2018 NFL Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year

12. Vita Vea, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2018 Stats: 28 total tackles, 3 sacks

When you use the No. 12 overall pick on a defensive tackle, you expect him to be an instant difference-maker. While Vita Vea wasn’t a bust during his rookie season, he failed to live up to the hype of a wrecking ball along the interior of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.

Sure, he made a few plays down the stretch. Vea totaled three sacks, which is a decent total for a defensive tackle known more for clogging run lanes rather than collapsing pockets. And yet, overall, the Washington product failed to be the monster the Buccaneers were looking for when they drafted him.

Some of that, however, can be pinned on the fact that he didn’t see the field until Week 4 after suffering an injury during training camp. That setback didn’t allow him to get the preseason work he would ideally want, which hindered his progress early on. The progress we saw as the season went along, though, gave us enough to believe Vea will be a big-time producer at some point.

I hesitate to give him an exceptional grade because of his slow development, but the future still looks bright for Vea. If he can build upon the flashes he displayed during his first year in the NFL, the Buccaneers will be very happy with their selection before too long.

Grade: B-