Bucs Gameday

Buccaneers Draft Class Highlighted by 'Youth and Talent'

Praise continues to pour in for the foundation Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht is laying down with this year's NFL Draft class.

David Harrison

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made some really solid selections in this year's NFL Draft as they look to forge a new identity in their post-Tom Brady era. 

With their first-round pick, General Manager Jason Licht added Pittsburgh defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, who is expected to bring a burst of energy and improve the Bucs' organic pass rush.

READ MORE: Bucs Add Georgia Southern UDFA Quarterback

"Kancey is a quick and athletic defensive tackle who brings needed youth and talent to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive line," says 33rd Team's Jeff Diamond. "He can rush the passer and had 14.5 sacks during the past two seasons, but he will need to become a more consistent run defender."

Tampa Bay continued to bolster its pass rush depth by selecting Louisville outside linebacker YaYa Diaby while bringing more aggression to their inside group with Pitt linebacker SirVocea Dennis.

But it wasn't just the defensive additions Licht and the Buccaneers got praise for from Diamond.

READ MORE: Tampa Bay Would've Loved to Draft an Offensive Tackle

"The Buccaneers made a good move in trading up for (Cody) Mauch, who fills a need at guard and also can play tackle," Diamond said. "And (Payne) Durham will contribute as a solid receiving tight end who needs to improve his blocking. (Trey) Palmer adds great speed to the receiving corps (4.33 in the 40 at the combine) but needs to improve his hands."

It wasn't the most headline-grabbing draft class of all time, but there are a lot of foundational players in the group. 

And if this class can show flashes of the potential that landed them in the NFL during their rookie year they'll set the stage for what may become a much more exciting draft weekend next year for the Buccaneers.

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

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David Harrison
DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.