What Demonte Capehart Does for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Athletic Testing

Capehart is another elite athlete added into the fold by the Buccaneers — the third straight one in the draft class. He is a massive, well-built human at nearly 6-foot-5, 312 pounds with 34 1/2” arms and 10 1/4” hands. He’s unnaturally skilled as a mover at that size, posting an eye-popping 4.85 40-yard dash (1.71 10-yard split). He posted explosive jumps as well with a 33 1/2” vertical and 8-foot-11 broad. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.96 is No. 9 for defensive tackles in the last 40 years.

What Type of Player Is Demonte Capehart?

Capehart has very much been the promise of something more without the consistent actualization of it. He is long and very strong with heavy hands and a good anchor, making him a valuable asset versus the run. He can power through some guards while holding the line versus better ones, which will get him snaps on a defensive line that was light in the pants the last couple years. He’s not stationary, however, as he syncs up his hand and feet movements to sift through traffic and get off his man to make plays. His huge wingspan lets him collect quarterbacks and runners who try to escape his grasp in the backfield. His pass rush is a lot less defined, as he’s pretty much a straight-ahead power pusher who wants to collapse the pocket. He’ll need to develop more primary moves and counters if he ever hopes to see feasible snaps on passing downs.

Conclusion

Ultimately, Capehart is an older prospect (24 years old) with limited production but sky-high athleticism and effort to work with, so he’s far from a lost cause. Simultaneously, expectations of him ever becoming a starter should likely be tempered. He will fill a needed role as space-eating, run stuffer depth, and hopefully the coaching staff can coax a little more out of his unique athletic profile. What do you think, Bucs Nation? Let us know in the comments below.