Rising Buccaneers Defender Believes NFL Fans Are Sleeping on Tampa Bay's Defense

Buccaneers' second year standout pass rusher sent out a warning shot to the rest of the NFL.

Collin Haalboom | Jul 3, 2024

Nov 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Yaya Diaby (0) reacts after a sack against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found themselves a diamond in the rough when they selected Yaya Diaby in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. Considered to be a raw prospect coming out of Louisville, Diaby proved to have the physicality and motor needed to be a productive pass rusher at the NFL level right away. He finished his impressive debut season ranking third among all rookies in sacks (7.5) and first in tackles for loss (12).

The team's first-round draft pick from that same draft class, Calijah Kancey, is projected to have a breakout season in 2024. That means the Bucs are expecting to have a much more potent pass rush with their young and talented tandem having a full season under their belts.

But if you ask Yaya Diaby, you’ll quickly learn that he’s not just bullish about the team’s improving pass rush, but the Buccaneers’ defense as a whole.

Speaking with Rhett Lewis of the NFL Network this past weekend, Diaby sent out a warning shot to the rest of the NFL.

"It's great, man, having guys like Calijah Kancey with me, you got Logan Hall, even Vita Vea — he's a vet, but you know you've got to love Vita. You've got Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and all the young guys, and we just got Chris Braswell, and it's just awesome, man. I just feel like a lot of people are asleep on Tampa's defense, but I feel like this year, we're going to really wake a lot of people up."

Diaby also spoke specifically about his development, and how he expects his offseason training to pay immediate dividends during his sophomore season.

"I'm super excited, man, for me I changed my body up, so I can be able to play more snaps and be in more," Diaby said. "And just for me, it's the growth I'm seeing in myself from OTAs these past couple weeks, just being able to pick up on things. Last year I was in my head a lot, being a rookie and not knowing a lot and being in coach (Todd) Bowles' defense. That's a lot for a rookie to come in and take on. So going into Year 2, I'm super confident, and just talking about it gets me excited, because of how ready I am to go."

It’s great to see a young player who exceeded expectations as a rookie maintain his hunger to take yet another step in his young career. Not only that, but it’s obvious that Yaya Diaby has high expectations for his teammates as well.

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Published Jul 3, 2024

COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.