How Stevie Tu’ikolovatu Fits with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Stevie Tu’ikolovatu, selected in the 7th round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a solid addition to what seems to be a team that has consistently improved over the last couple of seasons.

What “Stevie T” brings to the table is simple - he has a knack for stuffing running lanes and just pushing people around on the line. From The Pewter Plank:

“At 6’1″, 331 pounds, he has potential to take up multiple bodies in the middle. The bigger guys don’t always make a big play, but they can occupy multiple linemen, to allow players like Gerald McCoy, Noah Spence, and others to make the more flashy plays. They don’t show up in the stats as much, but these types of players win games in the trenches, where football is often won.”

Simply put: Stevie will make your team better. He will let others shine as he is the one swallowing double-teams as well as stuff the run on a fairly consistent basis - something that will be of utmost importance, given the fact that the Bucs are in the same division as some strong running games (Carolina has Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart while just having added Christian Mccaffrey; the Saints boast Mark Ingram and now Adrian Peterson; and the Falcons, well, are good at everything).

He won’t put up flashy numbers, per say, but he will have a significant impact on the successes of this particular defensive line.