Pro Football Focus recently released its annual list of Top 25 players under the age of 25. For the first time in several years the Bucs did not have a representative make the list. Tampa Bay had two players formerly on the list who have since turned 25 and are no longer eligible. Offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs has been a staple on the list since 2021, ranking ninth, fourth and third progressively. Antoine Winfield Jr. and Devin White joined Wirfs in 2022, placing 18th and 23rd overall.

But while Wirfs and Winfield quickly ascended into superstars, Bucs GM Jason Licht has found more solid contributors than bona fide superstars. Players who would qualify for the list are starters with at least one year of play in the NFL who are under 25 by opening week of the 2024 season. That narrows the list of potential entrants from Tampa Bay to nickelback Christian Izien, defensive tackle Logan Hall, outside linebacker YaYa Diaby, wide receiver Trey Palmer, and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

Hall has developed into a decent rotational defensive lineman, but he has not played well enough to be a starting three-down lineman. The Bucs were so unsure of his play in 2022 and his potential in the future that they opted to draft Kancey in the first-round last year.

Kancey is the most exciting player of the bunch and has the best shot to be included on the list next year. His 45 pressures were third among all rookie interior defensive linemen and his six sacks (per PFF) were also third. Kancey recorded four sacks officially and then added 1.5 more in the postseason.

Diaby, Palmer and Izien were all positive contributors last year, but none approached the level of star that would warrant inclusion on the list.

Despite No Bucs, NFC South Represented

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts and former Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Despite no Bucs making the list, there are three players from the NFC South who were included. Running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts of the Falcons came in at 16th and 25th, respectively. Here is what the article had to say about each:

Robinson: “Expectations were sky-high for Robinson after the Falcons selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. While he rushed for more than 100 yards twice in his first four games, he was unable to reach that milestone in his last 13 outings. Even though the production was not necessarily there in 2023, Robinson remains one of the most promising young skill-position players in the NFL.”

Pitts: “While Pitts surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his rookie year, he failed to reach 700 receiving yards in either of his two seasons since then. However, he is still only 23 years old and has shown plenty of potential to suggest that he can become one of the top tight ends in the NFL.”

Saints wide receiver Chris Olave ranked 24th. Here is what PFF had to say about him: “Olave has reached 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two NFL seasons despite playing with multiple quarterbacks over that period. He has also been among the most efficient receivers in the league, as his 2.19 receiving yards per route run ranks 12th.”

The Ohio State product has earned an 86.8 PFF overall grade across his first two NFL seasons, ranking 14th among wide receivers