After Vita Vea was taken No. 12 overall, one thing was noticed instantly by everyone: He is a 346lb athletic beast, and has trees for legs. Critics were quick to note though that he was merely a run stopper with minimal pass rushing skills; after amassing only 9.5 sacks in 3 years.
Vita Vea expressed at a press conference recently that he sees himself as a three down defender. Responding to critics Vita responds by saying,
“At Washington I wasn’t [playing just] first or second down, I stayed on the field all three downs. You put on the tape for Penn State and even though we lost, in the second half, I basically didn’t get subbed out for the whole second half. So you know I was in there and I think that just goes to show that I’m capable of staying out there all three downs.”
I don’t think anyone will question his motor, talent, or passion for the game. With that said I don’t think the coaching staff is planning to have him play every snap either. Looking at McCoy’s snap count from last year, he played 76% of all defensive downs. Considering that I think the Bucs plan to play him around the 50% snap mark. Which would follow precedent for how they rotate the rest of their defensive line.
Vea looks like a promising young player who is hungry, and most importantly looking for ways to improve his game. His eagerness to always improve will pay dividends down the stretch, and hopefully give the Bucs pass rush a little more punch too.
