Bucs Drafting A DT Is not Out Of The Query

There was loads of time spent specializing in the protection of the Bucs heading into free company and the 2025 NFL Draft. Most of those conversations have been centered round fixing Tampa Bay’s points that they’ve at outdoors linebacker, inside linebacker, cornerback and doubtlessly security.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and the protection – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR

What we haven’t heard of as a lot is defensive deal with as a result of the Bucs have an ideal group with Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and Logan Corridor as their prime three on the place heading into the upcoming season.

Let’s keep in mind, although, that in at present’s NFL the defensive lineman are rotated out and in greater than ever. Don’t be shocked if the Bucs go along with a defensive deal with in some unspecified time in the future this yr’s draft.

Ultimately they must replenish the room since Vea can’t play at a excessive stage endlessly and Kancey has had some harm issues to start every of his first two seasons in Tampa Bay. Corridor can be coming into a contract yr. It wouldn’t be a foul concept to get forward of down-the-road departures at this place within the draft.

Bucs Can Improve Again Finish Of DT Rotation

Vita Vea performed 63% of the snaps throughout the 2024 season. Calijah Kancey and Logan Corridor have been at simply 48%. Different roles have been stuffed by the likes of Greg Gaines, Will Gholston, Mike Greene and C.J. Brewer. The Bucs aren’t trying to change their prime three gamers at defensive deal with. What they need to do is elevate the competitors for these final couple spots, particularly with Greene on a futures contracts and Brewer as an unique rights free agent. Gaines and Gholston are every free brokers this offseason, and Gholston, who turns 33 this summer season, may retire.

Utah DT Junior Tafuna – Picture by: USA As we speak

The Bucs met with 4 defensive tackles for formal interviews on the 2025 NFL Scouting Mix. That’s the identical quantity of formal interviews they’d with gamers at security, one other place they’ll possible add too this offseason. Whereas the percentages of taking a defensive deal with within the first spherical could be shocking, Tampa Bay definitely needs to improve in each space, so bringing in a rookie defensive deal with in a while within the draft, shouldn’t be dominated out.

The defensive tackles who had a proper assembly with Tampa have been Toledo’s Darius Alexander, South Carolina’s Tonka Hemmingway, Clemson’s Payton Web page and Utah’s Junior Tafuna. Alexander is taken into account to be a first-round prospect.

Tafuna gave some perception on what it was like speaking with the Bucs in his assembly.

“Tampa was actually my first formal I had this week,” Tafuna stated. “To be honest, it’s all about being yourself and you never know how it is once it goes. I felt like we had a great time. They pulled up some film of me getting my hand swiped down, I hit the turf. I answered, I said ‘Hey man, that’s my first turf burner of the season, that’s what that play was right there.’”

Draft Prospect Seems Up To Vita Vea

Arkansas DT Eric Gregory – Picture by USA As we speak

Tampa Bay additionally had three casual conferences with defensive tackles, together with Arkansas defensive deal with Eric Gregory. When asking Gregory concerning the Bucs, the dialog naturally shifted to Vita Vea and what makes him a unbelievable participant.

Gregory defined that everyone realizes his dimension, however the velocity ingredient of his sport makes all of the distinction when he’s on for every snap of the sport.

“Vita Vea is one of the guys I actually look up to,” Gregory stated. “It’d be large to play with him for certain. The protection generally, they acquired an ideal protection over there, an ideal teaching employees. It’d be large.

“Not just how big he is, but how mobile he is. When you look at a guy like that you wouldn’t expect him to be as mobile as he is. I’m not that big, but I kind of get it. People think I’m not really that mobile and I got a little more twitch to me than people think, so his size and his strength, it sticks out for sure. He’s bull rushing guys five to seven yards into the QB, you do that in the league and you’re great.”