SirVocea Dennis Could Be “Underdrafted”
May 1st, 2023
Bucs fifth-round pick LB SirVocea Dennis.
Is linebacker SirVocea Dennis a decent draft pick? Well, a stats-heavy football thinktank believes the Bucs got a helluva bargain.
Like everybody and their brother since the draft ended Saturday night, Nathan Cooper of Sports Info Solutions did a draft recap. Per their predraft grading system after the draft, two players were deemed “underdrafted,” meaning they lasted way too long on the board based on SIS grades.
One was Dennis in the fifth round. Here is the SIS breakdown on Dennis:
SirVocea Dennis primarily plays the Mike in Pittsburgh’s base 4-3 defensive scheme. He played in 43 games during his career at Pitt. He missed 1 game in 2021 due to injury and also had some seasons cut short in high school due to injuries. Additionally, he played quarterback and defensive back while also competing in basketball and lacrosse in high school. He has a short, slim frame but does have the ability to put on some more muscle mass. He’s a very good athlete who competes and plays with toughness on every single play. …
Dennis projects best as a starting Will linebacker in a 4-3 at the next level. However, he has the traits and ability to occasionally interchange and play Mike and fit into a 3-4 scheme. On 3rd downs, he’s best in zone coverage, though mixing in blitzes will utilize his entire skillset. His play speed, aggression, and competitiveness will allow him to be a standout special teams player on all core units, something he did while at Pitt.
So one of the best ways to use Dennis is to take advantage of his speed and have him blitz. Sounds like a certain Bucs head coach.
The Bucs drafted heavily on defense and selected some really, really athletic dogs. Given how Todd Bowles has a creative mind using different blitz packages, Bowles ought to be lying awake at night dreaming of crazy-arse blitzes.
NFL Draft Will Linebacker Prospects
Initial thoughts from this:
– SirVocea Dennis could outplay his draft position
– Trenton Simpson was stingy in coverage
– Daiyan Henley's tackling ability and coverage ability are both shown in 1 graphicGraphics by @J_Weaver97#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/XVZypaIbrA
— SIS Football (@football_sis) May 1, 2023
May 1st, 2023 at 2:43 pm
He’ll be a very good football player for the Bucs!
He’s one of those “it” players… he got the it !
May 1st, 2023 at 2:47 pm
You know who was also a Will LB in his first 7 seasons as a pro and switched to playing in the middle in 2019 with next to no drop off in production, also “undersized” by 2012 standards when he was drafted. The game changes, some players adapt better than others and Sirvocea Dennis is at the very least a hell of an athlete. It’ll be interesting to see how and where he lines up on defense, but for sure he’ll get his first shot at live-action in the pros on special teams w/KJ Britt and JJ Russell.
May 1st, 2023 at 2:49 pm
When is the rookie mini camp ?
May 1st, 2023 at 2:50 pm
I really think the Bucs killed it with this draft! Trying to watch highlights on all the players…man, so many gems! 👏👏👏
May 1st, 2023 at 2:51 pm
Next week.
May 1st, 2023 at 2:56 pm
He ran a 4.64 40 vs LD’s 4.65.
So he’s fast enough to replace Lavonte.
May 1st, 2023 at 2:59 pm
Hopefully he shines in august and plays teams all year with very little action on defense.
May 1st, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Base schemes don’t exist anymore. Its all hybrid packages. Smart teams pass to win, and use the running game as a supplement.
May 1st, 2023 at 3:12 pm
This is looking to be a fantastic draft……speedy, athletic….good character workhorses.
We may keep all 9 this year.
May 1st, 2023 at 3:27 pm
It’s funny because as soon as we took Kancey I immediately started checking out his highlights…I was wondering who #7 was because he was literally all over Kanceys highlight reel…
He definitely fits in the mold of the classic Bucs LB’s fast, undersized, instinctive…Todd Bowles has a bunch of new toys to play with…LFG!
May 1st, 2023 at 3:28 pm
SirMixALot approves of this young man’s name. LOL. Naw he might be a keeper, let’s see!
May 1st, 2023 at 3:34 pm
Some people mentioned that Dennis was a safety/ILB hybrid…
It will be interesting to see how Bowles wants to use this guy next season.
He might replace Safety K. Neal (who signed with Pit this off season).
May 1st, 2023 at 3:39 pm
@D-Rok
Wouldn’t it be Busta Rhymes and Pharrell Williams doing “Pass the Sirvocea”?
May 1st, 2023 at 3:40 pm
LOL, Dooley.
LOL.
May 1st, 2023 at 3:41 pm
Not that it matters but his father graduated Boca Ciega high school in 1993. Father stayed a Buc fan.
May 1st, 2023 at 3:50 pm
I have looked at all of his tape out there and he works in tandem with Kalijah Cancey and the defense they were in is very impressive. very aggressive, lots of sacks and lots of qb pressure.
May 1st, 2023 at 4:08 pm
Interesting how many of these newly drafted defensive guys seem to project towards playing in a 4-3 scheme…
May 1st, 2023 at 4:11 pm
Really loved Bowles’ creativity when he blitzed the Rams leaving Kupp wide open….absolute genius play call.
May 1st, 2023 at 4:16 pm
I like the rebuild / reload approach we’ve had. It’s impossible to fix everything in one year but we seem to have a lot of defensive depth everywhere except the secondary now. On offense the interior O-line is deep with potential at least.
Biggest question marks are Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, QB, & RT
I feel most optimistic about Canales and Goedeke within that group.
IMO a realistic best case successful season would be the defense being top 5-10, and having an average to above average run game, with Traskfield playing at like top 20ish QB level. We would probably win the division that way and i think that’s how they view the team this year in terms of strengths/weaknesses. Then next year go hard at a legit QB and skill players.
Worst case is defense is average or worse, and Traskfield are bottom tier QBs and we are picking top 5 next year.
Either way at least there are a lot of draftable QB’s next year. I’m an FSU homer so give me Jordan Travis lol. Im kind of surprised he isn’t rated higher on draft boards
May 1st, 2023 at 4:17 pm
It’s like being in the 80’s and 90’s again- dreaming about 5th rounders making an impact….
How quickly we have fallen…
May 1st, 2023 at 4:19 pm
You’ve gota believe whites outa here before the season. A blitzing linebacker would be needed then. Heck as long as the guy doesn’t already want to be the highest paid LB ever then he should be as good as white in no time.
May 1st, 2023 at 4:23 pm
Is his nickname “Dennis The Menace”?
May 1st, 2023 at 4:40 pm
Licht really got Bowles a whole bunch of athletic new Toys!
May 1st, 2023 at 4:41 pm
@Bobby – Look, I’ve chit on Bowles as much as anyone about that play, if not more. But the reality is the players on the field weren’t ready.
Go watch the play. Literally only 2 defenders are set for the play. Everyone else just standing around and then reacting when it’s waaaaay too late.
Lavonte was trying to call a timeout, but the refs ignored him. Arians should have been trying to call one too.
As for the call itself, yes I think it was moronic because you NEVER blitz in that situation, at that time, in a game like that. Especially with how well Stafford was playing against the blitz. But it seems like our defense wasn’t ready, no matter what the call was going to be there…
May 1st, 2023 at 5:01 pm
Darin, thought he would be dealt at the draft. To me it’s an indicator that they didn’t love this class overall. Trading him at this point is insane, unless they can get somewhere close to equal value. Either their asking price was exorbitant, or nobody wanted him.
May 1st, 2023 at 5:14 pm
Anyone but devin white
May 1st, 2023 at 5:56 pm
Look, my friendly fellow fools: The Bucs NEED Devin White.
Mic drop.
May 1st, 2023 at 6:06 pm
A moronic call exacerbated by sloppy pace and setup sounds like bad coaching to me.
May 1st, 2023 at 6:09 pm
If any of these LB’s prove they can do the same or another is found better? Diva can ride out on the same horse he rode in on.
May 1st, 2023 at 6:11 pm
This guy is was ranked no 7 on PFF for all of college football
May 1st, 2023 at 6:11 pm
For linebackers
May 1st, 2023 at 6:18 pm
We’re bringing in a lot of talent this year. Give all these guys some reps so we can see who stands out.
I think we will be keeping a lot of these guys. Part of that is because we had so many holes to fill this year, but I am amazed at the talent we’re looking at. We nailed this draft!
And the UDFA’s!
May 1st, 2023 at 6:27 pm
We better pick up a few rookie QBs for rookie camp?
May 1st, 2023 at 6:31 pm
Don’t forget about UDFA Jeremy Banks – best LB on one of the best teams in the country. I’m optimist we just replaced 2 of the worst backup LBs in the league with 2 true up-and-comers
May 1st, 2023 at 6:38 pm
Brother D-Rok, he won’t take coaching. Until he does, white will never come close to reaching his potential. All the tools are there. Speed, size and physicality. When you have a 300 pound lineman in your face, it doesn’t matter this defense relies on gap control. The big guys tie up blocks, so the backers can make plays. We saw the back of his uniform way too much last season. I like the player, but if you can’t be a team player, its infuriating to everyone else who is trying to do their job. Much love
May 1st, 2023 at 7:33 pm
I don’t know much about the draft but he got 9 sacks and 11 TFL during his last season. Seems like a complete steal.
May 1st, 2023 at 8:40 pm
In a weak linebacker draft, it was hard to believe we got Dennis in the 5th round. A very talented LB that will likely be the heir apparent to Lavonte.
May 1st, 2023 at 8:55 pm
Maybe he fell because he tore his Achilles in high school?
May 1st, 2023 at 8:57 pm
Seems to have remained relatively injury free since then
May 1st, 2023 at 10:25 pm
Looks like the only UDFA Bucs paid was Sean Tucker so hope his medical condition don’t hold him back from helping the rushing attack. Ryan Miller & Rakim Jarrett could spell the end of the road for Kaylon Geiger making the final 53. Kaevon Merriweather is a safety with some thump behind him with hits, good tackler, and NFL size so there definately should be a place on this squad for him!!
May 1st, 2023 at 10:49 pm
It’ll be alot more over/under looks this year. There’s not much actual straight up 3/4 defense. It’s more of a 4-2-5 most of the time.
May 1st, 2023 at 10:58 pm
D-Rok I understand we need devin but devin wants out he’s willing to quit on his brothers you can’t trust someone like that
May 2nd, 2023 at 12:27 am
Let’s get these new guys going. The new coach who came over from Dallas — he is the great hope to actually teach guys, help them bolster their strengths and mute their weaknesses. Let’s fargin go.
May 2nd, 2023 at 12:28 am
White turned out to be the kind of guy who “rests on his laurels”. He gave his peak performance during the Super Bowl run. Since then he has been content to coast based on his base talent. He lacks the inner character that would elevate him to elite status.
May 2nd, 2023 at 1:18 am
HOLD UP…
If you’re like me, you’re thinking “Yeah 5th Round Picks! Are we really that bored?” But here’s a list of some of Licht’s 5ths …
Kevin Pamphile
Kenny Bell
Matt Gay
KH Britt
Zyon McCollum
Solid players.
May 2nd, 2023 at 3:02 am
Watched some tape on this guy. He showed up but, not as much as his teammate Kancey. Got nothing special in coverage and buried in the run game though. Smaller D White clone.
May 2nd, 2023 at 3:29 am
A tip of the hat to the Joes. Your draft coverage has really improved over the years and I’m not referring to the Sean Sullivan effect, although I do love Senor Sullivan’s insight and opinion. Thanks for your efforts fellas it is noticeable and appreciated.
May 2nd, 2023 at 3:34 am
LOL give the content creators a compliment, and your comment awaits moderation. Guess, I need to not use first names?
May 2nd, 2023 at 6:36 am
Somewhere, during the draft, I saw someone refer to him as “Sir Dennis of Pitt”.
IMO, that’s a pretty cool moniker, and could be morphed into ‘Sir Dennis of The Bay’.
Hopefully, we have several positive “monikers” to hand out to our draft class this year.
May 2nd, 2023 at 10:28 am
A lot of love going around for Licht picks and his genius-ness… but I’m going to say that Spytek is the brains of this entire operation. His presser told me everything I needed to know about who’s done their homework and who’s managing the work. I HOPE TO GOD we pay him GM money to keep him from leaving town. We need to promote Licht to some head office position and give Spytek the GM role.