Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Vita Vea sees himself as a three-down defender
Now that some of the dust has settled following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ draft weekend, we can start taking a closer look at the draft picks.
When Vita Vea was made the 12th Overall selection in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, some were surprised, and some were confused.
After signing Mitch Unrein and Beau Allen and trading for Jason Pierre-Paul, the outcry for added defensive tackle help had waned from most of the media and the fans in general.
When it came time for the Bucs to pick following their trade with Buffalo, many – including me – thought the team would surely add safety Derwin James.
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It’s not that safety was the biggest need per se, but the talent of James at a value spot twelfth in the draft was impossible to ignore.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had their eye on another player though and got their man in the defensive tackle from the University of Washington.
Since his selection, some have wondered just what role he would fill. Will he start? How often will he play?
Well, in his initial conference call with Bucs media he answered the question. At least from his point of view. Vea said,
"“At Washington I wasn’t [playing just] first or second down, I stayed on the field all three downs. You put on the tape for Penn State and even though we lost, in the second half, I basically didn’t get subbed out for the whole second half. So you know I was in there and I think that just goes to show that I’m capable of staying out there all three downs.”"
Well, time will tell whether or not Vea’s three-down college workload can translate to the NFL. Either way, with a defensive line filled with talented veterans and young rotational players, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have about as close to a dream scenario as you can have for working in a rookie defensive tackle.
How do you think the pick is going to work out? What kind of role to envision Vita Vea playing in his rookie season?
Head down to the comments or move over to social media to join the conversation!