At 6-foot-1, 281 pounds,
Calijah Kancey
is the exactsame height and one pound muchheavier than another undersized interior pass-rusher who played at
Pittsburgh
, put up off-the-chart measurables priorto the draft and has turned out quite well in the NFL.
But Kancey doesn’t desire to be compared to Aaron Donald, lovely as that may be.
“That’s a terrific contrast,” Kancey stated minutes after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him with the 19th choice in Thursday’s initially round. “But truthfully, I’m Calijah Kancey at the end of the day. It’s excellent to be compared to a person like that, of that caliber, however at the end of the day, I’m Calijah Kancey and that’s who I desire to make a name for.”
Bucs basic supervisor Jason Licht stated the mix of size and athleticism is familiar, however joked that the closer parallel isn’t to the future Hall of Famer, however to a 6-1, 290-pound protective takeon who had just 7 Pro Bowl choices.
“We do believe he has strength, and he does have power, and he does have the capability to hold up in there,” Licht stated. “You understand, they were stating the verysame things … I’m not comparing to Aaron Donald. That’s not reasonable. I would state it’s more like John Randle.”
Kancey stacked up 14.5 sacks over the last 2 seasons at Pittsburgh, and actually turned heads at the NFL integrate. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds, the fastest time for any protective lineman in 20 years, and 0.01 seconds faster than Donald.
The Bucs utilized their leading draft choice on a protective lineman for the 2nd year in a row, after taking Houston’s Logan Hall at No. 33 last season. Tampa Bay had 5 totallyfree representatives from its 2022 defensive line group, deciding not to re-sign beginners Akiem Hicks and Will Gholston and permitting backup Rakeem Nunez-Roches to indication with the Giants. They included totallyfree representative Greg Gaines from the Rams, however will be leaning tough on 2 young potentialcustomers in Kancey and Hall.
The latest Buccaneer went to the verysame high school — Miami Northwestern — as the longest tenured Bucs gamer, linebacker Lavonte David, and Licht stated they have the exactsame kind of maturity when you talk to them.
“One thing we liked about him is he [has an] severe fullygrown nature about him,” Licht stated. “He’s a leader. He’s really wise. It’s like talking to a 40-year-old male. He’s actually got a fantastic head on his shoulders … he’s got a chip on his shoulder. He desires to win and he’s the supreme rival. That’s going to provide him a opportunity. I wear’t desire to put out, state, that we’re anticipating him to have 15 sacks or anything next year, however I understand he’s going to contribute.”
Kancey viewed the draft from his household’s house in Miami, positive of being a first-round choice however not always anticipating it to be the Bucs. Back at Pitt, colleagues seen together and cheered when Kancey’s name was called.
“Our whole program is breaking with pride right now for Calijah,” coach Pat Narduzzi stated in a tweet published by the school. “This young male has definitely made all that comes with this night. Here’s a Miami kid who didn’t get an in-state Power 5 deal, comes up to Pitt and ends up being a consentaneous All-American and first-round NFL draft choice. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting a excellent gamer and even muchbetter individual.”
The acknowledgment of being a first-round choice and the Bucs’ enjoyment to include him to their defense won’t take away from an underdog inspiration that hasactually driven Kancey his whole life, and will continue to in the NFL.
“I desire to state being ignored my entire life,” he stated when asked about his drive. “Not lotsof individuals thinking in me, not passing the eyeball test for lotsof people. Also, simply showing myself right and not attempting to show anybody incorrect.”
Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South pressreporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, havingactually invested time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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