Prickly Pete Prisco Grades Calijah Kancey

April 28th, 2023

The newest Buccaneer, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

Ordinarily, prickly Pete Prisco of CBS wouldn’t be all that excited about the Bucs drafting Calijah Kancey in the first round.

But given who Kancey will play alongside, Prisco fully understands the logic by Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht in taking Kancey at No. 19 overall.

Prisco is concerned Kancey is too small for a defensive tackle. But if Vita Vea is going to eat up blocks, Kancey could be a very dangerous man, Prisco reasoned.

They need help inside and Kancey has the tools to be an up-the-field, attacking defensive tackle. But he isn’t big and he can get overwhelmed at the point. But he has Vita Vea next to him for that, so I get it.

Prisco gave the Bucs a “B” grade for picking Kancey.

Yes, Joe already wondered if this pick is a referendum on disappointing Logan Hall. Maybe the team will move Hall outside permanently. Further, Joe wonders if this throws cold water on Todd Bowles’ contention that Akiem Hicks and Will Gholston are very much in the mix for a return in free agency.

20 Responses to “Prickly Pete Prisco Grades Calijah Kancey”

  1. Alstott up the gut Says:

    I love this pick!!! Maybe Logan Hall moves outside or is depth in the middle, but I want to see this kid face one on ones! Go Bucs!!!

  2. Bojim Says:

    Should put on a few pounds of muscle this off season.

  3. Rayjay1122 Says:

    I also think this pick is a referendum against Logan Who.

  4. RealBucsFan Says:

    This pick is a REACH

  5. Leopold Stotch Says:

    If you would have told me this would be the pick before I listened to our draft guru, I would have been ecstatic. Afterwards, I’m nervous.

  6. Goatfarmer Says:

    This guy is a good player and Prisco has been a proven maroon who gets paid to predict things that don’t happen for a long time. Does anyone remember the concept of depth? You can’t have too many of these guys.

    Another Lightning Bolt for Licht.

  7. Buc4evr Says:

    He is too small to play inside, so I wonder if there is something else planned. Puzzling pick to be honest. Harrison was available at OT as was Smith at Edge. I think it’s another questionable pick by Jason and team.

  8. Tucker Says:

    I love this pick the explosiveness he has is unreal can’t wait to see him on the field and no it’s not a referendum on Logan hall as he will be part of a rotation on the dline as they will not bring back hicks.

  9. IE Buc Says:

    A 4-3 DT on a 3-4 team is a little puzzling. Hopefully, he can get up the middle and disrupt and it all works out.

  10. JimbobBucsFan Says:

    I’ll repeat myself.

    Though Todd Bowles defense starts from a 3-4 base it is actually a hybrid and defies categorization to a large degree. Chew on that y’all!

    Go Bucs!

  11. Capt.Tim Says:

    Hes 5’11”, and 280 pounds.

    What could go wrong.
    And they played Hall outside on quite a few occasions. He was too slow to generate any pressure. No bend, no power.
    But while Hall is a tweener, to slow for DE and to small for DT, at least he was 6’5”.

    JTS. Logan Hall, and now this young man.
    Ive never seen so many top picks- spent on players who are ill suited for the position they were drafted for.

  12. Jason stop drafting Says:

    Everyones criticism is spot on. This guy could have been gotten in 2nd/3rd round. If your going to reach pick, trade back and get some picks.

  13. ATLBuc Says:

    He’s the same size as Aaron Donald. It would be great if Hall blossoms this year and Will comes back

  14. larrd Says:

    John Randle was pretty small, too. I love the pick. The best pass rushing down lineman in the draft. They should pick Karl Brooks in the third, too. Cody Mauch in the second.

  15. Dooley Says:

    “Yes, Joe already wondered if this pick is a referendum on disappointing Logan Hall”

    No Joe, this isn’t a referendum on Logan Hall, lol in the past two years we’ve lost Suh, McClendon, Nacho and now it seems to be Hicks. We’ve added Gaines, Hall, Senat, and now Kancey in that same period of time. We deploy different fronts, with different gap assignments and have multiple DLmen that can play on the front whether the assignment be 1 or 2 gap responsibilities.

    It’s funny reading you guys comments about “4-3 DT” as if you don’t watch the games and haven’t seen it on display the last 4 season we mostly keep 6 men in the box with a mix of that being OLBs, DLmen, and our two ILBs. Most of the time we’ve got 5 DBs in the loadout lol in a “traditional” 3-4 you would usually have 4 DBs in the grass, but this is 2023 not 1998.

    This is like that movie when Wesley Snipes told Woody Harrelson that “you listen to Jimi Hendrix, but you ain’t hearin’ Jimi” There’s apparently some disconnect amongst fans between what you see on Sundays and what you understand is going on on Sundays. Kancey is a fit.

  16. Hodad Says:

    He’s a football player. He can line up in a 4-3, or a 3-4, because he’s a football player. He’ll line up at tackle, at end, maybe even rush from a two point stance. You idiots saying he’s strictly a 4-3 DT are so clueless.

  17. Steve in Mad Beach Says:

    Great point Dooley!

    Look at a perennially strong team like the Eagles, they always have a loaded and deep D-line room. They drafted another one last night.

    Or think back to mediocre Giants teams that beat Brady twice in the Super Bowl, the one area that they were elite was that deep D-line room.

    I’m fired up about having a quick, penetrating DT/DE playing next to big Vita!
    Go Bucs!

  18. Brandon Says:

    I wonder how many of the dummies commenting on here about Kancey being a bad pick remember or know that the Bucs were in a four man defensive line for almost the entire Super Bowl… If he turns out to be a player… Vea, Hall, Kancey, and Gaines could all see about 60% of all defensive snaps… which is a high percentage. All of them, other than Gaines, offer tons of position versatility.

  19. unbelievable Says:

    So, it sounds like we’ll need a backup for Vea who is also a manbeast that can eat up blocks, in order for this kid to be effective when Vea inevitably misses time and/or only plays his normal-less-than-60% of defensive snaps…

    But maybe I’m being too cynical…

  20. Lakeland Steve Says:

    Only time will tell if this is a good pick. I like that he has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder being told he is too small. He is in the Warren Sapp range although we can’t make that comparison yet. Let’s give him a couple of years and then judge this pick.