NFL Draft: Re-grading every first round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft

NFL Draft: Re-grading every first round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft: Number 12 overall, NT Vita Vea

Vita Vea is very much an enigma. After playing well in Washington State, he’s performed well at the next level but not spectacularly. His stat line in his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wasn’t eye-catching but he did check off multiple boxes. He racked up three sacks, 28 combined tackles, including 21 solos – to go along with four tackles for loss and four quarterback hits. Solid but not great.

With a spot in the starting lineup officially his in year two, Vea played in all 16 games but his stats didn’t increase in a noticeable way. Even with more opportunities, Vea scored fewer sacks than the year prior with 2.5. He had the same number of quarterback hits as his rookie year and his 35 combined tackles were underwhelming.

Questions pertaining to how great he actually will become remain as he suffered a gruesome ankle injury during a week five loss to the Chicago Bears this past season. His contributions proved to be somewhat meaningless as the Buccaneers didn’t miss a beat when he went down and captured this past year’s Super Bowl. Vea is expected to make a full recovery and return to the lineup in week one in 2021. Up until this point though, his play hasn’t lived up to his draft position.

Grade: C-