Halicke: Could Lee be another late-round find in the draft?

The Steelers properly addressed several needs on their roster during the NFL Draft, but managed to do so without overreaching for certain positions in any given round. 

It's appropriate that the Steelers added a defensive lineman in the latter stages of the draft, as it's not as pressing of a need as others. But, the Steelers got a guy in Logan Lee that meshes well with what the organization values.

I'm going to get the cart in front of the horse here. I'm not about to make a sixth-round pick sound like the second coming of Cam Heyward, Joe Greene or any other all-time Steelers defensive lineman. There's a reason why these players are taken in the later rounds of the draft. There could be a multitude of concerns over any given player, including overall ceiling, scheme fit, positional fit, health concerns, etc.

For Lee, there's a big question about how exactly he can find a position to succeed well in the NFL. But, there's also enough upside to make him an interesting name when competitions for roster spots begin in training camp.

The first thing that jumps off the film is Lee's motor. Of all the things you can question about Lee, his effort and competitiveness aren't either of them:

Here, Lee (No. 85) is lined up as a 1-technique to the right of the center. He doesn't exactly win off the ball, but he keep churning his legs and battling and eventually helping the pass rush collapse in on J.J. McCarthy.

This is how Lee competes snap after snap after snap. There's never any quit in the guy. And that should serve him well as the Steelers figure out the best way to use him.

The main issue with Lee figuring out where he can be most effective. Last season, Lee played the vast majority of his snaps lined up in the B-gap (596) while also logging 116 snaps in the A-gap, according to Pro Football Focus. Only 32 of his snaps 749 total snaps came over the tackle or on the edge.

But at 6-5 and 286 pounds, Lee's a bit undersized to play the interior. Of the 11 defensive linemen currently on the 90-man roster, Lee is the lightest. Being undersized in college is one thing, but it's a lot more difficult to get away with that at the NFL level.

Take a look at this rep against Wisconsin. Lee (lined up over the left guard) immediately becomes engaged with the center. While he's able to eventually shed the block, he's only able to do so away from the play side. Even then, the center is able to stay with him.

It's difficult to be too harsh on reps such as these. But, Lee will not only face better centers in the NFL, he'd also get many more double teams on running plays when playing inside.

That might make you think that Lee would be best suited to play a little more outside. However, he's not nearly athletic enough to play on the edge, especially in the Steelers' defense. Speed and explosiveness is a critical part of edge defender's game in today's NFL, and Lee just doesn't match up there.

While Lee could very well be defined as a tweener, he's still best suited playing inside. He's a bit undersized, but he could always add more bulk to a decent frame, though his 32 1/4-inch arms and 80-inch wingspan are a bit underwhelming. More importantly, Lee's athleticism certainly stands a better chance to pop playing inside.

As a defensive tackle, specifically an interior defender, Lee earned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.2 out of 10. He had high marks with a 9-foot-6 broad jump, 4.37 shuttle and 7.16 three-cone. That makes sense since Lee formerly played tight end and also lettered in track and wrestling in high school.

Give his size, athleticism and position, Lee has drawn some comparisons to former Steelers great Aaron Smith, who was a fourth-rounder out of Northern Colorado.

And, based on just the measurables, that comparison isn't too far off:

RELATIVE ATHLETIC SCORE

Now, we know by now that Smith turned into one heck of a player for the Steelers. Lee still has yet to play an NFL snap. It obviously take more than just plus athleticism to play a position.

Lee still has room to grow both in run defense and as a pass rusher. Against the run, Lee does a nice job of keeping his eyes up to locate ball carriers. But, he can be a bit inconsistent with the results of his reps. He'll either win the it quickly and decisively or be removed from the play altogether, much like I outlined in the previous clip.

But, when Lee wins, he wins:

As a pass rusher, Lee's get-off is his strongest trait, which comes as no surprise given his athleticism for an interior defensive lineman. He's also strong with his hands, which has me intrigued because of who Lee can learn from with the Steelers. Heyward has made a living for a long time in a lot of ways, but Heyward's hand usage is as strong as it gets in the league. 

Some pushback from draft analysts is Lee's lack of a deep arsenal in pass-rushing moves, including a bull rush and that he lacks the ability to win technically with his hands, relying solely on his get-off. However, Lee turned some heads during the draft circuit, specifically at the Shrine Bowl in which he won some pass-rush reps handily:

Now, Lee won't be asked to come in and take on significant snaps right away. The Steelers have Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, Keeanu Benton and Montravius Adams to lead the way for at most three spots at a time, though the Steelers run with two interior linemen the vast majority of the time. 

The Steelers are adding Lee because of the potential that's there. When you combine plus athleticism with a high motor, that's worth a sixth-round pick, especially since Lee was productive as a three-year starter in the Big Ten. He racked up nine sacks, 18.5 tackles for loss and seven passes defensed over those three seasons. Not too bad for an interior lineman that played in a scheme that didn't exactly allow Lee's pass-rushing potential to shine.

At the bare minimum, Lee can come in right away and contribute on special teams. As you can see with seven passes defensed, Lee has the ability to get his hands up, and that also translates to blocking field goals:

Heading into the draft, Lee was expected to be a seventh-round pick or perhaps sign somewhere as an undrafted free agent. But, the Steelers were clearly high on Lee, having used the first of two sixth-round picks to snag him. Maybe he's a tweener to a lot of us on the outside. But maybe the Steelers know exactly how to have Karl Dunbar coach him up into another late-round find up front.

After all, it wouldn't be the first time the Steelers have done it. And if Lee turned into the next Brett Keisel, this would obviously be a slam dunk of a pick. There is undoubtedly some potential there, which makes him a player to have high up on a list of those to watch in Latrobe this summer.