Buccaneers throw Round 1 curveball in the form of DL Calijah Kancey
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft is in and it's a player not many people expected them to take: Pittsburgh defensive lineman Calijah Kancey. It was widely expected that the Buccaneers would take an offensive tackle at No. 19 overall, mostly due to the glaring hole on either side of […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft is in and it's a player not many people expected them to take: Pittsburgh defensive lineman Calijah Kancey.
It was widely expected that the Buccaneers would take an offensive tackle at No. 19 overall, mostly due to the glaring hole on either side of the line. It doesn't matter if Tristan Wirfs plays on the left or right side, there's a major question mark on the opposite side.
Regardless, the Buccaneers decided to take an explosive player that should really help the four-man pass rush, at the end of the day. Anyone who's watched the Bucs over the last few years knows that's an area in need of major improvement, so the pick makes sense, overall.
Kancey was the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 thanks to his 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, among other impressive feats:
Kancey earned Unanimous All-America status as he was a first-team selection by each of the NCAA's five recognized selectors…he became the Panthers’ first Unanimous All-American since defensive tackle Aaron Donald in 2013…in 133 seasons of intercollegiate football, Pitt players earned Unanimous All-America recognition only 15 times (13 total players have achieved this distinction)…Kancey was the only player in the country to be selected a 2022 finalist for both the Outland Trophy (nation’s best interior lineman) and Bronko Nagurski Trophy (national defensive player of the year)…named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, becoming only the second Pitt player to earn the ACC’s top defensive honor (joining Donald, who was honored in 2013)…Kancey was also named first team All-ACC for the second consecutive season…recipient of Pitt’s prestigious Panther Award, presented to the senior student-athletes who have best promoted Pitt through their outstanding athletic achievements. – Pittsburghpanthers.com
The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote the following about Kancey in his uber-accurate scouting report, The Beast:
Kancey’s undersized frame and average strength will be more pronounced versus NFL blockers, especially in the run game, but his get off, agility and quick hands allow him to leverage gaps and disrupt the backfield. Although not quite on Donald’s level as a pro prospect, the parallels are encouraging and he projects as a starting NFL 3-technique. – Dane Brugler, The Athletic
In all, Kancey finished his collegiate career with 91 total tackles, 52 solo tackles. 34.5 tackles for loss, 16.0 sacks, three pass deflections and one forced fumble over the course of 33 games.
