Steelers NFL Draft watch: Oklahoma DT Neville Gallimore

The Steelers are going to need some help replacing Javon Hargrave. Here’s why they won’t skip a beat by drafting Oklahoma’s Nevill Gallimore.

The Steelers ugly cap situation doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been following along since the 2019 season ended. According to Over the Cap, Pittsburgh is 30th in cap space heading into free agency with just over $1.5 million to spare.

Last week, Javon Hargrave was seen on social media inking a deal with infamous NFL agent, Drew Rosenhaus. If there was any question about whether or not he would return to Pittsburgh in 2020 and beyond, let me assure you that there is no chance of that happening now.

Because of this, Pittsburgh needs to start looking for someone to fill Hargrave’s shoes. While there are several cheap and capable options in free agency, none have the pass-rushing prowess that Hargrave possesses. However, there is a way they could replace the big defensive tackle without skipping a beat on defense.

Oklahoma DT Neville Gallimore is a player Steelers fans should look into. At 6’2” and 304 pounds, he has nearly an identical build to Hargrave coming out of South Carolina State. Like Hargrave, Gallimore has the versatility to line up as a nose tackle for Pittsburgh’s base defense, but he does some of his best work as a penetrating 3-technique.

If you put on the tape, you will see a player with fast, violent hands and a non-stop motor in the middle of the defense. Though his production wasn’t off the charts (6.5 tackles for a loss, 4.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles in 2019), that’s part of the reason why he is falling to this point in the draft. Gallimore also earned an 87.8 overall grade this past season, according to Pro Football Focus, and was one of the highest-graded defensive linemen in the country.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Gallimore was his utter dominance in one-on-one drills at the Senior Bowl. The Oklahoma product was arguably the best player on the field among dozens of NFL prospects.

The Steelers typically look for underclassmen in the first round of the draft. However, Pittsburgh doesn’t own a first-round pick this year, so that trend may not hold true with their first pick in 2020. What Gallimore does have, however, is position flexibility and athleticism – both things that the Steelers covet on defense.

Though Hargrave will sign with another team this offseason, it’s still unlikely Pittsburgh looks to the defensive side of the ball after a pitiful offensive performance in 2019. Still, if Gallimore falls to pick 49, he’s someone they should take a really hard look at.