2015 Steelers NFL Mock Draft: 7 Rounds v6.0

Mandatory Credit: Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Worilds will likely be testing the free agent market next month, and the Steelers could also lose James Harrison and Arthur Moats during the upcoming offseason as well. Jarvis Jones remains an enormous question mark, and Shawn Lemon and Howard Jones have not taken any regular season snaps in the NFL either.

The Steelers defense has not been the same since LaMarr Woodley’s hamstrings and eating habits prevented him from competing at the type of level he did between the 2008 and 2010 seasons, and Trey Flowers of Arkansas could be a similar player who can help bolster Pittsburgh’s pass rush.

The former Razorback possesses a Woodley-esque frame (6’2″ 266 lbs.), long arms, powerful hands and a great motor off of the edge. An interesting aspect of Flowers’ game is that he has the type of deceptive quickness to not only be an effective bull rusher off of the edge, but enough athleticism to execute loops and spin moves too. Flowers also brings a nastiness to the trenches, and he does an effective job of setting the edge when he gets proper pad level.

A staple along the defensive edge in Fayetteville (49 games and 39 starts), Flowers racked up 190 tackles, 37.5 TFLs and 18.0 sacks during his final three seasons. Best of all, his active hands allowed him to record six batted passes alone during his senior campaign.

Like Woodley, Flowers is a bit of a “tweener” as an edge rusher coming out of college. With almost zero experience as a stand-up pass rusher or chipping in as a pass defender, it will be interesting to see if he garners interest from other teams looking to employ him as a 3-4 outside linebacker and sub-package defensive end.

Next: Round 3