Shining Light On The Pass Rush
May 16th, 2023
Bucs rookie OLB YaYa Diaby.
This will be more about the rookies the Bucs selected last month to bolster a weak pass rush from outside linebackers and defensive ends.
No need for Joe to rehash how worried Joe is about Bucs sack king Shaq Barrett and his recovery from a blown Achilles.
Eric Edholm of NFL.com is sort of a draftnik who attends Senior Bowl practices each year, presumably not just to drink beer and eat barbeque (apparently, there are good ‘que joints in Mobile).
Edholm thinks Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht may have hit value picks at pass rusher. Third-round pick YaYa Diaby may be more versatile than folks think, Edholm said. And Jose Ramirez, well, he’s strictly a pass-rusher only; don’t expect him to be like Jason Pierre-Paul and dominate on run defense, too.
Diaby was a one-year wonder for the Cardinals but has the length, burst and sneaky power to factor in at multiple techniques. Ramirez is more of a true edge rusher, with quickness and tenacity, but his lack of mass and length will significantly hinder his run defense.
The cool thing here is how the Bucs, specifically head coach Todd Bowles, can mix and match Diaby all sorts of ways. And if he is that strong, perhaps the Bucs could use him and Calijah Kancey on stunts where Kancey uses his quickness to loop outside with Diaby crashing inside.
And if Ramirez is used only in passing situations, so what if he can’t stop the run, it’s a passing situation.
🙏 @CodyTud pic.twitter.com/46Gok1UOw4
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) May 16, 2023
May 16th, 2023 at 1:28 am
Licht did well throwing a lot of less expensive bodies at the problem this time. You can never have too many pass rushers. This team had no good ones for a whole season, holes left by JPP and Suh, and Shaq going out, that were never properly filled, so overdue and urgent. They can still throw more bodies at it, in the form of legit veteran free agents.
May 16th, 2023 at 1:40 am
Yaya Diaby is a 3rd round pick @Joe
May 16th, 2023 at 2:55 am
Sorry, I just can’t get excited about this group. Is there potential? Hell yes. In a beautiful world, we’d be able to talk JJ Watt into coming in for a year. He’d be off the charts for all these young cats we have on the D-Line. I even think he could help Nelson become a 10 sack guy. But that is in the land where Rachel Watson serves you Big Storm Bromosa’s in her Buc Cheerleading outfit and the IRS doesn’t exist.
May 16th, 2023 at 5:38 am
YaYa was a 3rd rd pick Joe – not 4th….
Hopefully this promising group of rookies can make this team better immediately.
I suspect that special teams will show the most improvement initially.
Jason brought in some serious athletes with this latest draft.
I honestly can’t remember ever being this excited about an entire draft class top to bottom. Seems like every selection we made was somewhere between good and amazing value for where the players were picked.
Diaby may well have been a steal in the 3rd. Sirvocea Dennis in the 5th could easily turn out to be a great (and needed) pick if he winds up starting at ILB.
The 5th rd TE is intriguing – because of his size and apparent knack for TD catches…. The 6th rd receiver who runs a 4.3 is already turning some heads. And the 6th rd OLB/edge rusher has sick measurables.
5th and 6th round draft picks statistically have a low chance of ever playing meaningful snaps in the NFL. I expect a few of these rookies will beat those odds.
Aside from the TE and the Safety who both have acceptable measurables – All these rookies (including Kancey and Mauch) are SERIOUS athletes with VERY high RAS scores. And they mostly all seem to have good attitudes and work ethics and were captains etc etc…
Very excited for this draft class!
If we can get Goedeke, Hall and JTS back on track – or even 2 of those 3 – the Buccaneers will have a bunch of exciting young football players to move forward with.
May 16th, 2023 at 6:26 am
Yes, the lighthouse is about to get brighter!
May 16th, 2023 at 9:12 am
Have to mention how Hall will mix in. He’s versatile too.
JTS??? Make or break
May 16th, 2023 at 10:14 am
yeah but, dumb number
May 16th, 2023 at 1:06 pm
All we can go is a 10 year draft record
After 10 drafts our pass rushers are??
Anyone ??
Vita is a dt who gets a few sacks
Anyone ?
Am I missing someone?
May 16th, 2023 at 1:07 pm
YA YA will be a good one,,,next year with a real NFL HC.
May 17th, 2023 at 11:04 am
I will always believe without a good defense you ain’t winning a Superbowl regardless who the quarterback behind center. Jason Licht done a good job drafting pass rushers this year. Now are they going to be good players that’s another conversation we have to wait and see. Your defense will always tell you if you have a chance to win a championship.