5 Steelers players we should be careful not to overrate

Tyson Alualu

I’m not taking anything away from Tyson Alualu. He’s having a terrific season, and quite possibly the most impressive of his 11-year career. However, you can’t convince me that all of a sudden Alualu has become a star defensive tackle at the ripe old age of 33.

Yes, Alualu was a former first-round pick, but that was ages ago. Throughout his seven seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he never earned more than 3.5 sacks in a season despite starting all 16 games four times.

Even now, Alualu has just 1.0 sack for the team to go with 3 tackles for a loss. Though he is currently the highest-graded interior defender in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus (yes, even over Aaron Donald), don’t let that number fool you into thinking he is better than what he is.

Alualu is playing great right now, but so would many nose tackles who are sandwiched between two of the best defensive lineman in the NFL in Stephon Tuitt and Cameron Heyward. In comparison to these two, Alualu draws very little attention.

Remember how just a few months ago, fans and analysts thought losing Javon Hargrave would be a big blow to Steelers defense? Alualu is very good, but the team and dominant defensive lineman are making him look better than what he is.