There have been a lot of things the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done exceptionally well over the last few years, but it’s hard not to start any conversation with anything other than the draft. Tampa Bay emerged from the shadow of Tom Brady’s retirement by expertly finding ways to build its roster with young talent in the draft, and it’s a strategy that continues to pay off to this day.
Yaya Diaby is among the players the Bucs have taken outside of the first round who have become impact players, but his journey almost took a totally different path.
On the latest episode of the Mr. Bucs Nation podcast, James Hill talked with Diaby who revealed another team almost drafted him instead of the Buccaneers. He said that the Seattle Seahawks traded up to draft him back in 2023, but Tampa Bay managed to beat them to the punch.
”If Tampa didn’t pick me at No. 82, I was going to Seattle,” Diaby revealed. “[The Seahawks] called my agent … so when we saw Seattle on the board we were like ‘okay, it’s Seattle’, but then I end up getting a phone call from Tampa and it was amazing.”
Thank goodness the chips fell the way they did and the Bucs ended up with Diaby instead of Seattle.
Hearing that the Seahawks where that aggressive in trying to land Diaby is another glowing endorsement of the Bucs decision to draft him, but that’s already been firmly established thanks to what he’s done on the field.
Diaby was a dark horse Rookie of the Year candidate in his first season and he brilliantly built on that in his sophomore campaign in Tampa. He enters the third year of his career as one of the centerpieces of not only the defense but of the entire roster, and looks to be an adjacent successor to Lavonte David.
He’s a perfect hybrid pass rusher for Todd Bowles defense and will follow more in the footsteps of Shaq Barrett, rather than David, but the leadership qualities line up regardless of the positional value differing.
It’s clear that Diaby has a bright future in Tampa as a driving force in the locker room, along with other young stars like Calijah Kancey and Tykee Smith. The Bucs have a tough road ahead to successfully defend their NFC South crown, but it’s having guys like Diaby there to help that makes it seem a lot less daunting than it should.
More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors