Day 1 of the NFL draft is over, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their man with the No. 19 pick.
Tampa Bay drafted Pitt DT Calijah Kancey despite many pundits and experts thinking the Bucs may go elsewhere. Despite that, though, many of those same experts praised Tampa Bay’s pick and Kancey’s disruptiveness in the pass rush.
Check out how some of them reacted to the Bucs’ pick below:
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco highlighted that he’ll have Vita Vea to help account for his lack of size.
They need help inside and Kancey has the tools to be an up-the-field, attacking defensive tackle. But he isn’t big and he can get overwhelmed at the point. But he has Vita Vea next to him for that, so I get it.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski praised Kancey’s potential to help out Tampa’s edge rushers.
Kancey can immediately slot into 3-technique and provide the perfect complementary piece along the defensive interior. Furthermore, the incoming rookie’s abilities as a consistent disruptive force will make life easier on Tampa Bay’s talented edges. Shaquil Barrett and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka should be more effective if quarterbacks can’t step up in the pocket.
Pro Football Focus had Kancey as their top pass-rushing defensive tackle, so it comes as no surprise they like the pick.
He might be undersized, but Kancey is a phenomenal pass-rusher on the interior. His first step is elite, and he’s coming off a season where he led all players at the position with a 92.4 PFF pass-rushing grade. The Pittsburgh product should make an immediate impact in Tampa Bay.
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame mentions that Tampa Bay still could have gone QB here, but got a valued weapon in the pass rush.
The Buccaneers have a litany of holes, and could have addressed their quarterback need with Will Levis. Instead, general manager Jason Licht opted for Kancey, an interior pass rusher to pair with the run-stuffing Vita Vea. Kancey is only 281 pounds, but he dominated at times in the ACC, totaling 14.5 sacks over the past two years. Tampa Bay has long valued a pass rush, and it decided to build out from the trenches with the Pittsburgh product.
The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman believes the Bucs have to mess with the defensive scheme to find a fit for Kancey.
The Bucs had plenty of needs along the line of scrimmage, and Kancey is a smart pick provided the…
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