Bucs Have A Notable Inclusion AND Exclusion From PFF List

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The Bucs have been well represented on recent Pro Football Focus positional rankings lists. But while Tampa Bay had a player included in PFF’s Top 32 interior defensive linemen, they also had a notable exclusion.

Bucs Pro Bowler Vita Vea Ranks Just Outside Top 10 On PFF’s Top DT List

Tampa Bay nose tackle Vita Vea ranked 11th on Pro Football Focus’ Top 32 interior defensive linemen list, which was authored by former Pewter Reporter and current lead draft analyst for PFF Trevor Sikkema.

“The Buccaneers’ big man in the middle might not have the stats of other top defensive tackles, but his presence alone is that of a top-12 interior defender. His 65.3 PFF run-defense grade in 2024 was near a career low, and why he isn’t higher on this list, but he recorded a 72.0-plus PFF pass-rush grade for the seventh straight season.”

Bucs DTs Logan Hall and Vita Vea and OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Vea’s run stop rate of 15.38%, as measured by Next Gen Stats, was far different from PFF’s rating, and wound up being the third-highest of his career. His 34 defensive stops were the second most of his career. More importantly, Vea increased his snap count substantially last year. His 42.1 snaps per game was the highest he had posted since 2022 while posting the second-best pressure rate of his career.

Vea is entering the first season as a 30-something but coming off arguably his best season in at least three years he is maintaining a high level of play as the center of Tampa Bay’s pass rush.

Calijah Kancey Fails To Make The PFF List, Which Is An Oversight

Pro Football Focus’ grading system has not been favorable to Tampa Bay defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. Grades in the 60’s are considered average by their standards. PFF gave him a 46.6 grade his rookie year and a slightly better 50.4 last year.

These overall grades were driven largely by sub-40 run defense grades. Yet his run stop rate of 15.38% rivaled Vita Vea’s last year. Kancey’s size and skillset mean he has to win with quick gap shots that can sometimes run him out of the play or cause him give up his gap integrity. In PFF’s grading system that can lead to negative plays that ding his grade.

Bucs Dt Calijah Kancey

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But as a pass rusher, few young interior defenders are as disruptive as Kancey. His 7.5 sacks last year were tied for eighth among interior defenders and also led Tampa Bay. Kancey’s 39 pressures were tied for 20th in the league. All of that was with him missing the first five weeks of the season.

Per PFF’s own pressure tracking data, Kancey’s 10.40% pressure rate was 19th among defensive tackles in the NFL, right behind Vea. Given all of this, I am hard pressed to agree that he isn’t among the Top 32 interior defenders in the NFL right now.

Especially when you consider that Kancey can do this.

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