Tampa Bay takes Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn

Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn became the fifth first-round draft pick under Coach Kirk Ferentz, going No. 20 to Tampa Bay in Thursday night's NFL draft.

“It was a long wait but it was well worth it,” Clayborn told ESPN's Suzy Kolber seconds after his selection. “Tampa is where I wanted to be and I'm glad I got to them. I'm glad they picked me. I can't wait to be a Buc.”

Clayborn, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 287 pounds, is the first Iowa defensive end and only the second defensive lineman in Iowa history to go in the first round. The last Iowa defensive lineman drafted in the first round was Alex Karras in 1958. He is the 18th Iowa player drafted in the first round, and the second year in a row Iowa had a first-round selection (Bryan Bulaga, Green Bay).

He's the first Iowa player drafted by the Buccaneers since the 1976 expansion draft.

“You want to talk about motor, productivity and toughness, that kid epitomizes it,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said.

Clayborn was a consensus All-American last year for the Hawkeyes. He had 37.5 tackles for loss in his Iowa career, which included 37 starts. He had 19 sacks and 192 tackles in 50 games. He had 3.5 sacks last year while facing double teams.

Twice Clayborn was named a first-team all-Big Ten defensive lineman. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2010 Orange Bowl, helping the Hawkeyes to a 24-14 win against Georgia Tech.

Clayborn goes to a team that was No. 28 against the run and No. 17 overall. Tampa Bay finished 10-6 last season but missed the NFC playoffs. The Buccaneers have no Hawkeyes on their current roster.

“They call (Clayborn) an emotional leader,” said NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin, a Hall of Fame wide receiver. “With all that he's gone through, he's still a great leader. He gives it to his team and his team reciprocates that to him by giving it back on the field.”