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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Five Things to Know About Bucs First Round Pick Joe Tryon

Get to know the Bucs’ first round pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

(Joe Nicholson/Red Box Pictures)
(Joe Nicholson/Red Box Pictures)

1. He was college teammates with Bucs nose tackle Vita Vea.

The pair overlapped for one year at the University of Washington in 2017. It was Vea's last year with the program before he was taken by the Bucs at 12th overall of the 2018 NFL Draft. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka redshirted that year so they never actually played together but they'll now get that chance as Tryon becomes part of an edge rushing rotation that includes Jason Pierre-Paul, Shaq Barrett and Anthony Nelson.

Tryon is more in the vein of Pierre-Paul with his 6-foot-5 frame, weighing in at 259 pounds. He'll get a chance to learn from the guys in his room and hopefully be helped out by his former teammate in Vea, who can eat up blockers on the interior to leave Tryon and the other outside linebackers with some one-on-one situations.

He also played with Vea's cousin and Buccaneer defensive tackle Benning Potoa'e. Tryon said as soon as he was drafted by the Bucs, Potoa'e sent him a text, "come on over."

2. He's a native of outside Seattle, Washington.

Tryon grew up in Renton, Washington and didn't go far for college. He was the North Puget Sound League Defensive Lineman of the Year and Seattle Times all-state in 2016. Named a 'red-chip prospect' by the Seattle Times coming out of high school, he was ranked as the No. 50 defensive end prospect by ESPN.

3. He played basketball and baseball in high school while playing defensive end and tight end all four years.

Not only was Tryon a two-way player in the fall for Hazen High School, he was a three-sport athlete playing basketball and baseball. On the football field, he played defensive end and tight end, playing on varsity all four years.

4. He opted out of the 2020 season.

Tryon was one of the players that opted out of the unconventional 2020 season. He declared for the draft at the end of August, forgoing his final two years of eligibility. He then spent the last eight months training for the draft. At Washington's pro day, he ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, which is impressive at his size.

5. He was drafted on his birthday.

That's one way to start your birthday. Just after the clock struck midnight on Tryon's 22nd birthday, he was selected by the Bucs with the 32nd pick of the NFL Draft.

View pictures of Washington OLB Joe Tryon, who Tampa Bay selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

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