When the Bucs signed defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, they added to an already explosive position group. Pro Football Focus has been rolling out their tiered positional rankings and a pair of Bucs land in their Top 25.

Bucs nose tackle Vita Vea lands in the Top 10 coming in at seventh spot overall in the “very good” tier. Vea has been one of the dominant run-stuffers in football since coming into the league. However, an area he is underrated in is his ability to affect the passing game.

While he’s not a sack monster, his ability to put pressure on the quarterback is among the best in the league. As PFF points out, on a per-snap basis, Vea’s 11.3% pressure rate is a top-10 mark among 119 players with 500-plus pass-rushing snaps since 2018. Pretty good for a man his size tasked with primarily taking up blockers. Vea did have a career-high four sacks in his first Pro Bowl season in 2021.

Bucs DT Akiem Hicks – Photo by: USA Today

Joining Vea on the list is Hicks, who comes in at the 17th spot under tier four. Labeled, “nearing the end of career, but still impactful,” fits what the former Bear brings to the Bucs.

Hicks is one of the most dominant pass rushers from the defensive tackle positions in the last six years. The 32-year old has 40.5 sacks over his 10-year career, with 31 of them in the past six seasons. He’s also a strong run defender with a career 73.2 run stopping grade.

Bucs Defensive Line Rotation In Good Shape

Vea and Hicks are the best defensive linemen on the Bucs roster when healthy. Though the teams has built an extremely deep rotation as well. William Gholston is a 10-year vet with the Bucs and posted a career-high 4.5 sacks in 2021. The Bucs selected promising young defensive tackle Logan Hall with the first pick in the second round in the draft. He notched six sacks at the University of Houston last year.

Rakeem Nunez-Roches offers a versatile option off the bench. Newly-signed Deadrin Senat gives Tampa Bay a potential reclamation project with high pedigree. And Patrick O’Connor will look to continue his development and flashes he showed last season.

The Bucs are in great shape as they head into the season with a good mix of youth and veterans. Helping ensure the team has fresh legs throughout the season and into a potential playoff run.