Saints reportedly “digging deep” on Pitt DT Calijah Kancey

The New Orleans Saints are reportedly “digging deep” into Pitt Defensive Tackles prospect Calijah Kancey. It’s no secret the Saints want to add talent to the defensive line, and Kancey could fill that need.

Outside of Jalen Carter, Kancey is the best defensive tackle prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. The DT from Pitt measured in at 6’1, 281 pounds at the NFL Combine.

Although he is very short for a defensive tackle, Kancey is an outstanding athlete. He earned a 9.59 out of 10 on the Relative Athletic Score, the highest of any DT in this years draft. His 4.67 40-yard dash and 33.5 inch vertical would instantly make him one of the most athletic DT in the NFL the moment he hit the field.

Kancey was very productive at Pitt, recording 14.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in his two years as a starter. What he lacks in size, he makes up in effort. Kancey is a guy who would compete for snaps right away in a weak DT room.

Kancey will be a nightmare for QBs in the backfield. His biggest strength is his pash rushing ability. He can be a rotational run defender, but he’ll make his money getting after the QB from the interior of the defensive line.

The last time we saw an undersized DT come out of Pitt, he turned out to be pretty good. I’m not saying he’s going to be Aaron Donald 2.0, but Kancey can be an immediate factor in this Saints defense if they take him at 29.

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