Will Short Arms Present Long Hurdle For Calijah Kancey?
April 28th, 2023
Bucs DT Calijah Kancey.
So what should fans make of new Bucs defensive tackle Calijah Kancey from Pitt? Joe went to one of the best sources.
Few research on players with deep detail like Dane Brugler of The Athletic. So Joe decided to post Brugler’s full profile of Kancey right here.
It seems Brugler is spooked by Kancey’s short arms and believes as a result, he may get pushed around by NFL blockers.
STRENGTHS: Wins at the snap with elite lateral quickness to slice gaps … explosive wax-on, wax-off hands … his move-to-move transitions are simultaneously well-timed and violent … displays the body flexibility and joint twitch to establish leverage or slither around blockers … disruptive in the stunt game … able to drive blockers backward when he attacks with proper leverage … hard player for blockers to engulf because of his urgent athleticism … plays on his feet with above-average
contact balance … physical run blocker and showed improved gap integrity in 2022 … has the play range to chase down ball carriers outside the numbers … highly productive with 27.5 tackles for loss over 25 games the last two seasons.WEAKNESSES: Short, stubby build and lacks desired height/weight/length … will be the first defensive tackle with a sub-74-inch wingspan to be drafted over the last 10 years … his arms were the second-shortest of all defensive tackles at the combine over the last 10 years … extremely quick in space, but can be slowed by contact or bullied off his rush path … faulty anchor and can be moved from his spot in the run game … struggles to stay square and often overmatched by double teams or near the goal line … his hands are quick, but his swipes last power … aggressive nature leads to breakdown issues, especially in the pocket (his missed tackle rate increased each of the last three seasons) … missed final two games of his junior season because of a left shoulder injury (November 2022).
SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Pittsburgh, Kancey was a 3-technique tackle in head coach Pat Narduzzi’s 4-3 base scheme, lining up everywhere from nose to the edge. After putting his name on the NFL radar in 2021, he led all FBS defensive tackles in tackles for loss (14.5) in 2022 and became the school’s first unanimous All-American since Aaron Donald. With his initial quickness and ability to maneuver his hips in the hole, Kancey wins at the snap to slant, stunt and cross the face of blockers and affect the backfield rhythm (46.8 percent of his tackles in 2022 came in enemy territory). He uses his balance and natural leverage to get underneath the pads of blockers, but can be displaced in the run game and will struggle to power through contact. Kancey’s undersized frame and average strength will be more pronounced versus NFL blockers, especially in the run game, but his get off, agility and quick hands allow him to leverage gaps and disrupt the backfield. Although not quite on Donald’s level as a pro prospect, the parallels are encouraging and he projects as a starting NFL 3-technique.
Well, one thing that may be as important if not more important than arm-length for a lineman is his hands. And per Brugler, Kancey’s hands are explosive and elite.
Joe is a big believer in speed kills. And Kancey is mighty fast. How many folks this offseason said the Bucs needed to add speed to the roster? Well, they did with Kancey.
The call to @Ckancey8 📞#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/xZR4bwkhNa
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 28, 2023
April 28th, 2023 at 9:22 am
Play the run on the way to the quarterback… This guy is going to be a nightmare for the opposing team.
April 28th, 2023 at 9:26 am
Gonna call him T-Rex lol
April 28th, 2023 at 9:29 am
His stats are interesting. Wonder how they will evolve when paired up next to Vita.
April 28th, 2023 at 9:30 am
I love it. Especially next to Vea.
April 28th, 2023 at 9:31 am
He plays inside. Dont think he needs long arms. Speed will offset it I would think.
April 28th, 2023 at 9:31 am
Tim, maybe C-Rex?!
April 28th, 2023 at 9:41 am
Short arms an issue. Child please. Just look at the tape.
April 28th, 2023 at 9:45 am
I love these guys who find something to nitpick.
“He has a mole on his upper left thigh that causes him to favor attacking to the right.”
“Has twitchy upper respiratory glands but offsets that with solid gruntothermia.”
April 28th, 2023 at 9:51 am
Goatfarmer – Add
“He has incontinence and passes gas a lot. Detrimental to close in plays.”
April 28th, 2023 at 9:52 am
Just hope this is not another miss by licht on D line.
April 28th, 2023 at 9:57 am
“LOL! The Teflon Jason Gump gets exposed without GM Tom Brady!
Going to get ugly for the next 10 years!!”
April 28th, 2023 at 10:01 am
Fastest 40 in 20 years for DT
April 28th, 2023 at 10:05 am
@TBBF: How often does a DT run 40 yards in a game. The more important number is his ten yard burst and cone drill numbers.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:06 am
His arms are 3/4th’s of an inch shorter than Aaron Donald’s arms.
It’s a non issue. This guy is a cannon ball covered in knives.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:09 am
Wow, the return of Kobe Faker.
Jason Licht built the roster that attracted Brady in the first place. He built a Super Bowl caliber roster once, and I’m confident he’ll do it again.
But we’ll still suck this year
April 28th, 2023 at 10:12 am
“Fastest 40 in 20 years for DT”
As usual I’m with TBBF on this one. Speed kills! It can’t be taught and it’s hard to overcome. He’s also very quick at the line. OL are going to struggle to engage him and get their hands on him despite his “short” arms.
I love some of these arcane statistics like a QB’s hand size.
Show me the video. Do the short arms or small hands on QB effect their play that’s one thing, but if they can PLAY they can PLAY regardless of obscure measurements.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:12 am
Speed kills!! I hope he is able to use it effectively at the NFL level!!!
April 28th, 2023 at 10:18 am
The bucs have flaws! Dah! What team doesn’t? Buccaneers addressed a major weakness with this pic k. We had really nobody to play next to Vea last year. Ask defensive guru Tony dungeon about speed. Speed kills. Bowles diagnosis of the defense is exactly correct. I anticipated every selection this year will be contingent on speed.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:26 am
Bowles typically goes for big d-linemen that can occupy blockers and allow for the lbs run free. This move points to the fact Bowles has to adjust his defense to maximize the talent of Kancey.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:27 am
He’s a medium ugly.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:30 am
Steven007-I could see C-Rex lol. Seriously, I really do like this pick, and all the stuff about arm length is much ado about nothing. For his position, quick is better than fast, but he’s both so we’re good.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:30 am
“He’s a medium ugly.”
nice lol
April 28th, 2023 at 10:35 am
I don’t think that the Kancey pick is all on Licht.
I can see Bowles fingerprint all over this pick.
If he can play like they hope Bowles should be able to run some trick stunts and games from everywhere. If so we won’t have to rely on D White for his schemed sacks…Hope he won’t be too bored…
April 28th, 2023 at 10:36 am
His arm length was my first and immediate concern…
Seems like a bit of a reach at 19 TBH but hopefully he pans out. But he’s a tweener, just like Logan Hall… that’s not inspiring a lot of confidence. Way too early to tell of course.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:42 am
“aggressive nature leads to breakdown issues, especially in the pocket (his missed tackle rate increased each of the last three seasons)” this sounds a lot like JTS. We’ve spent a lot of draft capitol on the D line, it has to be a strength or Bowles will be toast.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:43 am
If the goal was younger and faster, he’s a good pick. Time will tell. I’m OK with it.
Fact is, this draft seems thin.
April 28th, 2023 at 10:47 am
While he is physically comparable to Donald, he did not have the production of Donald in his college career. Why get this guy when you just signed a player at that position from the Rams and Hall is expected to make a jump in his second year. Isn’t edge rusher a bigger need?
April 28th, 2023 at 10:49 am
Somewhere Mark Dumbinic is wondering, “But, would he return his plate of food? That’s the telling sign of a great draft pick!”
April 28th, 2023 at 10:53 am
YOU KNOW HOW DUNGY PICKED PLAYERS?
He watched tape. Barber, Lynch, Sapp, and even Brooks were all lacking ideal measurables. Dungy took them because they knew how to play football.
Watch CK’s tape. OMG! He’s the tasmanian devil.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:05 am
Ugh Kobe Faker is back.
* The lover of Jameis Winston.
* Hater of BA.
* Hater of Mike Evans.
* Said Adam Gase was going to be head coach.
* Proclaimed Cappa would not work out.
* Wanted to trade down in year of Wirfs when Wirfs was on the board.
I hope he crawls back to the dark hole that he was in these last two years and leaves the analysis to the grownups.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:07 am
No.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:07 am
How many reps in the weight room he bypassed that at the combine hopefully hes not a 280 lb weakling like Hall or he will get bulldozed in the NFL.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:13 am
Short Arms Kancey can go against short arms Luke Goedeke in practice.
Underweight Kancey can join me underweight Hall and underweight JTS being pushed around and mauled by teams with a big offensive line. The box strength and conditioning coach whoever that might be needs to play a big hand in getting these 3 linemen up in strength and also Vita to shed 30 lbs so he can become more than a part-time player.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:17 am
Better sign JPP, Nassib to play edge as this pick almost certainly means the next 4 picks need to be OT, LB, S and CB. Oops I forgot about TE. In any event, no chance for an edge rusher unless 7th rounder or UDFA.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:17 am
Guess we’re on our way back to the SB now.
Sweet.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:18 am
@Dom N. Nick
Other underweight DT include Aaron Donald, Warren Sapp, John Randle, etc.
If Kancey was not underweight with his athletic skills would have been a top 10 pick and as sure as thing as this draft has seen.
He might bust because of his small size.
He also has one of the highest ceilings of any defensive player in this draft because of his skill set at penetrating offensive lines.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:19 am
Dingle – love the “cannon ball covered in knives” metaphor! I love this pick.
No excuses, Toad.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:21 am
unbelievable – I’m LOLing at your comment, paraphrasing —
“His short arms are a concern, a bit of a reach…”
I don’t know, that strikes me funny!
April 28th, 2023 at 11:38 am
Sly- As they say, “the tape don’t lie!”
I like the pick but I’m hesitant to get too excited because of the last two DL picks we had.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:56 am
Short arms are of very little relevance inside where players go pad to pad and don’t long arm each other like they do in space.
April 28th, 2023 at 11:58 am
I don’t see this guy playing like a typical NT, so no worries about arm length or weight, more like a rotational player that’s going to play all along the line. He has the quickness and moves to play DE. I would have drafted an OT but looks like the Bucs think he is special.
April 28th, 2023 at 12:45 pm
I think lining up next to Vita Vea immediately makes this a better pick than it would be on some other teams.
April 28th, 2023 at 12:55 pm
If he’s 3/4 of Donald it was worth it. Bucs could generate a big push up the middle and that’s critical to cripple qb’s in today’s NFL. He’ll probably tear an ACL in camp. Bucs Luck.
April 28th, 2023 at 12:59 pm
Has Warren Sapp said anything about Kancey yet? I’ll be interested in hearing what he has to say, if he sees someone special in Kancey or just a guy.
April 28th, 2023 at 1:16 pm
This kid wasn’t a top 30 visit, Licht points out on the phone they met in Indy, not to mention Kancey was surprised Bucs took him.
Tells me they were hoping for something else at 19 and this is how the board fell to them where they ended up taking best available and/or value… Kancey was too good to pass up on.
April 28th, 2023 at 1:23 pm
Havoc coming for opposing centers and guards from the Bucs rotation of interior DLmen
April 28th, 2023 at 1:34 pm
He’s a magnet to the ball! I’ve seen him in triple coverage and he still gets to the ball! His raw athleticism will make up for any so called “short arms”. Great pic up Bucs!
April 28th, 2023 at 1:43 pm
What the man lacks in length he makes up for with attitude. Watching his film he is a nasty d lineman. I love hard nose players he seems like a badass in the making. I will say the Aaron Donald comparison is a bit much. I still love this pick. I chose to not look at mock drafts this year and just be excited with whoever fell to us. I’m much happier for it and the next rounds will be no different. Go Bucs and go Jason
April 28th, 2023 at 1:51 pm
To be honest I had to go look at his tape I like his get off and with his height and speed he will be able to get to the quarterback because the low man wins on the D line. So I like the pick but my only concern is the 3 4 defense we run but I think he will be good once we run the nickel defense. So I’m cool with the pick .
April 28th, 2023 at 1:54 pm
He played at 260 in college
That’s his natural weight
It’s physics 325 vs 270
How’d our last 2 lineman do we drafted high?
April 28th, 2023 at 2:01 pm
Most he plays with Vea is 50% of the time LOL
April 28th, 2023 at 2:04 pm
He isn’t who I would have picked, but let’s see what happens. I could sho nuff use a pleasant surprise.
April 28th, 2023 at 2:29 pm
Sky.. Dungy didn’t pick Sapp and Brooks…he wasn’t even the HC. It was good old Sam Wyche.
April 28th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Honestly O’Neill. What I saw of the highlight tape at the draft looked like he had quickness against college lineman…but I didn’t see a lot of power. Of course, I don’t know those highlights were a fair representation.
April 28th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
I thought I saw that he also played Edge in college…
April 28th, 2023 at 2:35 pm
6 feet and 280?
He’s going to get rag dolled in the NFL
ANother BUST by Licht.
Busts by Licht! SMDH.
Awful. Yeah…he’s midget and gonna play DT in the NFL.
He’ll get eaten alive. Thanks for another project Licht.
April 28th, 2023 at 2:39 pm
ok so I am a 62 year old real woman. this sht brings me to tears damn he is a Buc for life now and his life just changed in a second awesome! love the draft love to watch this stuff, the holiest of all NFL days like Joe says.
April 28th, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Hahaha^
Great user name for all
The shade.
Kancey is going to be a menace and you’re going or be eating goat when he’s crushing teams w Vita.
April 28th, 2023 at 3:43 pm
Joe, can you get Sapp’s thoughts about Kancey? It would be interesting to hear Warren’s comments as Kancey is similar in size.
April 28th, 2023 at 3:52 pm
If he ever has something to say about Kancey on social media, sure.
April 28th, 2023 at 4:05 pm
haha goatfarmer yes!
April 28th, 2023 at 4:58 pm
Seems like a good guy and speaks well in his interview. Hope he can bring what the Bucs up front. Let’s hope at worst, he’s 70% the player Donald is and if he is, it’ll be a great pick!
One last thing…. Keep the rookie away from Wirfs and Jensen the first few days of camp. Don’t need him deja vu like last years rookie. 🤞😂
April 28th, 2023 at 5:34 pm
Short arms are relative. Kancey was drafted for his explosive start and that has a major bearing on the effect of arm length. On tape, Kancey is so quick off the ball that he blows past the perimeter established by OL’s hands. At that point, it doesn’t matter much who’s arm is longer as the OL effectively has no arms, rather a big dude in his earhole with arms that are much longer than his.
And honest to god, are church-mice 6’1.5″ and 381 lbs? It sounds that way reading the reviews on size. Poor widdle baby getting his wunch money took by the big bad boys – yeah, them…the other All ACC, All Americans.
Thanks to Aaron Donald for showing these ideas are not SciFi.
April 28th, 2023 at 5:35 pm
Has Sapp weighed in on this pick?
April 28th, 2023 at 5:49 pm
Not yet (checked a few minutes ago).
April 28th, 2023 at 6:55 pm
Him and Goedeke can land some solid high fives
April 28th, 2023 at 7:38 pm
thanks, Joe – looking forward to his take.
April 28th, 2023 at 7:39 pm
ABuc – that is funny!