FAB 3. Kinlaw Could Be A Monster In The Middle Of Bucs Defense

In 2018, Bucs general manager Jason Licht had the chance to draft a playmaking safety in Florida State’s Derwin James or Washington nose tackle Vita Vea, who was the PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Licht drafted Vea, and was criticized for it as James went to the Pro Bowl his rookie year, while Vea overcame a slow start due to a calf injury and finished strong as a run stuffer and an up-and-coming interior pass rusher.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The reason why Licht drafted Vea over James is twofold.

First, the front office didn’t fully trust that then defensive coordinator Mike Smith, who liked to play a lot of off coverage, would use James properly, as he operated better near the line of scrimmage. Smith had done a decent job in 2016 as the defensive play-caller and the Bucs led the league in third down defense that year. But in 2017 the wheels fell off the wagon and Smith’s defense was the worst in the NFL.

The second reason was that Licht saw how Tampa Bay got manhandled in the trenches in 2017 and recorded a league-low 22 sacks. That prompted the firing of defensive line coach Jay Hayes – and rightfully so.

In Licht’s mind, the Bucs would never get pushed around on defense again.

In 2018, Licht signed two run stuffers in free agency in Beau Allen and Mitch Unrein before drafting Vea, and traded for defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Licht also claimed defensive end Carl Nassib off waivers to help rebuild Tampa Bay’s defensive front. That year, the Bucs’ sack total increased to 38.

Tampa Bay’s run defense wasn’t bad under Smith, ranking 10th in 2017 and improving to ninth in 2018, but that’s because Smith played so much off coverage that the Bucs pass defense invited opposing offenses to throw the ball at will, so they did. The main thing to note was that while the run defense improved, so did the team’s pass rush, increasing its sack total by 16 in 2018.

Last year, the Bucs’ front seven ranked first in run defense and increased its sack total once again from 38 in 2018 to 47 last season. Licht wants to keep a good thing going.

South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw – Photo courtesy of South Carolina

That’s why PewterReport.com has South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw as the pick for Tampa Bay at No. 14 in our initial 2020 Bucs’ 7-Round Mock Draft over a stud defensive back like LSU safety Grant Delpit and others. Licht went defensive line over the secondary in 2018 and he would do it again this year if the right offensive tackle isn’t on the draft board, and I think Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Alabama’s Jedrick Wills and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs will be gone by the time the Bucs pick in the first round.

In three years at South Carolina, Kinlaw developed into a monster in the middle of the Gamecocks defense. Now at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds after losing 40 pounds upon arriving at South Carolina from junior college in 2017, Kinlaw has become a force, notching 82 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, eight pass breakups, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles in 29 games.

Clemson center Gage Cervenka has battled Kinlaw for the past couple of seasons in the annual Palmetto Bowl game against rival South Carolina.

“His sheer size, strength and speed presents a problem,” Cervenka said. “He’s got long arms. He’s a very explosive and powerful player. He’s a tough guy to block. I’ve experienced that the last two years. It’s always a challenge, but I look forward to playing him because he plays so hard. He’s a great player who never puts himself in a bad position. He’s a smart player, but the biggest thing is his size, his strength and his speed. He’s an inside guy, but I think he can hold his own on the edge. He’s not one of the fastest guys of course, due to how big he is, but he has good speed for his size.”

South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw – Photo courtesy of South Carolina

Gamecocks running back Rico Dowdle has faced Kinlaw in practice and has seen his size and power up close and personal.

“Great player, great teammate,” Dowdle said. “He’s a hard worker and a great player. Very big, muscular – 300 pounds and it’s all muscle. He’s just able to dominate. When you have someone with his size and his strength with the things that he can do up front on the defensive line, it creates a lot of problems for offenses in the run game and in the passing game because you have to put two people on him. If you don’t, he’s going to destroy the person one-on-one every time.”

Fellow South Carolina running back Tavien Feaster has seen Kinlaw’s transformation from an overweight defensive lineman when he arrived to a first-round defensive tackle prospect.

“He’s a guy that came out everyday and gave it his all,” Feaster said. “He worked as hard as he could and was definitely a disciplined guy. He took care of his body, and now he’s going to reap the benefits.

“What separates him is obviously his size. Everybody can see his size, but the passion he plays with, the determination he plays with – he’s not going to be denied. I believe that separates him a lot and his body of work. The way he takes care of his body, he’s going to do whatever he needs to do to be successful.”

Kinlaw is an athletic freak with the work ethic and production to match. Check out his highlight video below, and make sure you read PewterReport.com’s initial 2020 Bucs’ 7-Round Mock Draft by clicking here.