NFL draft classes often bring a renewed sense of hope for fan bases. After a disappointing 2022 season that ended in an embarrassing first round playoff exit at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, Bucs fans certainly were looking for just that. Enter the Bucs 2023 NFL draft class and inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis, one of the team’s fifth-round picks.

While this class certainly could prove to be impactful in the long term, it is important to temper immediate expectations with a strong dose of reality. For the Bucs’ Day 1 and Day 2 picks, a path to regular playtime is very clear.

First-round defensive tackle Calijah Kancey should immediately get on the field as a situational pass rusher. The same path exists for third-round pick YaYa Diaby, as he provides a power element previously lacking from the Bucs outside linebacker room. And second-round offensive lineman Cody Mauch will be in the mix immediately for the starting right guard spot, according to offensive coordinator Dave Canales.

But once you get to Day 3 selections NFL teams are usually looking for two things. The first is special teams ability. The second is one special skill that can allow that player to make a specific impact if schemed up. That can give the player a path to playtime early in their NFL career while the team’s coaching staff tries to develop other aspects of his game.

SirVocea Dennis’ Special Skill Is Perfect For The Bucs

SirVocea Dennis is far from a perfect prospect – hence his fall to Day 3. At 6-foot and 224 pounds, Dennis is undersized by even today’s standards for a linebacker. Additionally, he has a lot of work to do in pass coverage in order to become a regular starter at the NFL level. He had a few games where he posted high coverage grades last year, but those were almost exclusively against lower competition. SirVocea was Pitt’s middle linebacker, wearing No. 7.

But while this is an area he will need to develop, Dennis can still contribute in specialized packages that leverage the one skill he already does at a high level.

In 2023 Dennis recorded 32 pressures as a pass rusher. That ranked fifth among off-ball linebackers who entered this year’s draft per Pro Football Focus.

The impressive part is that Dennis recorded those pressures on far fewer pass rush snaps. Dennis’ 26.9% pressure rate was better than all but one of the four players ahead of him on that list. This caused Pitt’s defensive staff to use Dennis as a pass rusher on almost 1/5 of his defensive snaps. As a point of comparison, the Bucs used Devin White as a pass rusher on just over 13% of his snaps.

The tape backs up these stats. Watch how he times up his blitz on this clip to give him maximum burst through the line as the ball is snapped.

Dennis starts coming downhill from a deeper than normal alignment so that he has a full head of steam at the time the ball is snapped. But he smartly ensures that he isn’t at the line of scrimmage to enable him to do two things.

One, he prevents himself from being offsides if he is off on the snap count at all. Two, he gives himself the opportunity to still adjust his rush path to the blocking scheme. He follows the nose tackle, who is crashing to the right and plays back to the left as the center attempts to pass the block off. This gives Dennis an easy path through the line and around the center.

Dennis’ pass rushing prowess is more than just timing, though. It is a whole suite of instincts-based attributes that allow him to operate as an effective blitzer. In addition to the timing, he also displays a high aptitude for choosing the right rush path and taking advantage of mis-communication in blocking schemes.

Couple the timing and natural feel for finding the most efficient path to the quarterback with a quick initial burst which makes him difficult to pick up by offensive linemen.

Add up all of those skills and the result can be quite beautiful.

SirVocea Dennis’ Contributions Initially Will Be Limited, But Potentially Impactful

Bucs LB SirVocea Dennis – Photo courtesy of USA Today

With Devin White and Lavonte David entrenched as the Bucs starting linebackers, barring injury, Dennis will not have many opportunities to see the field outside of special teams this year. However, with Bucs head coach Todd Bowles’ propensity to create exotic blitz packages and Dennis’ skill being right in that wheelhouse, expect Bowles to find a handful of plays per game to get him on the field and leverage his one elite trait.

And even if those snaps are limited, the potential impact he can have with just a few pressures and a couple of sacks throughout the season could make those snaps incredibly impactful. Dennis finished his Pitt career with 15 sacks, including seven his senior season.

We’ve seen White have a monster season as a blitzer with nine sacks during the 2020 season, and compiling 20.5 in his four seasons with the Bucs. If he develops into a starter, perhaps as David’s eventual replacement next year, Dennis could produce similar results as a blitzing linebacker once he learns the defense.