The Tampa Bay Buccaneers landed a steal when they grabbed outside linebacker Yaya Diaby in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, as he led the team in sacks last season with 7.5 as a rookie.
Heading into his second NFL season, Diaby remains the Bucs’ most underappreciated player, according to a list recently put together by NFL.com.
Here’s what Tom Blair at NFL.com had to say about Diaby:
Diaby racked up his first five career sacks in a six-game span between Weeks 8 and 13, when Tampa was between one and three games under .500 and seemingly in danger of falling into oblivion. By the end of the year, the 2023 third-round pick had claimed a starting job, and the Bucs were NFC South champs.
Tampa fans who felt like Diaby should have earned Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration have a case, but his emergence was sudden, and perhaps overshadowed by the many other developments around Baker Mayfield’s crew. Even with second-round pick Chris Braswell in the fold, Diaby has a chance to leave no doubt about his quarterback-hunting prowess in Year 2.
Tampa Bay desperately needs more out of their pass rush this season, and while Diaby obviously pulled his own weight last year as a rookie, they’ll need him to continue developing and improving, especially now that Shaq Barrett is gone.
If he builds on last season’s success and flirts with double-digit sacks this year, don’t be surprised if Diaby gets plenty of appreciation heading into the 2025 season.
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