TAMPA, Fla. -- With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into their first preseason game Friday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Raymond James Stadium, several surprise standouts have made big impressions under the lights.

Despite some "wow" moments in practice, how they do in preseason games will play a bigger role in making a case for roster spots, and in the case of quarterback Kyle Trask, possibly even a starting job.

Here's a look at who has stood out.

QB Kyle Trask

Eight weeks ago at mandatory minicamp, it looked like Baker Mayfield was the starting quarterback by a wide margin. Trask has closed that gap considerably with his performances the last few practices. He said he worked quite a bit on fundamentals during the break, but it’s what’s happening from the neck up that has been the biggest difference.

“You know in any pass concept that you have, you could have as many as three or four progressions, but you do not have time to check all three,” offensive coordinator Dave Canales said. “It is kind of like a true sprinkler type of read. When guys start to play comfortable and play fast is when they eliminate one and two, then they are getting to three and four in the same rhythm they would. That is what I am seeing from him that I am excited about.

“Then the other thing too is just – what is happening with Kyle is, as I call a play, he is finishing the play, the sentence before I can finish it. That just speaks to him studying the offense, studying the formations and being really comfortable with what we are calling.”

According to the Bucs, the third-year quarterback is more confident and decisive with where he’s going with the football, and it has resulted in making good decisions. Through 10 practices, he threw just two interceptions, while Mayfield has thrown eight.

ILB SirVocea Dennis

His former college teammate at Pittsburgh, Calijah Kancey, may have been getting all the attention during the draft, but Dennis has made the most plays of anybody on defense between rookie camp, mandatory minicamp and training camp with four interceptions – two in training camp so far.

The Bucs’ new offense doesn’t involve a ton of risk-taking on downfield throws the way the previous one did under former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and coach Bruce Arians. He also wasn’t lauded as much for his coverage ability at Pitt vs his work as a blitzer -- he had seven sacks last year. But his ability to anticipate throws, to undercut routes and track the ball with his eyes are huge assets, and he attributes that to spending four years as a quarterback in high school.

“Quarterbacks are really trying to play with linebackers, play with safeties. You’ve just gotta find the holes in the defense,” Dennis said. "Once you understand the holes and where a quarterback is trying to attack you, it just helps you out a little more on defense.”

The Bucs already have two of the best inside linebackers in the league in Pro Bowlers Lavonte David and Devin White, but both are under contract for one more year. White, who admitted Monday that he was being "a little selfish" by asking for a trade request this offseason, is coming off of a bit of a down year, while a 33-year-old David is going into his 12th year in the league. Either way, if this continues, the Bucs will have no choice but to find ways to get Dennis on the field.

"We do have two pretty good players [ahead of him], but the thing about us with the way that we play defense is, if you make plays, we will find a way to get you on the field,” run game coordinator/defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers said. “That has always been on mantra here.”

WR Deven Thompkins

If you followed Thompkins at all in camp last year or seen him post tumbling clips on his Instagram, you know that Thompkins, a 2022 undrafted free agent out of Utah State, can fly.

Despite his physical tools, he only managed to see the field in five games last season -- catching five passes for 32 yards. But this training camp, in Canales’ offense, he’s showed off his 41-inch vertical despite being just 5-foot-8, and you can really see his speed on some shallow crossing routes. He was on the receiving end of Baker Mayfield’s 50-yard bomb thrown into double coverage last week.

“Deven can jump out of the gym,” Mayfield said. "He’s not the biggest guy by any means, but he can really, really jump. He made a play like that in mandatory minicamp with me, just kind of a 50-50 ball where he goes up. His body control is unbelievable.”

Thompkins made a terrific contested catch over rookie Josh Hayes on Monday for arguably the play of the day, as well. Bowles said they tease him about his weight (154 pounds), but that he “plays a lot heavier” and that he’s “very tough” and “very strong.”

“I’m definitely still ‘wowed’ every time he makes a catch,” Trask said. “He’s like a firecracker -- he’s a ball of energy. He’s awesome out here. No matter what, he’s the same player every day, always going 1,000 miles per hour and making those catches kind of on the regular.”

OLB Yaya Diaby

With the pressure on Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to get some sacks after a bit of a stagnant year, the Bucs drafted two outside linebackers -- selecting Diaby in the third round and Jose Ramirez in the sixth.

Bowles said Diaby’s strength rivals that of a defensive lineman. He sets the edge, and they love his power in his speed-to-power rush.

“He’s strong, he’s tough, he loves to play the game, he’s very explosive off the ball, he has heavy hands,” Bowles said. “We always say we like guys with heavy hands that can handle any kind of block. He’s very versatile. He’s making his presence felt this camp in pads.”

He’s broken up some passes, had a diving interception and has gotten to Trask and John Wolford on what would be sacks. Diaby has been working on dropping back into coverage, something he wasn’t asked to do in college at Louisville -- where his breakout season last year consisted of 37 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss and 9 sacks.

TE David Wells

The tight end usage in Canales’ scheme has resulted in more opportunities for the group, especially in the red zone. Wells, who bounced around the league with seven different teams since 2018 before signing with the Bucs' practice squad last season, has made the most of them.

Wells caught three passes in one two-minute drill, including a touchdown from Mayfield to cap it off, and he also caught a touchdown from Trask with David in coverage. The coaching staff is eager to see how he puts it all together.

“He has shown to be a very good receiver,” Bowles said. “He has done surprisingly well at blocking and is efficient as well. I will be happy to see him in preseason games. He will be a guy we are watching because we really like the initial part of what we have seen.”