Which Bucs Player Is Most Underrated?

For years it’s been said that Bucs inside linebacker Lavonte David and wide receiver Mike Evans have been overlooked and underrated during their careers in Tampa Bay. To a degree that still rings true, but with David entering his 13th NFL season and Evans going into year 11, they’re each established at least in team history and have garnered more praise nationally as the seasons go by.

So, after establishing the two all-timers, is there a new Bucs player in line that might be accomplishing more than others are realizing? Apparently, the team’s top sacker could be next.

In an article from Conor Orr on Sports Illustrated, he named one underrated player from each NFL team, breaking it up to the AFC and NFC.

Yaya Diaby Named As Bucs’ Most Underrated Player

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

When it came time to pick a Bucs player, the one chosen was Tampa Bay’s outside linebacker Yaya Diaby. This is what SI’s Connor Orr said about the second-year edge rusher.

“There was a great play during Diaby’s rookie season in which he was setting the edge and bench-pressed Lions all-world offensive tackle Penei Sewell on a run play that was churning right into his lap,and then he made the tackle. Diaby made a significant number of violent, eye-popping tackles last year and is physical enough to plow through multiple blockers. Another huge tackle for loss he made against the Tennessee Titans showed that Diaby could read tendencies enough to know that Derrick Henry was running away from him, so he shoved his outside shoulder ahead of his blocker and popped upfield for an easy (not really easy against Henry) tackle.

“Diaby had 7.5 sacks during his rookie year and eight quarterback hits, earning him a fifth-place finish in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, despite Diaby playing just 46% of the Bucs’ defensive snaps. If players were a stock, this feels like a good one to be on the ground floor.”

Should Diaby Be Considered Underrated?

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

Local fans may not seem to think that Yaya Diaby is underrated, but to the national audience he could be considered as such. Yaya Diaby led the team with his 7.5 sacks, but the fact that he didn’t get the starting nod until Week 12 in late November would probably be why people outside of Tampa Bay weren’t paying attention to him.

While Diaby certainly burst onto the scene as a rookie, he went quiet in Tampa Bay’s two postseason games last season with just four tackles with no quarterback hits or sacks. Come playoff time, those games are nationally televised so there would have a larger audience watching him play. The lack of production shouldn’t be something to worry about and is likely more of a blip on the radar.

The good news for Tampa Bay and Diaby is that he looks bigger and better heading into the 2024 season. Diaby has already talked about the work he’s put in during this offseason from lifting programs to Pilates classes and all kinds of tape that he has been studying. The only problem for Diaby has been on Sundays during the offseason when he tries to get into the gym at the team’s facilities but it is closed.

In an outside linebacker room that is filled to the brim with solid depth, Diaby seems like the only sure fit to be a starter this season. His snap count is sure to increase and the opportunity to start from Week 1 instead of three months into the season can help his numbers balloon and get off to a great start. That could lead to bigger sack numbers in 2024 – and with it more national recognition.