Front Office

Seth Turner enters his 12th season with the Buccaneers in 2011 and seventh year as a college scout. Turner is responsible for scouting the Midwest region of the United States after spending four seasons as Tampa Bay’s national combine scout.  During his time with the Buccaneers, Turner has been part of five playoff appearances, three division titles and one Super Bowl championship.

The 2010 draft was one of the most highly touted for the Buccaneers, featuring DT Gerald McCoy, DT Brian Price, WR Arrelious Benn, CB Myron Lewis and WR Mike Williams. Williams led the team in receiving, as well as leading all league rookie wideouts in all major receiving categories and finished second in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. Tampa Bay also found productive players in the late rounds, with seventh-round selections S Cody Grimm, LB Dekoda Watson and FB/TE Erik Lorig all playing important roles and recording starts throughout the season.

QB Josh Freeman was the highlight of the 2009 draft as the Buccaneers’ first-round selection.  Freeman finished his rookie campaign with a completion percentage of 54.5, placing him as the leader among rookie quarterbacks.  The 2009 draft also produced third-round selection DT Roy Miller and seventh-round selection WR Sammie Stroughter.  Miller was a solid contributor along the defensive line and ranked tied for third on the team with 54 tackles.  Stroughter finished the season with one kickoff return for a touchdown and ranked third on the team with 31 receptions.

The 2008 draft produced CB Aqib Talib, who tied for first in the NFL among rookies with four interceptions, OL Jeremy Zuttah, who started at both guard positions, and LB Geno Hayes, who was a big contributor on special teams and has since moved into a starting role. The Buccaneers also signed undrafted rookie free agent RB Clifton Smith, who was selected to the 2009 AFC/NFC Pro Bowl as the kick returner and was named AP Second-Team All-Pro kick returner.

In 2007, Turner helped assemble a draft class that included two rookies that were selected to the PFW/PFWA All-Rookie team in DE Gaines Adams and G Arron Sears, as well as standout FS Tanard Jackson, who started all 16 games for the Buccaneers. He also helped guide the Buccaneers to the NFC South division title.

The 2006 draft produced four rookies who saw starting action in their first season: G Davin Joseph (13 games/12 starts), T Jeremy Trueblood (15/13), WR Maurice Stovall (9/2) and QB Bruce Gradkowski (13/11).

Prior to scouting the Midwest, Turner spent four years as Tampa Bay’s scout for the annual NFL combine as well as a scout for the southeastern United States. In 2002, Turner was a part of the Buccaneers first Super Bowl championship, a 48-21 victory against Oakland in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Turner joined the Buccaneers in July of 2000 as an intern in the college and pro scouting department. In that role, he assisted in the evaluation of professional free agents and draft-eligible college players. He also served as one of Tampa Bay’s representatives at the 2001 NFL Draft.

Prior to joining the Buccaneers, Turner was an intern for the NFL’s player personnel department, as well as a summer intern for the Buffalo Bills’ player personnel staff in 1999.

Turner graduated with a B.S. in physical education from Baker University in Kansas in 1997 and then earned a master’s in sport management in 1999 from Indiana State. He was a four-year letterman at linebacker and defensive end at Baker, garnering third-team all-conference honors in 1996 as a senior.

Turner, a native of Lansing, Kansas, lives in Columbia, Missouri with his wife, Ariana, and their three children: sons, Graham and Heath, and daughter, Belen.