Buccaneers outside linebacker Yaya Diaby is heading into his second season with the team on the back of a promising rookie year. Though he didn’t start until Week 12, Diaby led the team with 7.5 sacks and provided a buoyant pass rush for the team.
With veteran Shaq Barrett released in the offseason, Tampa Bay is looking to Diaby to take the next step in re-establishing himself as a premier pass rusher, and he’s eager to show what his outside linebacker corps can do, especially after being neglected recently.
Yaya Diaby is overlooked by PFF but is one of the most underrated players on NFL.com
Pro Football Focus has been busy in recent weeks ranking each position group, most recently with the Pewter Report. Ranking each linebacker positionWhile PFF opted not to include Yaya Diaby in their top 32 outside linebackers, he responded to X’s post and said it made him more motivated heading into this season.
Make everyone in the room hungrier💯
— Yaya “Yaski” Diaby (@greatyaya4) June 2, 2024
Buccaneers OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Despite being removed from the list, NFL.com recently published the list. Each team picked one underrated player, and Tampa Bay chose Diaby.
Diaby recorded his first five sacks of his career in six games from Week 8 through Week 13 as Tampa was 1-3 games below .500 and in danger of elimination. By the end of the year, Diaby, a 2023 third-round draft pick, had earned himself a starting spot and the Buccaneers were crowned NFC South champions.
Tampa fans felt Diaby should have been a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year, but his rise was sudden and may have been overshadowed by the many other developments surrounding Baker Mayfield’s team. Even with second-round pick Chris Braswell joining the team, Diaby will have a chance to prove beyond a doubt his quarterback-winning prowess in Year 2.
That assessment logically explains why Diaby has flown off some radars heading into this season. He began to emerge late in the season as the Buccaneers turned the tide, but the bigger storylines often focused more on his impact on a weekly basis.
Yaya Diaby was a worthy Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023
Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Yaya Diaby finished tied for fifth in the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year voting with Lions defensive back Brian Branch, but when you compare his numbers to Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (who also won the award), Diaby played far less minutes and produced more.
Will Anderson Jr.: 15 games, 13 starts, 45 total tackles, 22 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss, 7 sacks.
Yaya Diaby: 17 games played, 7 starts, 38 total tackles, 8 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks
Now, this isn’t to say that Yaya Diaby is better than Will Anderson Jr., but when comparing their numbers, it’s worth noting that Diaby isn’t too far away from being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Only time will tell how Diaby performs in his second season, but it’s clear he’s eager to prove he’s one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
