After not having a selection in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Bucs made their first pick of Day 3 in the fifth round (No. 153 overall), selecting Pitt linebacker SirVocea Dennis.

Dennis a smaller, leaner linebacker (6-foot, 226 pounds), but isn’t afraid to mix it up and plays bigger against the run. The three-year starter racked up 239 tackles, 36 tackles for a loss and 15 sacks at Pittsburgh, where he lived behind the line of scrimmage. Dennis is a great blitzer, but can also drop in coverage and hold his own. He produced five pass breakups and two interceptions for the Panthers.

Dennis is rangy and a very cerebral player. He’s a sure tackler too, and he played both the Mike and Money linebacker spots. With that in mind, he could essentially be a replacement for either Devin White or Lavonte David in time. He was also a big-time vocal leader as a team captain for Pitt, plus he was a mainstay on special teams. He played 400 special teams snaps in his career and blocked a field goal in 2021. With that leadership and special teams ability, he brings some solid value to bring as the Bucs’ fifth-round pick.

Dennis was someone Tampa Bay spoke with at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. He’ll reunite with Pitt teammate Calijah Kancey at the next level after the Bucs drafted Kancey with the No. 19 pick on Thursday night. Dennis got more and more recognition as his career went on, going from Third-Team All-ACC in 2020 to Second-Team All-ACC in 2021 before finishing his career with First-Team All-ACC honors in 2022. He played 43 games and started 27 during his time with the Panthers.

SirVocea Dennis Gives Bucs Much-Needed Depth At Linebacker

New Bucs LB SirVocea Dennis Photo By: USA Today

It was expected that the Bucs might be addressing the linebacker position during the 2023 Draft, as the future of the position is extremely uncertain.

Tampa Bay re-signed Lavonte David this offseason, but he’s only back on a one-year deal and will turn 34 next January. He’s still playing at a high level, as the longtime captain was the team’s best defensive player in 2022. But the Bucs will eventually need a replacement for him, possibly as soon as 2024.

The team may soon need a replacement for Devin White as well. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 Draft is supposed to play on his fifth-year option in 2023, but he wants a new contract now and has requested a trade. The Bucs have maintained that they don’t have any plans to trade the 25-year-old, so the defense should still feature David and White in the middle this fall. However, if White holds out, does surprisingly get traded or lands a big pay day elsewhere next offseason, someone will have to step in for him, too.

Not only does SirVocea Dennis give Tampa Bay a potential starter for the future, but he also adds some badly needed depth at the linebacker position as soon as this season. K.J. Britt and J.J. Russell are currently the two linebackers behind David and White, and neither has significant upside. The Bucs like Britt, especially in terms of his knowledge of Todd Bowles’ defense. However, he has been more of a special teamer than a starting-quality linebacker. Russell’s days on Tampa Bay’s roster might be numbered now, as Dennis figures to slot in as LB3 or LB4 in 2023.

Dennis just turned 23 years old and after starting for the last three years at Pitt, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see him figure into the future of the Bucs defense.