Grading the Buccaneers' first-round pick of DL Calijah Kancey
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers threw a curve ball during Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft when they drafted former Pittsburgh defensive lineman Calijah Kancey. It's mostly because those who closely follow the team thought Jason Licht and co. were bound to address the tackle position in the first round. Sure, there were other positions […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers threw a curve ball during Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft when they drafted former Pittsburgh defensive lineman Calijah Kancey.
It's mostly because those who closely follow the team thought Jason Licht and co. were bound to address the tackle position in the first round. Sure, there were other positions like EDGE, safety, and even tight end that needed help. But, it is the tackle position that has a giant hole on one side and with the potential prospects available at 19, it made all the sense in the world for the Bucs to take a tackle.
Either way, they didn't. They took Kancey, who was the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and currently is an athletic freak that should wreak havoc up front for the Buccaneers.
Kancey gives the Buccaneers something they haven't had in a long time
And that's an explosive defensive lineman that can penetrate the backfield and sack the quarterback. Kancey also has some versatility to him, as Jason Licht discussed Thursday night.
"We liked him from the beginning," said Licht. "He's a super-disruptive interior player that you can actually play outside a little bit, too. I know that our coaches are excited about all the different things you can do with a player like this just because of his elite athleticism, quickness, and the fact that he's super-intelligent and just a great competitor.
"This day and age it's hard to find interior pass rushers. They're very few-and-far between, so, hopefully we got one."
But, what's arguably most impressive, according to Licht, is Kancey's maturity and intelligence. That's pretty impressive considering Kancey's athletic testing marks are some of the best in the history of his position. It adds to how serious he takes his game and the game of football, in general, which is obviously something every NFL GM wants to see.
"He has a mature nature about him," said Licht. "It's like talking to a grown, 40-year-old man – he's really gottta great head on his shoulders… I think that separates a lot of these guys."
Kancey will compete with Logan Hall for a starting spot alongside Vita Vea and Greg Gaines in the Buccaneers' base defense. Kancey and Hall are more suited as the pass-rushers on the defensive line. Vea is obviously a combination of run and pass defense, whereas Gaines will most likely be a base player, only.
And the combination of Kancey and Vea should be a blast to watch. Kancey is too quick for offensive linemen to consistently block him 1-on-1 and it's obviously not a good idea to leave Vea 1-on-1, so their presence should open things up whenever Todd Bowles decides to send extra rushers.
But, the two biggest benefits of this selection is the fact that it should a) help the four-man pass rush, which was in dire need of some juice and b) it further demonstrates the Buccaneers' recent efforts of looking themselves in the mirror and changing up their philosophies, to an extent. New offensive coordinator Dave Canales' hire was the first sign of this and now, the Kancey selection cements the tweaks the Bucs are willing to make.
There a couple of downsides, here, however. One, is the fact that the Buccaneers did miss out on a good tackle prospect in Anton Harrison and, Harrison would've allowed Tristan Wirfs to stay on the right side of the offensive line, where he is an elite player and arguably the best at his position.
Harrison currently struggles in the run game, however, so it makes sense the Buccaneers would pass on that in Round 1. They're going to become a lot more dedicated to running the ball in creative fashion and just in general, so they need players who are effective in that area.
There are also questions about Kancey's ability as a run defender, but Licht believes Kancey can overcome the obstacles he'll face in that context.
"We do think that he has strength and he does have power and he does have ability to hold up in there," said Licht. "… We've been talking about him through the whole process, about the different ways we can use him, and how we're going to have to adjust a little bit, but maybe for the better."
In all, Kancey should see the field in Week 1 and should not only carve out a substantial role in 2023, but he should make some contributions that warrant his top-20 selection.
Final Grade: B+
