Mark Barron proves big hit with Buccaneers as rookie

• Bucs safety Mark Barron, drafted seventh overall, earns praise as rookie
• Barron learned quickly because of Alabama background
• Saints tight end Jimmy Graham will be tough test for rookie

TAMPA — Mark Barron was drafted No. 7 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers largely because he could check the best tight ends in the game. Seven weeks into the season, the rookie safety preps for a midterm exam Sunday: New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham.

At 6-7, Graham is considered a league-wide matchup problem on the Saints No. 1 ranked passing offense. Not so against the Bucs, Barron says.

"I don't feel like it is a problem," says Barron, who won two national championships at Alabama. "I can run with him, I have size, so it's not a problem. I'm expecting it to be competitive."

Back in April, the Buccaneers saw in the 6-1 defender a rare confluence of tremendous value and the answer to an obvious need.

The Bucs play in the NFC South. That means six games a year vs. the likes of Graham, the Falcons' Tony Gonzalez (6-5) and the Panthers' Greg Olsen (6-5) — "big tight ends that are really hard to cover," Bucs coach Greg Schiano says.

"You look at our division, we've got three of them," Schiano says. "No doubt, there's matchup considerations for sure. You get them on a 5-8 guy, there's not a lot of doubt about where they're going with the football. That was certainly part of our discussions when we talked about Mark Barron."

The safety position typically isn't one on which teams are willing to spend a top-10 pick. But the consensus on draft day and today is that Tampa Bay didn't reach.

"Only because this guy is a Pro Bowl player," former NFL GM Charley Casserly says. "With the emergence of tight ends with certain teams, you need a guy like him. Teams would like to have better cover safeties, but the problem is there aren't many out there."

While Tampa Bay has struggled in pass defense, Barron has impressed as a starter. He leads Tampa Bay defensive backs with 35 tackles and picked off his first pass last week. He fared well in his NFL debut, limiting Olsen to six catches for 56 yards. And he's only gotten better since, say teammates.

"He's a great young observer," cornerback Eric Wright says. "He's a sponge; Just trying to soak up as much information as he can. He knows exactly what's going on out there."

Wright and safety Ronde Barber say Barron's quick acclimation has a lot to do with his experience at Alabama. The Crimson Tide employ many of the same concepts used in the pros, says Barber. Barron's athleticism doesn't hurt, either.

"That's one of the things that makes him valuable and really justifies his draft pick because he can match up with guys, even wide receivers," Barber says. "He's versatile, he plays big and physical, so he's kind of the best of both worlds."

When the rookie looks back on the first six weeks, he would like to improve on his decision-making. Barron says he's relying too much on his athleticism. His coach says he's moving along at a good pace and describes Sunday as a "big test."

"Hopefully around 4:30, I can say he took another step," Schiano says.

It's a big one for the Bucs too. Fresh off a rout of the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay is 2-3 while the Atlanta Falcons lead the division at 6-0. Lose on Sunday, and they'll be 2-4 along with New Orleans in a conference with seven teams with winning records heading into the weekend.