Undersized, one-gapping defensive tackle who is explosive and productive. He’s a strong and determined player, but Kancey is still going to be a hit-or-miss run defender due to his lack of mass and length. While he will get pushed around at times, his first-step quickness and short memory allow him to make tackles in the backfield. He’s a nightmare for offenses as a pass rusher. His twitchy feet can slide and reset points of attack. His leverage and motor are often too much for guards to handle alone. Kancey might be most effective as a rotational run defender and full-time, sub-package rusher, but his size will not define him in the NFL.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Kancey is a disruptive run defender and explosive pass-rusher with the unique skill set to overcome his lack of size and length. His initial quickness, low center of gravity and ability to shoot his hands make it tougher to move him in the run game. He locates the ball, gets off blocks and chases with great effort. He has violent hands, explosive power and closing speed -- he ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a defensive tackle at the NFL combine since 2006 -- to get to the quarterback. -- Steve Muench
Matt Miller's NFL comp: Grady Jarrett
Read: Kancey's record day at the NFL combine
Post-Draft Analysis
Kancey needed to go to a team that uses a heavy rotation along the interior and could pair him with an established player on the inside. He gets exactly that alongside Vita Vea. Kancey's electric first step should translate well in Todd Bowles' penetrating defense. He totaled 7.5 sacks last season, the most in the FBS by a defensive tackle. -- Jordan Reid
Projected Year 1 impact: High-impact Day 1 starter. Kancey is a fantastic pass-rusher with awesome take-off quickness, which could make him Tampa Bay's next Gerald McCoy-type 3-technique. He'll be a rookie starter with double-digit sack potential. -- Miller
Pre-Draft Analysis
Kancey is a disruptive run defender and explosive pass-rusher with the unique skill set to overcome his lack of size and length. His initial quickness, low center of gravity and ability to shoot his hands make it tougher to move him in the run game. He locates the ball, gets off blocks and chases with great effort. He has violent hands, explosive power and closing speed -- he ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a defensive tackle at the NFL combine since 2006 -- to get to the quarterback. -- Steve Muench
Matt Miller's NFL comp: Grady Jarrett
Read: Kancey's record day at the NFL combine
Post-Draft Analysis
Kancey needed to go to a team that uses a heavy rotation along the interior and could pair him with an established player on the inside. He gets exactly that alongside Vita Vea. Kancey's electric first step should translate well in Todd Bowles' penetrating defense. He totaled 7.5 sacks last season, the most in the FBS by a defensive tackle. -- Jordan Reid
Projected Year 1 impact: High-impact Day 1 starter. Kancey is a fantastic pass-rusher with awesome take-off quickness, which could make him Tampa Bay's next Gerald McCoy-type 3-technique. He'll be a rookie starter with double-digit sack potential. -- Miller
I talked about it in the draft thread, but I'll repost the thought here. Us drafting Calijah Kancey is a direct indictment on Logan Hall.
But yeah, Kancey has some skills. First-team All-American as a defensive tackle, 7.5 sacks last year. On passrushing downs, he seems about as tricky to block as a 280lb bar of soap.
I said in the Draft Forum big board thread before the draft that he would be in the running for the best interior pass rusher on the team the minute we drafted him, and I stand by that. But he didn't fit the profile for how I thought Bowles liked his defensive linemen, and I don't know if I'd trust him as a base defense defender anytime soon. But even if all he does is make noise up the middle on third downs, that's not a bad thing.
Not the direction I woulda gone at that spot in the draft, but I would be more than happy to be proven wrong.
Welcome to Tampa, Calijah.
Last edited by Cheb on Thu Apr 27, 2023 10:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cheb wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 10:41 pm
Us drafting Calijah Kancey is a direct indictment on Logan Hall.
What.... how?
You know Vea has two other players next to him right?
When we drafted Logan Hall, Todd Bowles referred to him as "3-tech" in the first few sentences of talking with him on the phone. Logan Hall had a very underwhelming rookie season, and we just added a prototypical 3-tech defensive lineman in the first round of the draft.
Calijah Kancey just took Logan Hall's job at the position we drafted him to play. Looked at another way, this is a less dramatic version of Josh Rosen and Kyler Murray in Arizona.
Yes, Logan will still get his snaps presumably, but us drafting Kancey just put his ass on notice.
Deja Entendu wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 10:49 pm
PR tweeted about Kancey awhile back, and a pretty savvy Bucs fan pointed out how he compares favorably to Donald… besides in Alma Mater and measurables.
“I have him firmly in the 3rd tier of DTs. His size can’t just be brushed off. He is VERY small for a DT, and it shows up on tape. Both in terms of length and weight. If a decent OL gets their hands into him, that ends the rep the majority of the time.
He lacks the power to stand his ground against decent competition, and he gets washed completely out on double teams. He makes the occasional highlight play based on his pure athleticism, but he disappears for long stretches of the game at a time.
He may have a niche role as a rotational pure pass rusher, or MAYBE a power DE, but he’s not an every down DT in the NFL.“
“He has an excellent first step, great hand usage, good reactive athleticism, and production across the d-line including occasional 0T, 5T, and everything in between. That being said, his size can't just be brushed off as a "in spite of" situation.
Looking through every 1st or 2nd string iDL in the NFL, here's a list of guys listed at 6'0" or shorter:
Poona Ford
DJ Jones
Khalen Saunders
All 3 of those guys are 310+ pounds. At 270-275 pounds he's just gonna get swallowed up too often. Plenty of productive college guys enter the draft at 6'0" 275 each year, and they rarely draw much NFL interest unless a team wants to go the small nose guard route.
Even if you push it up to 6'1", you only get four more names. All of these guys are either 310+ pounds (Benito Jones, Greg Gaines), or have generational athleticism (Aaron Donald, Ed Oliver).”
Kona wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 10:39 pm
I don’t love the system fit. But if he ends up being a baller who cares?
Gotta think Bowles hand chose him. Guess that gives me hope.
But man, sucks after taking Hall last year to basically be giving up on him.
1) We should trust Bowles’ defensive mind to properly deploy our DL personnel.
2) If Hall is a bust then I’m glad we moved on quickly.
3) Kancy looks unblockable sometimes. If he can play anything like that in the NFL we won’t care what happens to Hall. If Hall can play he will find his way on the field.
Gotta think Bowles hand chose him. Guess that gives me hope.
But man, sucks after taking Hall last year to basically be giving up on him.
1) We should trust Bowles’ defensive mind to properly deploy our DL personnel.
2) If Hall is a bust then I’m glad we moved on quickly.
3) Kancy looks unblockable sometimes. If he can play anything like that in the NFL we won’t care what happens to Hall. If Hall can play he will find his way on the field.
You can be glad to move on quickly, but you gotta be able to admit it’s disappointing.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t live with the outlier that Kancey has with his arms. This isn’t just something where you’re like, “oh yeah, it’ll be fine because he was good and has trait ABC.” It is absolutely unprecedented for an IDL to have success with his arm length. Maybe he breaks the mold, but I don’t wanna be the team on the hook for trying.”
“DTs with arms 31 inches or shorter since 2000:
David Parry, Antwaun Woods, Dan Klecko, Elijah Qualls, Tenny Palepoi, Colby Whitlock
Calijah Kancey -- 30 5/8"
For reference:
Aaron Donald - 32 5/8”
Ed Oliver - 31 3/4”
Geno Atkins - 32”
I’ll pass.”
“I think Kancey is the epitome of drafting Jimmer Fredette in hopes that he becomes Steph Curry, or Aaron Donald in this case. I’m all for swinging for the fences but if you completely ignore physical thresholds that’s how you can end up drafting Jimmer ahead of Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard.”
More positive….
“Kancey to me is a 3T DT purely because his extreme lack of length. While many are going to be turned off by this, I refuse to believe someone with Kancey athleticism and impeccable hand fighting at the line will not have an impact in the NFL”
Primeminister wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 11:39 pm
The more I look at this pick the more I like it.
I’m in the opposite boat. Him being that small is making me nervous. Maybe he can thrive with Vita eating double teams, but Vita also isn’t always healthy and he may be easily gameplanned out of the game without him there.
