Vita Vea Already Among NFL's Most Dominant Nose Tackles
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent the No. 12 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on Vita Vea, they were hoping to get a rare nose tackle who can both eat up space against the ground game, as well as get after the passer.
Two years into his NFL career, Vea is already proving himself worthy of the hype in both categories.
Not only did Vea help anchor the NFL's top-ranked rushing defense in 2019, he was also one of the league's best at his position when it came to pressuring opposing quarterbacks (via Pro Football Focus):
Though he still has just 5.5 career sacks through two seasons, Vea continues to frustrate opposing offenses with his rare blend of size, power and athleticism. He's able to collapse the pocket with interior pressure thanks to his strength and explosiveness, forcing quarterbacks to abandon the pocket far more often than they'd like.
That certainly contributed to Tampa Bay's big sack numbers from their edge rushers last season, as Shaq Barrett led the league in that department with 19.5, while Jason Pierre-Paul logged 8.5 of his own in just 10 games.
Heading into this third NFL campaign, Vea is primed to entrench himself in the conversation as the league's most dominant nose tackle.
