The Buccaneers have had to deal with Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett twice a season for a long time, so they decided to go out and get their own in Kancey, whose ridiculous combine measurables show up all over his tape. He’s a Tasmanian Devil who will bring a furor to Todd Bowles’ defense right off the bat.
Height: 6′ 0⅝” (2nd percentile) Weight: 281 (4th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.67 (99th)
10-Yard Split: 1.64 (95th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 30⅝” (1st)
Hand Size: 9⅛” (7th)
Bio: A First-team All-Florida Class 6A defensive lineman for Miami Northwestern, Kancey helped his high school team to back-to-back Florida 6A state championships. He was an Administration of Justice major at Pitt, which fits nicely with his playing profile. In 2022, Kancey was named Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the second Pitt alum to be so honored. The other honoree, Aaron Donald, might be a familiar name.
Over three seasons with the Panthers, Kancey totaled 19 sacks, 28 quarterback hits, 64 quarterback hurries, 63 tackles, 63 stops, and one forced fumble. He had 1,040 snaps in the B-gaps, 311 in the A-gaps, 52 outside the tackles, and 14 over the tackles.
Stat to Know: Not only did Kancey have the highest pressure rate (percentage of pass rushes that resulted in a quarterback hurry, hit, knockdown, or sack) in this class among interior defensive linemen at 14%, he also tied with Clemson’s Bryan Bresee for the highest Quick Pressure Rate (percentage of pass rushes that resulted in the player generating the first pressure on the quarterback and doing so in 2.5 seconds or less) at 6%.
Strengths: Kancey also tied with San Diego State’s Jonah Tavai for the most tackles for loss (15) among all interior defensive linemen in the nation last season. And at his size, it’s amazing to watch how many times he’ll beat double teams to blow things up in the backfield.
As a pass rusher, Kancey has incredible lateral movement and quickness to slant around blockers; he’ll then use the power in his hands to press and disengage to the pocket. When he does this to you, you’re likely left thinking, “How did that just happen?”
Overall, Kancey’s trump card — outside of his estimable quickness — is an upper body strength that allows him to just move multiple blockers aside to get to the ball. It’s a terrifying combination when he puts it all together.
Weaknesses: Kancey is great at beating double teams when he’s working to the side, but he’s not going to blast through them with pure strength by taking them on directly. In situations like this, the size issues do show up.
This holds true against one-on-ones as well — if Kancey isn’t using his lateral mobility to work around blockers, things can get ugly for him in a big hurry.
Conclusion: Kancey is more than just a fun story because he amazed at the combine, or because he has so many splash plays for his size. He is a legitimate disruptor everywhere from edge to nose shade, though his ideal spot in the NFL would be as a three-tech tackle who can just frustrate blockers all day with his enviable combination of strength and quickness. Put him there, let him do his Tasmanian Devil thing every week, and prepare to reap the rewards.
NFL Comparison: Grady Jarrett. Jarrett was one of the most important players in Clemson’s knockout 2014 defense, but size concerns (6-foot-0, 205 pounds) saw him drop all the way to the fifth round, where the Atlanta Falcons got him. That was a multi-mistake on the part of 31 other teams, because Jarrett became a rolling ball of butcher knives in Atlanta’s fronts for years, and I think Kancey will be the same wherever he goes. I’ve seen comps from Aaron Donald to Ed Oliver in Kancey’s case, but this one makes the most sense to me.