Round 2: Villanova DE Tanoh Kpassagnon – 6-7, 289 – 4.83 – Senior
Previous Pick: Kansas State DE Jordan Willis
Tampa Bay re-signed defensive end Will Gholston, but with the return of defensive end Jacquies Smith, a restricted free agent, in question after tearing his ACL last year, the Bucs could use another pass rusher, especially with Robert Ayers, Jr. turning 32 in September. At 6-foot-7, 289 pounds, Kpassagnon is a beast of a defensive end. He’s the kind of athletic specimen that can look Gholston eye-to-eye and measure up pound-for-pound, yet he has a bit more raw athleticism that shows up when rushing the passer.

The Bucs have shown the desire to get bigger up front defensively with the addition of 6-foot-3, 320-pound defensive tackle Chris Baker, and adding another giant in Kpassagnon (pronounced pass-N-yo), an incredible athlete from FCS school Villanova, drives that point home. Tampa Bay defensive line coach Jay Hayes had a host of big defensive ends in Cincinnati, including 6-foot-6, 280-pound Carlos Dunlap, 6-foot-7, 272-pound Michael Johnson and 6-foot-8, 295-pound Margus Hunt. Kpassagnon is cut from that same cloth from a size and athleticism standpoint.

But which former second-rounder is Kpassagnon closer to – Dunlap, a Pro Bowler, or Hunt, a bust?

Despite weighing nearly 290 pounds, he has a chiseled frame like Gholston and good quickness for a player his size and is a solid run-stuffer with a developing pass rush. After a breakout junior campaign in which he recorded 6.5 sacks, Kpassagnon had 11 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss as a senior.

Kpassagnon’s Villanova Career Stats
2016: 45 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries
2015: 33 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 1 INT 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
2014: 12 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
2013: 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack

Kpassagnon is a newcomer to football, only playing the game in high school, as his parents were unfamiliar with American football after migrating from Africa. While he has a soft-spoken demeanor, the coaching staff at Villanova say Kpassagnon is far from being a soft player.

“His intangibles are through the roof,” Wildcats defensive line coach Joe Trainer told Philly.com. “He knows a lot of things have to happen, but he can almost taste it. He believes he belongs at the next level. He’s started to figure this whole thing out. The greatest thing he has going for him is his consistency. That’s just the way he approaches life. He’s going to get better. He has the makeup. The work ethic matches the skill.”

Kpassagnon works just as hard in the classroom where his intelligence earned him a spot on the All-Academic team for three straight years while he graduated with a degree in finance prior to his senior season. In 2016, Kpassagnon began pursuing his Masters degree in accounting. He already has two job offers from the corporate world, but Kpassagnon wants to give the NFL a shot first – and with good reason.

Tampa Bay assistant defensive line coach Paul Spicer was at Kpassagnon’s pro day and met with him for dinner that night. The team also scouted him hard at the Senior Bowl where he showed he belonged against FBS competition.

The Bucs could use more size upfront on the defensive line and like the flexibility of having some of their ends like Gholston and Ayers play inside at defensive tackle, too. Kpassagnon is also that type of player given the fact that he’s 10 pounds shy of 300 pounds and has long arms and a broad wingspan. And considering that he he blocked two kicks in college, Kpassagnon could also contribute on special teams as a rookie.

Tampa Bay didn’t have an able-bodied run stuffer at left end when Gholston went down with an elbow injury and missed the last two games of the season. Kpassagnon offers the team depth behind Gholston as a five-technique strong side end, but has the flexibility to play both end positions.

Click below to view Tampa Bay’s third-round pick in 2017.