Defense

Interior Defensive Linemen

No issue at all with Vita Vea being left off the voters’ Top 10 interior defensive line list this year, as the hulking defensive tackle still has work to do to earn recognition like that. But should he have been regarded as an Honorable Mention? When names like New Orleans’ David Onyemata and Baltimore’s Michael Pierce are making the list? Yes.

Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I’m fine with putting Vea outside even the Top 15 interior defensive linemen, but I’m just not sure how he doesn’t deserve acknowledgement when league personnel are listing Onyemata as one of the five honorable mentions for the ranking. Maybe I’m actually just bitter that guys like Houston’s D.J. Reader, Pittsburgh’s Stephon Tuitt and Javon Hargrave and Tennessee’s Jurrell Casey weren’t even mentioned by the voters. I disagreed with much of the Honorable Mention list, and would have included Vea given some of the names that did make the cut.

Edge Defenders

Y’all can love Shaq Barrett all you want as Bucs fans, there is simply no way he can crack a Top 10 edge defender list in 2020. Maybe after another year or two of strong production, but the top 12-13 edge defenders in the NFL is pretty set in stone.

Still, Barrett led the league in sacks in 2019, yet can’t get an Honorable Mention nod from anyone? He should be in that conversation with Baltimore’s Matt Judon, Jacksonville’s Yannick Ngakoue and free agent Jadeveon Clowney (he played last year in Seattle) to headline the next wave of edge defenders. Yet nobody had Barrett on their ballot at all after a 19.5-sack season. Seems negligent to me.

Leaving Jason Pierre-Paul off was the right move. He’s still a good player at age 31, but not worthy of being mentioned in this discussion. There are too many talented edge defenders ahead of him right now.

Linebackers

Finally getting some much deserved recognition, Lavonte David finished second only to Seattle’s perennial Pro Bowler Bobby Wagner in the minds of voters from around the league. The praise for his game was glowing:

Bucs LB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Criminally underrated,” one veteran NFL linebacker said. “Doesn’t get the recognition but so smooth as a player. Everything he does is right.”

“He doesn’t really have a glaring weakness,” said an NFC exec. “And he can play outside linebacker or the Mike.”

Studying David this summer, I was blown away by how dominant he is. I always knew he was a good player, but closely examining his tape revealed to me one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Glad to see the voters nailed this one.

Devin White, Tampa Bay’s first-round pick last year, went unmentioned in the Honorable Mention section, while Pittsburgh’s Devin Bush, among other young linebackers, made the cut. Bush was better than White as a rookie in my opinion, so I’m fine with the distinction. Moving forward however, it wouldn’t surprise me to see either player as one of the better linebackers in the league, certainly by their third year.

Cornerbacks

No Bucs were mentioned, which I think is understandable. Even if you have higher hopes for Carlton Davis than I do, or if you believe Jamel Dean’s small sample size was enough to throw him in as an Honorable Mention, it’s pretty easy to see why voters wouldn’t find them noteworthy just yet.

If Dean continues his stellar play from last season, combined with his size and speed, the Auburn product could garner a lot of attention in 2020 with more of a spotlight on the Bucs. He’s the team’s best hope for a shutdown corner moving forward.

Safeties

Bucs S Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Photo by: Getty Images

With Antoine Winfield, Jr.’s career not yet underway and Justin Evans waylaid by injuries, the Buccaneers safety room was unsurprisingly not represented on the ESPN Top 10 rankings. I’m pretty hopeful about Winfield, who was the team’s second-round pick this year, being included as an Honorable Mention next offseason following what I believe to be a breakout rookie season in 2020, but for now this was clearly the right move by the voters.