Calijah Kancey

ANALYSIS
The active rookie 19th overall pick got his career off to a modest start thanks to a training camp calf injury he aggravated in the season-opening clash against the Vikings after just 11 snaps, leading to absences in Weeks 2-4. However, Kancey settled in upon returning, not missing a game the rest of the way and delivering fairly consistent production. Kancey began to display his knack for disrupting offensive backfields as the campaign unfolded, although he did hit a lull down the stretch by not recording a regular-season sack after Week 14. Nevertheless, the Pittsburgh product enjoyed a resurgence in two playoff contests with 1.5 sacks, and expectations will undoubtedly be much higher for him in Year 2 now that he has a full year of experience under his belt.

ANALYSIS
Kancey's rookie campaign got off to a slow start when a calf injury sustained in training camp was aggravated in Week 1, causing the 2023 first-round pick to miss the following three games. From there on out, however, Kancey proved to be a reliable interior presence for the Bucs' defense, and he played at least 60 percent of defensive snaps in 12 of the last 15 games of the season, including playoffs. He showed his first-round potential during the postseason, when he tallied six tackles, including 1.5 sacks, over two playoff games as he and Vita Vea formed a dominant defensive front. Across 14 regular-season games Kancey tallied 26 tackles, including 4.0 sacks.