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Bucs sign first and third round draft picks Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby

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Posted at 5:15 PM, Jun 14, 2023
and last updated 2023-06-14 17:15:39-04

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed two more members of its 2023 draft class, first-round draft pick Calijah Kancey and third-round draft pick Yaya Diaby, the team said on Wednesday.

Kancey, who was picked 19th overall, played in 37 games at the University of Pittsburgh and collected 92 total tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, three passes defended, and one forced fumble.

The Miami native had his best collegiate season during his senior year, recording 31 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 total sacks. He was Pittsburgh's first unanimous All-American since 2013 and was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming only the second player in Pittsburgh history to earn the conference's top defensive honor.

Diaby was drafted 82nd overall after spending his last three seasons at the University of Louisville. He originally started at Georgia Military College.

Diaby played in 34 games in Louisville, accruing 94 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, two passes defended, and two forced fumbles. At Georgia Military College, he gathered 77 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and one forced fumble.

In his senior season at Louisville, he started all 13 games and finished with 37 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and nine sacks. Those numbers were good enough to get him named third-team All-ACC.

Tampa Bay has now signed seven of their eight draft picks from the 2023 class.