TAMPA BAY – Some of you may know this, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost the first 26 games they ever played as a franchise. So while the smell of glory is fresh in the halls of the AdventHealth Training Center, it was not always that way.

One thing the Buccaneers have been pretty good at is finding diamonds in the rough through the draft.

This starts with their recent talent evaluation, which has been very good as of late. Whether it's noticing when a player has a higher value than the selection, or just simply finding someone that can produce when needed.

Look at Ronde Barber, who is arguably the Buccaneers' greatest defensive back ever: He was drafted 66th overall in 1997. Even John Lynch, another great defensive back, was drafted by the team in 1993 at 82nd overall.

Tampa Bay finds quality talent deep in the draft. Recently, it has been at the linebacker position.

Buccaneers' David listed as the best value pick

Dating back to 2012, the Buccaneers were in a great position to draft one of the best linebackers in today's game. Of course, he isn't quite what he once was, but he also isn't far from it.

Even last year, the 32-year-old veteran was able to show out a bit for the Buccaneers. Lavonte David is doing what he has always done, and that's play consistently good on the defensive side of the ball. All while also mentoring a young Devin White, turning him into a monster as well.

Tampa Bay was able to snag David with the 58th pick and got a great return on investment. He is one of the franchise's best linebackers (not the best, but one of them).

Pro Football Focus recently wrote an article listing every team's best value pick since 2006. You can probably guess who's name appeared for the Buccaneers.

Here is what the PFF article said:

"A Hall of Fame-caliber linebacker (in my opinion), David was taken in the same draft class as Kuechly; yet he is still playing elite football. Last season, he allowed only 395 yards in his coverage for the second-highest coverage grade among NFL off-ball linebackers."

Last season David finished with 75 tackles. No, that isn't the triple-digit tackles we are used to seeing. However, that is still 27th among all linebackers in the NFL.

While the pass rush and run defense may not be what they used to, David is getting into the middle of the field and making plays. His 81.0 coverage grade, per PFF, was the seventh-highest among all linebackers. His overall 78.8 defensive grade was the 13th best of all linebackers.

No, Lavonte David is not what he once was. However, doing an exercise like this only makes you appreciate what he used to be even more. David was a beast, and there is no debating that. And today, he is still a very good player.

It is safe to say that since 2006, David is easily had the best return on investment of any Buccaneer drafted in that time period. Now, imagine the things he is showing Devin White.

You can read the rest of the PFF article here.

Featured Image Credit Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports