Did The Bucs Have A 'Mediocre' 2023 Rookie Class? 

It took a complete team effort for Tampa Bay to outperform expectations last year and extend its playoff appearance streak to four seasons. Baker Mayfield was a Comeback Player of the Year candidate and a first-time Pro Bowler, Mike Evans had one of his best seasons and made his fifth Pro Bowl, Antoine Winfield Jr. had an All-Pro campaign and a host of others stepped up along the way.

But one of the more impressive aspects of the Bucs’ 2023 season was the contributions they got from some of their youngest players, namely their 2023 rookie class. The class shined at various points throughout the regular season, but it got even better in the postseason.

However, a recent Pro Football Focus article from Timo Riske didn’t look upon the Bucs’ 2023 rookies all too favorably. Riske ranked the NFL’s most productive 2023 rookie classes from 1 to 32, and the Bucs came in at No. 13, which was under the fourth tier. That tier was described as “A Lot Of Volume and Potential — It Can Go Either Direction Next Year.”

The harsher part of the ranking came in the explanation.

“The rookies of the Buccaneers, Bears and Cardinals produced a lot of snaps, but the classes were mediocre in terms of performance,” Riske wrote. “That puts them ahead of the following tiers but below the classes we already discussed.”

Perhaps these rankings (as a lot of PFF rankings are) were compiled with a heavy emphasis on the site’s own grading system. But crediting the group for totaling a combined 4,708 snaps on a playoff team while at the same time calling its collective performance “mediocre” doesn’t feel right, does it?

Was The Bucs’ 2023 Rookie Class “Mediocre” In Terms Of Performance?

The Bucs were a few plays away from the NFC Championship Game last season and had a very young team that relied heavily on 2023 draft picks. If you ask general manager Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles or just about anyone else inside One Buc Place, they’d likely reflect pretty positively on the year that their rookies had.

First-round pick Calijah Kancey overcame a calf injury that cost him most of training camp, all of the preseason and the start of the regular season to finish with four sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 14 games. He got really hot in the second half of the season on his way to winning NFC Rookie of the Month in November, then he added another 1.5 sacks in the playoffs.

“He did a lot. He’s super explosive, very smart,” Licht said of Kancey at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. “I think he’s ahead of the curve for a rookie. He’s gonna be even further ahead next year. He’s a super competitive guy. Usually, your draft class, the whole class kind of takes after the first pick.

“Calijah is the perfect example of what you want the rest of the class to fall in line on. He’s always in the building, he’s always trying to improve, he’s always asking questions. He and YaYa were two best buddies running around all of the time. It’s fun to see how those two are going to grow together, and I think they could both be dominant players.”

Second-round selection Cody Mauch had his ups and downs as the Bucs’ starting right guard, but he fought through those growing pains and started every game. He’s primed to take a huge step forward as he enters his second NFL season in 2024.

Third-round pick Yaya Diaby ended up being the star of the 2023 class in year one, racking up a team-high 7.5 sacks despite the fact that he only became a regular starter in November. He finished tied for fifth in Defensive Rookie of the Year Voting.

“His whole thing will be getting the game down mentally, understanding what the opposition is trying to do to him,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said about Diaby at the Combine. “That echoes for most young guys, especially pass rushers. Offensive linemen have a lot of tricks to their trade to try to do things to pull you down and do things to offset your pass rush game.

“I think YaYa overcame it last year with a lot of strength. The mental part of it and getting a year under his belt mentally, I think he’ll be better served when he rushes the passer.”

Other rookie contributors were wide receiver Trey Palmer — a sixth-round pick — and nickel cornerback Christian Izien, who was an undrafted free agent.

Palmer caught 39 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns after being thrust into the No. 3 wide receiver role due to Russell Gage’s season-ending injury. He added a big 56-yard touchdown in the Bucs’ Wild Card win over the Eagles.

Izien won the nickel job out of camp, played all 17 games and totaled 65 tackles (47 solo), three tackles for loss, two passes defended, a forced fumble and two interceptions.

While the Bucs may have lacked a top-end rookie with top-level volume stats, their 2023 rookie class was pretty deep. They got meaningful contributions from their top three picks, as well as a sixth-rounder and an undrafted free agent. Another sixth-round pick — Josh Hayes — was a huge special teams contributor.

So with as deep as this class was and considering the role it played in getting Tampa Bay to the playoffs yet again, the “mediocre in terms of performance” tag seems inaccurate. As for being in the category of “a lot of volume and potential — it can go either direction next year,” the Bucs’ brass will certainly feel like the only direction their 2023 rookies are about to go is up.

What say you, Pewter People?

Do you think “mediocre” is a fair assessment for the Bucs’ 2023 rookie class, and what are your expectations for the group heading into 2024?