Pitt LB SirVocea Dennis Impressing at Bucs Camp
PITTSBURGH -- SirVocea Dennis has been making plays early and often during his first NFL training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which comes as no surprise to those who saw him play for the Pitt Panthers or his coaches.
Dennis, who led Pitt in tackles each of the last two seasons, came up with an interception at practice this week, according to Bucs writer Scott Smith. Head coach Todd Bowles said that's been a feature of Dennis' time in Tampa Bay since the spring.
Dennis was a late bloomer in the draft process. He hurt his foot at the Senior Bowl in February and did not play in the exhibition game after practicing all week. He also sat out of workouts at the NFL Combine, but Dennis rebounded, impressing scouts with his mental traits in team meetings and showing off his athleticism with impressive testing numbers in the 40-yard dash and the vertical leap.
The Buccaneers selected him with the 153rd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, making him the second Panther drafted this year alongside first-round defensive lineman Calijah Kancey.
Dennis was a stalwart middle linebacker for two seasons, leading the Pitt defense from the inside. He earned All-ACC recognition three years in a row, climbing from the third team in 2020 to the second team in 2021 and ending up on the first team in 2022. He even earned third-team All-American honors from Pro Football Focus last season and was named a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award, given annually to college football's best linebacker.
Dennis led the Panthers in tackles in each of the last two seasons. He finished his career at Pitt having recorded 233 total tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, two interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles in 42 games.
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