TAMPA (SNN-TV) – The Buccaneers kicked off their 2023 NFL Draft experience last night with the 19th overall pick, and Stephen Licht and Todd Bowles added to an already stellar defensive front.
The Bucs selected defensive tackle and Miami-native Calijah Kancey out of the University of Pittsburgh.
Kancey’s production at Pitt is hard to overlook, with 14.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in two years for the Panthers, and he posted a 4.67 40-yard dash — the fastest by a defensive lineman at the NFL combine since 2006 — and 33.5 inch vertical.
The Bucs have now selected a defensive tackle with their first pick in two consecutive years, and three times since 2018, with Logan Hall at No. 33 in 2022 and Vita Vea at No. 12 in 2018. Vea especially is someone Kancey is eager to learn from.
“I can’t wait to be a sponge. I want to come in everyday and learn from him. I want to see how he prepares for games, see what things he can help me with, and what things I might could help him with. We’re just going to go out there and make plays.”
With their second pick at 48th overall, the Bucs stayed in the trenches but on the offensive side, selecting North Dakota State tackle Cody Mauch. Mauch was part of a Bison program that went 78-8 with four NCAA Division I FCS national championships and four Missouri Valley Football Conference titles over his six years. Mauch was also a two-time All-American.
And with the 82nd pick in the third round the Bucs selected Louisville linebacker YaYa Diaby. Tampa will make five picks tomorrow spread between Rounds 4-7.