For years, the Steelers defense has been built around its outside linebackers making plays and getting after the quarterback. But that has been evolving in recent seasons as more teams have gone to quick passing games. Their quarterbacks' three-step drops have made it difficult for edge pass rushers to get home.
So when Keith Butler replaced Dick LeBeau as the Steelers' defensive coordinator, the job description for the outside linebackers began to change — dramatically. They weren't asked to rush the passer quite as much. And they were asked to drop into coverage more.
"It definitely has changed,” Arthur Moats told DKPittsburghSports.com at the end of the season. “I feel like my first year with LeBeau, it was getting to that point where we were dropping more, but it wasn’t all the way to where it is now. Now, we are legit, like, we cover.”
In T.J. Watt, last year's first-round pick, the Steelers have a player very capable of being that type of player — one who rushes one play and drops into coverage the next, seamlessly.
But that doesn't necessarily seem to fit Bud Dupree's skill set. The Steelers, however, still picked up the fifth-year option on Dupree's rookie contract on Monday, protecting themselves if the 2015 first-round draft pick has a breakout season in 2018.
"We're excited about where Bud can be these next two years and we had no hesitation making that move when we made it," Kevin Colbert said of the move.
Dupree, 25, would see his salary jump from $1.6 million in 2018 to $9.3 million in 2019 if the Steelers choose to keep him under that contract. Dupree has 14.5 sacks in three seasons with the Steelers, including a career-high 6 last season.
Picking up the option year on his contract doesn't necessarily lock the Steelers into keeping Dupree. They could decide at the end of the season he isn't worth that much money and release him. But, if Dupree suffers an injury in 2019, the contract becomes fully guaranteed. It also becomes fully guaranteed if he is on the roster at the start of the 2019 season.
That's why the Steelers will still be looking for another outside linebacker in the draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday.
While Watt is capable of being a multi-faceted player, the Steelers' other two veteran outside linebackers on the roster — Dupree and Anthony Chickillo — a pair of converted defensive linemen, might not have ideal fits for that kind of scheme. And coverage skills might be lacking in the two young outside linebackers the team currently has on its roster: Keion Adams, a seventh-round draft pick last year, and Farrington Huguenin, who spent last season on the practice squad.
And Chickillo, who signed his restricted free agent offer from the team last week, also is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2018 season.
One player who could be of interest in the third round is Genard Avery of Memphis, a player who draws solid comparisons to another player the Steelers loved coming out of the 2017 draft, Hassan Reddick.
Like Reddick a year ago, Avery (6-1, 248) is capable of playing inside or on the edge and has a similar skill set to that of Watt.
You want playmaking ability? Avery recorded 81 tackles — 11 for a loss — with five sacks and two interceptions he returned for touchdowns as a junior. He followed that up with a senior season that saw him record 80 tackles with 22 for a loss, 8.5 sacks, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
"I feel like the teams look at me as a SAM backer in the 4-3, and 3-4, a WILL backer," Avery said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I feel like it’s very important for them to look back at the film. I can play every position."
He then went out and showed his above-average athleticism by running a 4.59 40-yard dash at the combine while also posting a 36-inch vertical jump and 4.36-second 20-yard shuttle time while looking good in positional drills.
Avery could provide a solid second-day choice for the Steelers, who will surely be looking for versatile linebackers.
But he'll hardly be the only outside linebacker the team could look at. Here's a list of my top-10 prospects at the position:
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS/EDGE RUSHERS
- Tremaine Edmunds, 6-5, 253, Virginia Tech
- Harold Landry, 6-3, 252, Boston College
- Josh Sweat, 6-4, 251, Florida State
- Duke Ejokafor, 6-4, 270, Wake Forest
- Ogbonnia Okronkwo, 6-1, 242, Oklahoma
- Genard Avery, 6-1, 248, Memphis
- Lorenzo Carter, 6-6, 250, Georgia
- Kemoko Turay, 6-5, 252, Rutgers
- Uchenna Nwosu, 6-3, 251, USC
- Marquis Haynes, 6-3, 225, Mississippi
Haynes is a player who could interest the Steelers in the third round as a pass rusher. Though undersized at just 225 pounds, he has a knack for getting to the quarterback, recording 32 career sacks at Ole Miss.
"I’ve talked to some of the teams. Some just told me that the weight got me this far, to here, that’s what matters," Haynes said. "If they need me to gain weight, they’ll tell me when I get there."
There also are some later-round prospects who could draw the team's interest, such as Trevon Young of Louisville or Matthew Thomas of Florida State.
