Bucs News: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rookie Grades From 2023 Season
Jason Licht and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers struck gold in the 2023 NFL Draft. The draft produced three starters for the Bucs and they found another in undrafted free agency. In a season with high roster turnover and nearly $80 million in dead cap, the team needed to rely on the young talent on the roster and the rookies stepped up.
With a season under their belt, I took a look at how the rookies fared and graded how I think they performed during the 2024 season.
Round 1, Pick 19: DL Calijah Kancey
Kancey missed three games on the season but was the starter for every game he was healthy. Right away he showed he could be a factor on defense. He finished the season with the most tackles for loss among rookie defensive linemen and notched four sacks.
Grade: A-
Round 2, Pick 48: OL Cody Mauch
Licht went back to the small school route with the North Dakota State offensive lineman. Mauch was an immediate starter at right guard for the Buccaneers and played above expectations. He started every game and while there were some lows the highs outweighed them and he shows tremendous promise for next season.
Grade: B-
Round 3, Pick 82 : OLB Yaya Diaby
Diaby's athleticism that was on display at the combine showed through during the regular season. The rookie edge rusher wrestled away the starting spot from Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in Week 10 and never looked back. He led the Bucs with 7.5 sacks on the year and led all rookie outside linebackers in sacks and tackles for loss.
Grade: B+
Round 5, Pick 153: LB SirVocea Dennis
Dennis was all the talk during minicamp and training camp and settled nicely into a backup role for the Bucs. He saw the field on defense sporadically and mostly played special teams but started Week 12 due to injury and showed promise finishing with five tackles.
Grade: C
Round 5, Pick 171: TE Payne Durham
Inactive the first four games, Payne showed promise as a potential number three tight end. He made some crucial receptions down the stretch. And his imposing frame and catch radius could see him develop into a dangerous red zone weapon next season.
Grade: C
Round 6, Pick 181: CB Josh Hayes
Hayes predominantly played on special teams and led all NFL players in tackles on the season. He did see action in two games due to injury and didn't look out of place. Even if he doesn't develop into a starting corner or top backup he has shown he can be a core special teams player.
Grade: C+
Round 6, Pick 191: WR Trey Palmer
Palmer quickly emerged as the Buccaneers' number three wide receiver. As the season went on you could see he felt more comfortable in his role and his long speed shined through. He started seven games and finished with 39 receptions for 385 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Grade: B-
Round 7, Pick 196: OLB Jose Ramirez
Ramirez was released during roster cuts and spent the year on the Buccaneers practice squad. He was elevated for the team's playoff game against the Eagles as a reward for his contributions on the practice squad and scout team and the front office is high on his development.
Grade: Incomplete
UDFA: CB Christian Izien
After winning the starting job out of camp, Izien started the season off hot with back-to-back interceptions in his first two games. He had some rookie struggles but held his own in a new position that saw plenty of action against some of the best slot receivers in the NFL.
Grade: B-
UDFA: S Kaevon Merriweather
Merriweather started two games for the Bucs and the Iowa product didn't look out of place. The Bucs were pleased with his development though they will most certainly bring in competition for the first year safety. He finished the season with 21 tackles and a pass breakup.
Grade: C
UDFA: OLB Markees Watts
Watts saw the field sparingly but when he did he was impressive as a pass rusher. He played only 45 total snaps, 27 of those pass rush snaps. He finished the season with seven pressures, one sack, one hurry, and four hits.
Grade: C
UDFA: WR Rakim Jarrett
As the team's fifth wide receiver, Jarrett took a while to get acclimated. Unfortunately right when he was starting to come on he suffered an injury that knocked him out of the rest of the season. He finished the final few games as a healthy scratch after being reinstated to the active roster off of injured reserve.
Grade: C -
UDFA: RB Sean Tucker
Tucker quickly overtook Chase Edmonds and KeShawn Vaugh for the number two spot behind starter Rachaad White. However, as the running game struggled to get its footing so did Tucker. His lack of trustworthy pass protection kept him off the field for a majority of the season, though the Bucs are high one what he can bring next year in what was essentially a red-shirt season.
Grade: C-
You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.
