Steelers draft: Defensive prospects for the later rounds
Who should the Steelers target at linebacker?
We’ve all heard or read or seen the proclamations that 2020 is the year of the wide receiver. Any draftnik worth their salt will tell you that quality WR’s can be found in every round of the draft and that there are pro-bowlers literally tripping over the 40-yard dash starting line due to the abundance of talent at the position.
Super. That’s terrific. I like watching talented people catch the ball, but you know what I like even more? I like watching the QB get sacked. I enjoy seeing a running back move violently in the wrong direction as they’re swarmed in the offensive backfield.
So, with that in mind, let’s look at some terrific later-round linebacker candidates for the Steelers.
Logan Wilson, LB, University of Wyoming: Round 4
Okay, okay. You got me. Guilty as charged. As a University of Wyoming alumni, I’m biased, but the numbers and the production don’t lie. For the past 4 years, I’ve watched Wilson dominate the Mountain West. I swear this guy eats pigskin for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and balances out his diet with the tears of running backs and the unfortunate wide receiver who might float into his zone on passing downs.
At 6′ 2″ and 242 lbs, Wilson ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash at the combine but his 3 cone and short shuttle are the numbers that stand out with a showing of 7.07. seconds and 4.27 seconds respectively. Those are very Steelers-esque numbers on the change of direction/balance drills. For perspective, Devin White, LB for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, (and the first LB drafted in 2019), turned in 7.07 and 4.17 when he visited the combine.
At the end of the day, the tape matters more than anything these guys do in underpants and stretchy tank tops. I’m not sure you can discuss the word “motor,” when it comes to Logan Wilson. That sounds kind of puny. He has something more like the 340 engine they threw in the 1970 Dodge Challenger back in those prime muscle car days. You know, 4 barrel carb, the whole works. You can’t help but notice when one of those cars blows by you, and you can’t help but notice Wilson every time you’ve seen a Wyoming football game the past four years.
Draft him. Use him as a special teams ace this year. Start him next to Devin Bush next year and don’t worry about it for the next decade. You’re set.
Davion Taylor, LB, Colorado University: Round 7
Taylor is intriguing, to put it lightly. He has all the traits with a 40 time of 4.49 seconds, a 3 cone at 6.96, and a short shuttle at 4.26. These all fit within the spectrum of what the Steelers look for in the athletes they draft. So what’s the downside? He’s undersized at 6’0″, 230 lbs, and hasn’t played football for much of his life.
When you watch him play you see a bullet with wiggle that has potential to be special, but he barely knows what he’s doing… yet. I see a potential hybrid safety/LB who could become special with coaching. To sum it up, he’s everything Tyler Matakevich was not, athletically, but is at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to instincts and awareness.
Anyone who a head coach absolutely loves is worth looking at, and former CU coach Mel Tucker raves about this guy.
Willie Gay Jr., LB, Mississippi State: Round 7/UDFA
Okay, okay, I was immediately intrigued by the name. I think many of us recall a guy with a similar name the Steelers found late in the draft in 2007 who turned out to be a quality CB for much of the following decade. No, there is no relation here, but the measurables are interesting.
Gay turned in a 40-yard dash of 4.46 seconds at the NFL combine and followed that up with a 3 cone of 7.08 and a short shuttle at 4.3. On film, he’s fun to watch, just a whirling dervish of a linebacker who has played multiple positions in his college career.
I would wager that most scouts thought him a lesser athlete than he tested, so this will be a leap of faith. If you get him very late, or even as an undrafted free agent, you find a special teams maven who might just turn into something more.