of the malaprops, was the head coach of the Houston NFL team at the time.

Matusak played a while, was traded to Oakland, and played a while there, on a team for which he seemed to be perfectly suited. He fooled around with the movies a while but died young and tragically. To the end, he was a friend of wife Linda and mine.

But, returning to the draft and the Buccaneers, you can count on Jon Gruden doing the homework expected. He does not want nor need any more eight-balls at fancy-dancy One Buc Palace, dream facility provided them now by the Buc-owning Malcolm Glazer family, now better known as the owners of the worldwide known Manchester (England) United soccer sports empire.

The Bucs seem to have shut doors on troublemakers and louts, with a few forgiving exceptions. When the newest, highest-picked Buc was announced Saturday, one of the commentators noted he had some baggage, but said he was a genuinely fine cornerback. We all know he was a star on an all-star Kansas team.

It was a different kind of draft this year, I thought. There was a shortage of superstars. And, once the top people — again, offensive and defensive linemen and one name quarterback, Matt Ryan, out of Boston College — went early, then the next quarterback taken was Joe Flacco of Delaware.

The late John McKay (USC and the Bucs) would have enjoyed the announcement that the Trojans regained their all-time lead in players drafted by the NFL. No one, no one, loved more to have been associated with and a part of the great college football history. No one. He referred to his old school purely as “S-C.”

Malio Iavarone had McKay’s favorite booth from his favorite S-C bar-eatery disassembled, shipped to Tampa and installed in his old, sadly, now gone, restaurant, and installed in the westernmost booth spot, for use by McKay and his old friends until he left us years ago for the USC campus in the sky.

By the way, McKay would not have been able to pronounce Aqib Talib. Wouldn’t have tried.  He would have called him “son.”