Why FSU football’s Mike Norvell raves about Bucs rookie Kalen DeLoach

Bucs undrafted rookie linebacker Kalen DeLoach turned heads during an early minicamp and will have the chance to impress the team again when training camp begins this month.

More success wouldn’t be a surprise to his college coach.

“I think it’s a really good fit,” Florida State’s Mike Norvell said during a stop in Tampa earlier this offseason. “His athleticism, his length. I know there’s some questions about just his overall size, but when you have the strength and speed that he has, you can overcome some of those things.”

At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, DeLoach doesn’t have ideal size for the position. He does, however, have positional versatility within the unit and was the second-quickest linebacker at the NFL’s scouting combine (a 40-yard dash time of 4.47 seconds).

DeLoach was a holdover from the Willie Taggart era and developed into a major contributor under Norvell, totaling at least 65 tackles in each of his final three seasons.

DeLoach started 38 games for the Seminoles and shared team defensive MVP honors with first-round pick Jared Verse. He was one of the few outgoing starters who chose to participate in the Orange Bowl against Georgia.

“He’s a remarkable person,” Norvell said. “When you have the passion, the care, the desire to make others around you better, I think that’s one of the qualities that don’t show up when you’re sitting there watching a combine or a pro day workout.

“Being around him for four years, he’s got incredible passion, incredible heart. I’ve seen him grow so much over the last four years. To be the player that he was for us and just the leader that he was because of how much that he cared about the program and his teammates. He’s willing to make the investment even when it wasn’t something that was advertised or broadcast. It was just him trying to make those around him better.”

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