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Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft: No pain, so much to gain

By Jake Bendrick

FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 22: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 22: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 12: Linebacker Logan Wilson #30 of the Wyoming Cowboys tackles quarterback Kurt Palandech #14 of the UNLV Rebels after he rushed for five yards during their game at Sam Boyd Stadium on November 12, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. UNLV won 69-66 in triple overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 12: Linebacker Logan Wilson #30 of the Wyoming Cowboys tackles quarterback Kurt Palandech #14 of the UNLV Rebels after he rushed for five yards during their game at Sam Boyd Stadium on November 12, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. UNLV won 69-66 in triple overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Round 3: Logan Wilson, LB, University of Wyoming

We took care of offense in round 2. Now it’s time to bolster the linebacking corps.

I’m a homer and proud of it. I attended the University of Wyoming in the Joe Tiller heyday of 1991-1995 and have followed Wilson’s career closely. He’s a whirling dervish of an inside linebacker and the only worry here is that his testing at the combine pushed him up other teams’ draft boards.

At 6’2″ and 241 lbs, the senior from Wyoming ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash, a 7.07 second 3 cone drill (which we know from parsing the data is an important metric for the Steelers), and a 4.27-second short shuttle. These are comparable to elite linebackers like Devin White from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Wilson’s motor runs 24/7.

With this pick, the Steelers immediately shore up depth at inside linebacker and replace Matakevich’s special team’s prowess with better athleticism and the same nasty demeanor. Wilson has all the tools to drop with RB’s and TEs in coverage, which will lead to the Steelers starting him beside Devin Bush by year two. Then you’re set. The next decade at ILB will be fun to watch.

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