Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rank Low in Young NFL Talent According to ESPN
Teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set out every April trying to infuse an already talented (and hopefully successful) roster with young talent.
The idea is to keep young players growing and developing behind veteran ones while finding a few Buccaneers that can make an immediate impact.
One such player is Tampa Bay defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, who had to battle through some rookie season injuries last year but showed why the team made him a first-round pick enough to put him at the front of the line of players under 25 that will lead the team into it's next era of football.
"You probably don't know much about Bucs defensive end Kancey, but you should," wrote ESPN's Aaron Schatz while ranking the Bucs No. 27 in NFL teams with talent under the age of 25. "Typically, 5-tech defensive ends don't put up a lot of stats, but the rookie had four sacks with 21 pressures in 2023. He also made his average run tackle after a gain of less than a yard last season. The 23-year-old Kancey plays opposite another young defensive end, 24-year-old Logan Hall. Hall's stats were less impressive (0.5 sacks and 11 pressures, with an average run tackle at 2.7 yards). The rest of Tampa's young talent is made up mostly of this year's draft picks. First-round center Graham Barton and second-round edge rusher Chris Braswell are 22. Tampa Bay's third receiver will either be second-year Trey Palmer (23) or this year's third-round pick, Jalen McMillan (22)."
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Schatz also points out that if the list were an under-26 version then the Buccaneers would be boosted by still youngish players like offensive lineman Cody Mauch, edge Yaya Diaby, and tight end Cade Otton.
Left tackle Tristan Wirfs and running back Rachaad White also can't be considered here as they've become too old in this sense, but there's enough young blood — even if it's not all under 25 — to believe Tampa Bay will continue to outperform its preseason rankings.
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DAVID HARRISON
David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.