Plenty of Bucs’ rookies have already been impactful during the first half of the season.

First-round pick Graham Barton has started seven of eight games and has looked more comfortable and gotten better with more in-game experience. Third-round picks Jalen McMillan and Tykee Smith have each seen the field plenty and showed flashes of potential. Fourth-round pick Bucky Irving has been an impactful and dynamic addition to the backfield.

While each of those picks looks promising, one top draft pick has not fully come onto the scene just yet – that being second-round pick Chris Braswell.

Braswell has played sparingly through eight games and has not had much production. That could change in the second half of the regular season, especially if he follows in the footsteps of Yaya Diaby, the team’s 2023 third-round pick. Diaby and Tampa Bay’s defensive coaches see the former Alabama pass-rusher making a big impact as he continues to grow behind the scenes.

“You’re Going To See Him Start Making Crazy Plays”

Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby and 49ers QB Brock Purdy – Photo by: USA Today

Yaya Diaby knows exactly what it’s like for Chris Braswell not to get off to a fast start in his rookie season. For Diaby, he did not record his first NFL sack until his seventh game against the Bills in Week 8 and did not start in his first game until Week 12. Around this time he began to explode and get sacks in bunches. Across the final nine games of his rookie season, Diaby recorded 6.5 sacks.

The Bucs hope Braswell follows suit and has a Diaby-level breakout, and he shares striking parallels to the up-and-coming outside linebacker. He heads into Week 9 having recorded just half a sack in against the Saints in Week 6. Comparing his defensive snaps to Diaby through the first seven games of their careers, it is nearly even with Braswell having a slight 171-169 edge.

The team has shown they are willing to exercise patience and let their young outside linebackers develop. It paid off last year, and Diaby thinks his understudy is improving and that better days are ahead.

“I’d say he’s picking it up more and more now because that’s how it was for me last year,” Diaby told Pewter Report. “The more reps you get, the more you start to see things and the easier the game becomes because it starts to slow down for you. I feel like it’s starting to slow down for him. He’s heading in the right direction. In a matter of time, you’re going to see him start making crazy plays.”

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

If “Sub-Zero” has any say, there is one effective move he would like to see Braswell utilize to get after opposing quarterbacks.

“He has a really good cross-chop that I’m trying to get him to use more,” Diaby added. “A lot of the teams we play, most of the quarterbacks don’t drop back so you can’t get too high. I feel like if he uses it this week [against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes] it’ll be very, very helpful.”

Looking at the film to find an instance of him showing this off, it is clear that it allows him to get into the backfield. On the play below, he did not get the sack on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, but he forced Hurts to step up into the pocket which led to inside linebacker Lavonte David being able to change his line of pursuit and get the sack.

Bucs Co-DC Kacy Rodgers: Chris Braswell Is “Really Close” To Breaking Out

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Yaya Diaby is not the only one who has seen signs of growth for Chris Braswell. Like a film arriving in theaters, co-defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers thinks Braswell’s time is coming soon.

“He’s really close,” Rodgers said last month. “If you look back at last year like when Yaya kind of broke through around midseason, you know. It’s just for these young players adjusting to the NFL, the thing is you see the flashes, and you just have to keep putting it together with him.”

The defense needs a jolt from a lot of positions, but a welcome sign would be getting more out of Braswell and the rest of the outside linebacker room. They have collectively recorded just 5.5 sacks through eight games, with Diaby and Anthony Nelson leading the way at two sacks each. Braswell has half a sack. Coming into the season, it was clear the team did not have an elite pass-rusher, but they definitely expected more production than they have received up to this point.

What Tampa Bay has banked on – and one of the biggest reasons they have not traded for veteran help – is that Braswell’s pass-rushing ability begins to show itself. Head coach Todd Bowles admitted that it is a difficult position for a rookie to come in and learn, but the defensive play-caller likes where he is at.

“Braswell has come a long way,” Bowles said. “Like I said before, the spot he’s playing is the hardest position on defense to play – the outside ‘backer spot, because of what we ask him to do. He’s getting all the coverage stuff down. You can see him starting to rush the passer better and better because he’s playing faster and he’s not thinking as much, and the game is coming to him naturally, so we like where he is right now.”

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

What the Bucs liked about Braswell and what factored into the decision to draft him with a premium draft pick is that he played against top competition at Alabama and showed that he could more than hold his own. For the Crimson Tide in 2023, he recorded 42 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and even had one interception in 14 games. Making the jump to the pros is a different beast, and one that he is starting to tame.

“He’s growing,” co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote said. “He’s growing, he’s learning, he’s understanding that the NFL is different from college, even though he played in the SEC. You see a lot of flashing going on in those young guys. It’s tough, because week-in, the gameplan changes. It’s [not] just like training camp where you just sit there seeing the same offense every day. So, week-in, week-out, the gameplan changes, but he’s growing. We like what he brings.”