| Vita Vea | |
| Current Team: | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Number: | 50 |
| Position: | Nose tackle |
| Birth Date: | 5 February 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Stanford, California, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 4 |
| Weight Lb: | 347 |
| High School: | Milpitas (Milpitas, California) |
| College: | Washington (2014–2017) |
| Draftyear: | 2018 |
| Draftround: | 1 |
| Draftpick: | 12 |
| Pastteams: |
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| Status: | Active |
| Highlights: |
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| Statleague: | NFL |
| Statseason: | 2023 |
| Statlabel1: | Total tackles |
| Statvalue1: | 180 |
| Statlabel2: | Sacks |
| Statvalue2: | 23.5 |
| Statlabel3: | Forced fumbles |
| Statvalue3: | 3 |
| Statlabel4: | Fumble recoveries |
| Statvalue4: | 2 |
| Statlabel5: | Pass deflections |
| Statvalue5: | 6 |
| Statlabel6: | Interceptions |
| Statlabel7: | Defensive touchdowns |
| Pfr: | V/VeaxVi00 |
Tevita Tuliakiono Tuipulotu Mosese Vahae Fehoko Faletau Vea[2] (born February 5, 1995), otherwise known as Vita Vea, is an American football nose tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington and was selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. Vea won Super Bowl LV with the team over the Kansas City Chiefs, and was selected to the Pro Bowl the following year.
As a junior in 2017, Vea was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and won the Morris Trophy.[3] [4] On January 2, 2018, he declared his intention to enter the 2018 NFL draft.[5]
| Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sack | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | |||
| 2015 | Washington | 11 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Washington | 14 | 39 | 22 | 17 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | Washington | 12 | 43 | 30 | 13 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 99 | 65 | 34 | 15.0 | 9.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Vea participated in the 2018 NFL Combine, but did not complete all drills due to a hamstring injury.[6]
Vea was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.[7]
Vea strained his calf during training camp, causing him to miss the entire preseason as well as the first three games of the regular season. Vea recorded his first career sack in Week 10, during a 16–3 loss to the Washington Redskins.[8]
He finished his rookie year with 28 tackles and three sacks.[9]
In Week 12, during a 35–22 win against the Atlanta Falcons, Vea recorded a sack, a career-best two pass deflections, and caught a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jameis Winston. As a result, Vea became the first defensive player since J. J. Watt in 2014 to record a sack and catch a touchdown in the same game, the ninth player in NFL history to accomplish both in the same game, and the heaviest player in NFL history to catch a touchdown at 347 pounds.[10] Overall, he started all 16 games and recorded 35 total tackles, 12 quarterback hits, and three passes defensed.[11]
During Thursday Night Football against the Chicago Bears in Week 5, Vea suffered fractures to his right leg and ankle after making a tackle on running back David Montgomery. Prior to the injury, Vea recorded one sack on Nick Foles during the 20–19 loss. Vea was placed on injured reserve on October 13, 2020.[12] [13] Vea was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 28, 2020,[14] and moved back to injured reserve on December 5.[15] Vea was activated from injured reserve on January 22, 2021.[16] In Super Bowl LV, Vea recorded one tackle during the Buccaneers' win over the Kansas City Chiefs.[17] [18]
On April 26, 2021, the Buccaneers picked up Vea's fifth-year option, guaranteeing Vea $7.6 million for the 2022 season.[19] In the Week 11 loss to the Washington Football Team, Vea suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter and was carted off the field.[20]
On January 8, 2022, Vea signed a four-year, $73 million extension with the Buccaneers.[21] As a result of the Los Angeles Rams advancing to Super Bowl LVI, Vea was selected to his first career Pro Bowl as an alternate for defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
| Legend | ||
|---|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | ||
| Bold | Career high | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | Receiving | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sack | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | |||
| TB | 13 | 8 | 28 | 21 | 7 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| TB | 16 | 16 | 35 | 19 | 16 | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| TB | 5 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| TB | 16 | 16 | 33 | 22 | 11 | 4.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| TB | 14 | 14 | 31 | 15 | 16 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| TB | 15 | 15 | 43 | 28 | 15 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| align=center colspan="2" | Career | 79 | 74 | 180 | 111 | 69 | 23.5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | |
Vea is the son of Sione and Fipe Vea, from Tonga.[22] Vea himself is of Tongan and Pacific Islander ancestry.[23]