The players have spoken. Buccaneers' menacing nose tackle Vita Vea has been honored by his peers for dominance on the field. The anchor of the Bucs' defensive line came in at No.76 on the NFL Top 100, the NFL Films' countdown franchise. The Top 100 will feature three-to-five-minute episodes celebrating the league's Top 100 players as voted exclusively by current NFL players. Episodes will debut weekdays at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET on X and NFL+ beginning on June 30th and running through Friday, August 29.
This marks the 15th-straight year that current NFL players have voted to determine the Top 100 and Vea made the esteemed list. Vea posted 7.0 sacks in 2024 and clogged holes at the line of scrimmage. Tampa Bay's defense was more effective against inside runs with Vita Vea manning the middle, allowing only 3.7 yards per carry, compared to 4.7 yards per carry when he was off the field in 2024. Vea also generated 47 pressures, the 7th-most among defensive tackles and his most in a single season in his career. The two-time Pro Bowler has 30.5 career sacks, the fourth-most sacks by a defensive tackle/nose tackle in franchise history.
Since Vea became a full-time starter in 2019, Tampa Bay's defense ranks first in rush defense (93.8 rush yards per game), first in opponent rush average (4.0), third in fewest opponent rushing touchdowns (68), second in fewest opponent yards before contact per rush (1.19) and second in sacks. Vea possesses a lethal bull rush and overwhelms at the point of attack. The powerful force is nearly impossible to block one-on-one and gets off the ball with staggering quickness. Vea makes grown men regret playing football and opponents rarely run it up the middle with Vea in the A-gap for Tampa Bay.
