Impact.

When folks think of Bucs rookies, clearly Emeka Egbuka is the first to spring to mind. Joe doesn’t think it is a stretch to suggest without Egbuka, the Bucs right now wouldn’t be in first place in the woeful NFC South.

Then there’s Tez Johnson. The seventh-round pick has really stepped up due to so many injuries to Bucs wide receivers. He currently has four touchdowns which is tied for third among rookies.

Well it isn’t just the offensive rookies that are getting the job done for the Bucs. So too are a pair of rookies on defense,

Per the Bucs, slot corner Jacob Parrish and defensive tackle Elijah Roberts are the only pair of rookie defenders who have both multiple sacks and at least three passes defended.

The fact that a rookie defensive tackle has three passes defensed in four starts (Roberts has played in 10 games) is pretty impressive.

So yeah, while Egbuka and Johnson get the headlines, the Bucs are getting pretty significant contributions from rookies on both sides of the ball.