Pittsburgh Steelers: Meet the pick, DL Isaiah Buggs

The Steelers starting defensive line has turned into one of the better groups in the league. Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and Javon Hargrave anchor the line but the depth needs attention also.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line is a key part to their front seven. The guys they have drafted along the front have turned into very good players and a great anchor to their 3-4 defense.

The Steelers looked to the draft to again add some youth and depth to the defensive line. I think they got a pretty big steal in Isaiah Buggs. There is no real way to explain how he lasted until the late sixth round, but Pittsburgh pounced on the opportunity.

Isaiah Buggs lead Alabama in sacks in 2018 with 9.5 to go along with 13.5 tackles for loss. He displayed great ability in both pass rush and run defense in college and was one of the better defensive linemen in his conference.

He transferred to Alabama from a junior college, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. There he played in 10 games as a sophomore where he put up 75 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

His numbers in the sack department were higher than those of his teammate Quinnen Williams last season, who went third overall to the Jets. Williams is quite obviously a better player, but it is hard to ignore that he had comparable numbers to a top-5 pick.

Buggs will fit in with Pittsburgh with his physical and powerful play-style. He will make the move inside and backup Javon Hargrave at tackle but his versatility allows him to be a rotational guy all along the line.

He is slightly undersized at 6’3″ and 306 pounds, and his arms are short for NFL standards, but he makes up for it with his physical style and quickness. He is roughly the same size as Hargrave and fans know what he can do.

Buggs will also be reunited with Karl Dunbar, former Alabama defensive coach who now coaches the Steelers’ defensive line. Dunbar made sure the team jumped on Buggs when he saw him sitting there in the sixth round.

Dunbar helped improve the defensive line in his first season when the starters finished second, third, and fourth behind T.J. Watt in sack totals for the team. Heyward, Tuitt and Hargrave combined for 20 sacks and 46 QB hits.

The Steelers count on having a good defensive line to help free up gaps for their linebackers to attack on blitzes and in run defense. Buggs can plug right into any position along the line and be an immediate rotational impact player.

The Steelers defensive line has a good mix of veteran presence and youth. I would be surprised to see Buggs not make his way on the team. If he were to be cut at the initial 53-man deadline, he will definitely be on their practice squad come the regular season.