Adrian Clayborn: He skipped the NFL rookies' symposium to train with his new teammates, who are already going to bat for him

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2011 first-round draft pick Adrian Clayborn of Iowa chose getting to know his teammates better over experts' advice on how ro0kies can survive the perils of their first NFL season.

In this Bradenton.com story by Alan Dell, we learn defensive end Clayborn passed on going to this week's symposium for NFL rookies in favor of staying in Bradenton for a player-organized Bucs' mini-camp of sorts.

Said Clayborn: “I am still a broke college student still driving an old beat up car. I don't have any money to take care of now, but I am not a real flashy guy anyway so it's not a concern to me that I might to go out and blow it all.”

Clayborn said his biggest concern about the current NFL player lockout is the mental aspect of the game.

“I am not as concerned physically because this is the best I've ever felt. My training and my diet are a lot better than they were in college.”

We're told Clayborn is getting some mentoring from Tampa Bay's top draftee in 2010, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. Excerpts from this story at PewterReport.com:

“I knew how crazy it was in OTAs and mini-camp when I came in to face the offensive line,” McCoy said. “I couldn't have imagined just coming in and putting on pads and going against them. The reason why I came into camp and did so well and in the preseason was because I had OTAs and mini-camp and that kind of got me adjusted to the speed in football gear.”

“I'm already two months behind. I know that stuff is important and I can hear it at some point, but with this lockout thing I want to get around my teammates as much as I can,” said Clayborn. “I didn't think it would last this long, so hopefully it will be over soon.

“It is very frustrating. It is a business and that stuff has to get worked out, but I mean, I got a passion for the game and I just want to play it.”

PewterReport also has a piece noting that Clayborn has an offensive tackle, of all people, looking out for him. A passage:

Bucs left tackle Donald Penn, who looked slimmer than he did two years ago when he ballooned to 370 pounds, but perhaps not as trim as he did last year entering training camp with a new contract extension, got to meet the player he will be facing on a daily basis come training and probably for the next five years at least in defensive end Adrian Clayborn, Tampa Bay's first-round pick in 2011.

“I told him congratulations, man,” Penn said. “He had a great honor of being picked in the first round. A lot of people don't get that opportunity. The first thing he asked me was, ‘Who is the left tackle?' I told him, ‘You are looking at him. Don't worry. I'll get you right. We'll have enough time in training camp and I'm going to get you right and we're going to battle.”

By the way, here is a video from that rookies' symposium. It's former NFL head coach Herman Edwards.