Looking ahead to next season, the Bucs defense will be looking to get the most of its young players. Veterans like defensive tackle Vita Vea, inside linebacker Lavonte David, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. remain, but to truly reach the next level the potential of some recent draft picks must be further realized.

Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby leads that charge.

Diaby is on the quest to become more of a vocal leader next season, but he is not the only one with the goal of improving. The young pass rusher discussed who else from the 2023 NFL Draft will be looking to prove themselves, and he gave his input on his new position coach, Larry Foote.

Yaya Diaby Loves What Larry Foote Brings To Bucs OLB Room

Bucs OLBs coach Larry Foote – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Yaya Diaby is already beaming with excitement for next season, especially after the Bucs signed outside linebacker Haason Reddick. Diaby believes the two will be a perfect fit rushing the passer together, but that is not the only change the room has seen. Larry Foote returns to coach the room after doing so from 2019-2021. Back then, Foote coached up a newly signed Shaq Barrett as well as Jason Pierre-Paul, who made three Pro Bowls between them and helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV.

As the outside pass rush aims to get back to that level of sack production, Diaby believes having a younger, more relatable coach will help him take a step in the right direction.

“Yeah, I love Coach Foote man,” Diaby said on last week’s Pewter Report Podcast. “I love his energy that he brings. I feel like the difference between him and Coach George [Edwards] is he’s younger so he can actually put a pad on, be out there and be hands-on. I love that. I had a couple of conversations with him, just telling him my goals and he’s telling me the goal he has for me. He’s expecting me to take my game to the next level.

“When they signed Haason, he was like, ‘Yeah, he’s going to help you out a lot’ and I was like, ‘Man, I’m excited.’ I’m just ready to get to work. I’m ready to get back, but at the same time I’m going to enjoy the time because I know once it gets rolling it doesn’t stop.”

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: USA Today

Head coach Todd Bowles infamously stated at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine that he wants “ballhawks” on defense, and the signing of Reddick will help in that regard. While he will not be leading the team in interceptions, there is a good chance he does in forced fumbles.

In 2020, he recorded a whopping six forced fumbles, while in 2022 he had a league-leading five forced fumbles. Diaby wants to get better in forcing the ball out, and having someone next to him with a track record of doing so will only help him make the “money” plays.

“I definitely want to take that part of my game seriously because the ball is money,” Diaby said about focusing on more strip sacks. “You give the ball to the offense, with the offense that we have, you’re going to get some points. Definitely got to key in on that as well and finding ways to the ball more. Sometimes you might not have the best pass rush, but if you can knock that ball out of the quarterback’s hands, that’s a sack and a game-changing play. It’s little things like that.”

If SirVocea Dennis And Calijah Kancey Stay Healthy, Bucs Defense Could Dominate

Yaya Diaby is not the only 2023 Bucs draft pick looking to make his presence felt in 2025.

Although Tampa Bay will likely add another inside linebacker into the mix in a couple of weeks, that does not close the door on SirVocea Dennis emerging as a full-time starter. Dennis flashed the talent to fill the other starting spot next to Lavonte David, but he was dealt a tough blow, suffering what would be a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4.

While some might not see him as the next big thing, Diaby will be pushing him to prove everyone wrong.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby and ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“A lot of people underestimate a lot of guys on this team,” Diaby said. “Not seeing them so all you can do is say what you don’t see. I’m excited for “Voss” man. You can see when we had SirVocea, we were winning. Voss is a great coverage guy, he can play the run, cover very well, and blitz. That’s all he did when he was at Pitt.

“I feel like him now being healthy and cleared, I’m super excited man. That’s another guy that’s in the building with me right now and I told him, ‘I’m going to push you the hardest you’ve ever been pushed before because we’re both on our third year and both trying to prove ourselves right and prove everybody else who doesn’t believe in us wrong.'”

Diaby and Dennis each share a strong connection with Calijah Kancey, the team’s leading sacker last season. Diaby immediately bonded with the former first round-pick, while Dennis and Kancey wreaked havoc together as college teammates.

There is no question that the six-foot, 280-pound defensive tackle is as talented as they come, but injuries have held him back from truly getting into a groove. Kancey missed three games his rookie season and five more games last year dealing with separate calf injuries.

Diaby is hoping and praying his sack “partner in crime” can stay on the field.

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey and OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“That’s one thing I was praying on the whole [month of] March, Diaby said. “Praying that he can be healthy come Week 1 – not Week 5 or 6. I need him Week 1. The ceiling is super high for Calijah, man. That’s a guy who everybody in the building trusts, a guy that can get the job done and get to the quarterback.

“He takes pride in that, and just having a guy like that, us all coming in together and growing together, it’s just always amazing to see. It’s like having a partner in crime and it’s always exciting to be on the same field with Calijah. I just need him to be with me Week 1.”

While excitement builds around the 2025 NFL Draft and all of the young talent the Bucs will add to the team, there are plenty of young players already in the building who have their best football ahead of them. Yaya Diaby is one of them, while SirVocea Dennis and Calijah Kancey have the chance to truly surprise if they stay on the field and off the injury report.

Watch Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby On The Pewter Report Podcast

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera spoke with Yaya Diaby for more than an hour last week. To hear Diaby’s full comments, be sure to watch it by clicking HERE or watching below.