Calijah Kancey

Pittsburgh's Calijah Kancey fits the bill of a future Lions draft pick. He posted the nation's highest pass-rush grade among interior defenders in 2022 (92.4) with 47 total pressures (seventh), eight sacks (tied for second), and ranked first in PFF's PRP rate that combines sacks, hits, and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer. His pressure rate from the interior bested both Jalen Carter and Lukas Van Ness.

Kancey earned the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year award for his efforts. It was the first time since Aaron Donald won the award in 2013 that it was awarded to a Pittsburgh Panther. The former Panther is undersized at 6-foot-1, 281 pounds but he more than makes up for it with elite athleticism. He ran the 40 in 4.67 seconds (99th percentile). Per FantasyPros' own Bo McBrayer, that was the fastest 40 time for any player over 280 pounds since 2003.

Calijah Kancey (calf) "still has a chance to play" in Week 1 according to Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles.

Fantasy Impact

When asked about Kancey, Bowles went on to say, "We are not ruling him out." Kancey originally suffered his calf injury in late July. The first-round rookie's status for Week 1 should be made more clear in the next day or two.