The Buccaneers loss against the Washington Football Team was one to forget, but Vita Vea was still able to leave a mark on the game.
As Pro Bowl voting begins, the Buccaneers will try to get as many of their players as possible into the game. This award is not the same badge of honor created by an All-Pro selection, but that isn’t easy in its own right to achieve.
With fans trying to find which players to vote for, Vita Vea should start to get some recognition as one of the best defensive linemen in the league. Nose tackle is not a glamorous position like defensive tackle or defensive end in a 3-4 on a stats level, but Vea’s dominance should start to garner much more recognition from the media sooner than later.
Aaron Donald has become the gold standard at any position, and while Vea does play in what amounts to the same position as Donald from a voting perspective, he is still doing plenty to make a case as one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL.
Just watch this play against Washington clipped by Jon Ledyard and tell us Vea isn’t one of the best linemen in the league.
Vea things pic.twitter.com/1fFQPHQxsQ
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) November 17, 2021
While one play doesn’t define a player or their game, this play is not an outlier. Vea has embarrassed opposing players since he arrived in the league, and the frequency is only picking up the longer he stays in games.
The ability to move like this from a player that is nearly 350 pounds is almost unheard of. Moving so quickly that the opposing center hits his knees despite being a half foot from head-up against his opponent should be impossible, but many parts of Vita Vea’s game are impossible to believe.
Vea is fortunately not injured long-term and should be embarrassing plenty of additional offensive linemen before the end of the season. The Bucs clearly hit the jackpot on yet another occasion, and Vea’s ability to trailblaze athletic ability at his position will be a defining point of his career.
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