3 small school prospects that could be steals for the Steelers after 2020

Lightning could certainly strike twice for the Steelers, by drafting an athletic small school prospect for their front 7.

The Steelers hit a homerun with Alex Highsmith. There were question marks on his level of competition even after showing great athleticism during the combine. If Dupree leaves and Highsmith takes over, the Steelers will look like geniuses for taking him in the 3rd. They already do with his production on a rotational basis.

Delta State defensive end, Zane Samuel is worth a lot of looks for the Steelers heading into the offseason. He labels himself as very competitive. He has talked about modeling his game after Maxx Crosby, who is one of the most underrated players in all of football. Without a doubt, Samuel would more than likely be a project for the Steelers.

He has decent size at 6’3 and 220 pounds for the end position as a power rusher. He is a bit of a bull and shows good technique in getting under a lineman’s pads to move him out of the way. If he gets a free path to the QB or the running back in the backfield he finishes the play right there. Something that would make the Steelers more comfortable with bringing in Samuel is the scheme that he plays in. He plays in a traditional 3-4 and what is interesting when watching the highlights is seeing all of the stunts they use on the line.

A stunt typically happens when one defensive lineman crosses behind another to switch gaps. It is something we have seen the Steelers use quite frequently in the last few seasons, and adding a depth guy who is already versed in a similar type of scheme is a pretty inspiring idea. Samuel could come in on a rotational basis, helping give Cameron Heyward, or Stephon Tuitt a break. He won’t be a 10 sack guy his first year in the league or even 2. Yet, I could legitimately see him being groomed to be the successor of Heyward as age starts to set in.

There is very little for Pittsburgh to lose with a late-round flier on this player. He isn’t going to destroy the combine, and his size is a little small for a lot of 3-4 defenses at this point. However, if he managed to put on another 10 pounds of muscle, and develops another solid move or two in his pass-rushing repertoire he could be a great player for years to come. He is the brightest gem I have found so far, and I believe could have one of the higher ceilings in the draft for defensive linemen in the 2021 draft class.

It is easy to just sit down and pick a few prospects based on their highlight tapes. All 3 of these players have a quality that would make them an asset right away while having potential that I believe the Steelers would be able to tap. Roots is a tenacious runner, who is very disciplined in taking care of the ball. Nunnelly has some of the best body control I’ve seen from a college-wide receiver. Samuel is a bit of a brute on the defensive line, with the kind of competitiveness and grit you want from a guy in the trenches. They all fit the kind of players the Steelers like to take in terms of their approach to the game, and their work ethic.