Mark Barron Mark Barron ( born October 27 , 1989 ) is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Alabama , was twice recognized as an All - American , and was a member of two BCS National Championship teams . He was drafted by the Buccaneers in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft with the 7th overall pick . Early years . Barron was born in Mobile , Alabama . He attended St . Paul ' s Episcopal School in Mobile , where he played for the Episcopal Saints high school football team , under the coaching of Eddie Guth . He played multiple positions , including running back , wide receiver , and linebacker from 2004 through 2007 . As a junior , Barron had 785 yards rushing as a junior on 78 carries and added 368 receiving yards on 23 catches , scoring a total of 12 touchdowns . As a senior , Barron was the MVP of the 2007 Class 5A state championship game after rushing for 1 , 094 yards on 122 carries with 15 touchdowns in his senior season . He was also named first - team Alabama Sports Writers Association All - State selection in Class 5A as a senior . He was ranked as a five - star prospect and the number one weakside linebacker in the 2008 class by scout . com . He was also ranked as the 5th best player in the state of Alabama and the 55th best player in the nation in the class of 2008 by rivals . com . Barron chose to play at Alabama over offers from Auburn , LSU , Florida , Florida State and Tennessee among others . In addition to playing football , he also competed in track and field , where he won multiple 5A individual state titles in events ranging from the shot put to the long jump during the 2008 season . College career . Barron accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama , where he played for coach Nick Saban ' s Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2008 to 2011 . As a true freshman for the 2008 Crimson Tide , he made his first appearance on kick - off coverage against Clemson . He had his first career tackle early in the game on a crushing blow of Jacoby Ford on a kickoff return . Barron played in all of Alabama ' s 14 games , recording 18 tackles and a sack . During his sophomore season in 2009 , Barron took over as a starter at safety and was second on Alabama ' s national championship team with 74 tackles and an Southeastern Conference - leading seven interception s and a touchdown . He also had a career high two interceptions against Mississippi State . Barron finished the regular season tied for third in the nation with 7 interceptions and tied for sixth in the nation with 17 passes defended . He was recognized as a first - team All - SEC selection and third - team All - American at safety . Barron was the Crimson Tide ' s only returning starter in the defensive secondary for the 2010 season . He finished the season with 77 tackles and three interceptions , and was named an FWAA All - American . In 2011 , he was again a first - team All - SEC selection and was recognized as a unanimous first - team All - American . Professional career . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Barron was drafted with the 7th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2012 NFL Draft . He is the highest selected Alabama defensive back in school history , surpassing Antonio Langham , who was chosen ninth overall in 1994 . On July 20 , 2012 , Barron agreed to a 5 - year deal with the team worth $ 14 . 5 million over four years , with no offset language . Barron was expected to be the strong safety starter his rookie season alongside the longest tenured player on the team , Ronde Barber , as free safety . On week 3 of the preseason , Barron picked off Tom Brady for his first NFL touchdown in his career . Barron started the regular season strong with 42 tackles , seven passes defended and one interception in his first six NFL games , but trailed off towards the end of the season before finishing with 89 tackles . He started all 16 games and made the Pro Football Writers Association All - Rookie team , even though the team was the NFL ' s worst pass defense .