TAMPA, Fla. -- When new Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea visited the Bucs earlier this month and general manager Jason Licht asked him, "What is the most important thing a defensive lineman can do?" Vea responded, "Kick the crap out of the guy in front of me."

Then he told Licht a story: When he visited Tahiti on a trip with some friends in college and saw a giant rock on the ground, he picked it up and managed to tick off not only a group of bodybuilders and strongman competitors, but the entire island when he deadlifted it off the ground.

"They say that the rock has a spirit that only allows you to pick it up," said Vea, who stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs a colossal 347 pounds. "There was only one guy on the island that ever picked it up, and I was the second one."

He's not sure exactly how much it weighed, but it was a lot, and he felt bad about upsetting some of the locals, even though the previous rock lifter was gracious to Vea.

"I came in and didn't want to start any problems with anyone, and I didn't know that that was going to be offensive -- me picking it up," Vea said. "So I tried to apologize to him, and he ended up being a great guy to me the rest of the trip, and he really liked me after that trip."

Translate that to the football field and it doesn't matter to Vea if you move over for him or not. Because he'll pick you up and move you anyway.

"He's an Excalibur of sorts," gushed Licht, who made Vea the Bucs' first defensive lineman selected in the first round since Gerald McCoy went third overall in 2010.

The Bucs' defensive line got pushed around entirely too much last season, finishing with just 22 sacks. That's why they went out and signed Beau Allen, Vinny Curry and Mitch Unrein in free agency, traded for Jason Pierre-Paul and selected Vea 12th overall despite what many believed were more pressing needs at safety and cornerback.

"We overhauled that defensive line room quite a bit," Licht said. "[Head coach] Dirk [Koetter] and I thought that that was a necessity after last year. It starts up front, and you can never go wrong having some ass kickers up there."

The Bucs' defense gave up a league-high 378 yards per game last season. And since 2016, when Koetter became head coach, the defense has given up 373 yards per game, third most in the league, while their 60 sacks are fifth fewest.

"I know I can tell you as an offensive coach, the toughest teams we play are the teams that can overpower us up front and can keep their defensive line fresh," Koetter said. "That's something that we've wanted to do since we've been here."

They believe Vea can not only play nose tackle and eat up double-teams for McCoy, but also play McCoy's 3-technique spot and 5-technique, lining up on the outside in a 3-4 alignment.

And of course, Vea can stuff the run, something the Bucs have needed after getting run over by Adrian Peterson, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, Devonta Freeman and Jamaal Williams last season. Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley are on the schedule for 2018 too.

But it wasn't just Vea's colossal size or impressive accolades -- he was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year -- that won the Bucs over. It was who he was as a person, the type of person that Koetter said "you'd want your daughter to marry."

He also has shown the type of toughness and resilience the Bucs have been searching for, the type of football character that helps overhaul a losing culture and win close games.

"He's very resilient, been through a lot in his life, him and his family," Licht said. "[He has a] great family. He's overcome it. We like those kind of guys. I've said that over and over. He definitely fits that mold."

Growing up, Vea's family struggled financially. At one point, when he was in high school, they lost their home and had to live at a Motel 6. The room had only one bed. Even now, they rent a home. It has been his dream to play in the NFL so he can buy his parents, Sione and Fipe, a home.

"When that did happen, I told myself that I was going to make it one day," Vea said. "And you know, here I am. That’s that."