Did Steelers lose a high compensatory pick when Bud Dupree got hurt?

The Steelers lost Bud Dupree for the remainder of the 2020 season. Here’s why they might lose even more in the future.

It may have taken several frustrating years, but Bud Dupree had finally developed into a player who was worth a first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers. We knew that Dupree was a raw prospect when Pittsburgh decided to take him with the 22nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. However, his rare athletic traits were too tempting to pass on.

The beginning of his career was admittedly rocky. Despite essentially being a full-time starter since his second year, Dupree never earned more than 6.0 sacks in a season until his 5th year in the NFL, according to Pro Football Reference. The former first-round pick broke out in a big way for the Steelers in 2019 – earning 68 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, 17 quarterback hits, and 4 forced fumbles.

However, after all of this promise and the steps he has taken, the Steelers miss out on Bud Dupree once again. Forced to play late into the second half against the Ravens in Week 12, Dupree tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2020 season. But his ill effects on this franchise doesn’t stop here.

Steelers could be robbed of a high compensatory pick

With the way that Dupree had been playing over the past year and a half, it was extremely likely that he would have vetted the Steelers a 3rd round compensatory pick in the future. According to Spotrac.com, Dupree’s estimated yearly value on his next deal would have been $16.6 million per season. While that number hasn’t yet changed, there are many who believe that will take a major hit now after suffering a torn ACL.

Dupree’s knee injury is one we have seen NFL players overcome time and time again. But that’s not the biggest issue. If NFL teams are going to fork up the big bucks, they are going to want a player that is going to be ready to play for them right now. While it’s possible that Dupree could be ready at some point during training camp, whoever signs him next year is not going to want to rush him back. When he does come back, it will likely take him a while to get back into football shape.

On top of this, Dupree was headed for a solid season, but I think it was still a step back from what he did with the team last year. Though he likely would have finished with slightly more sacks this year, he was on pace to have fewer tackles for a loss and forced fumble. In addition, he didn’t grade out very well at all in 2020, according to Pro Football Focus. Dupree has earned just a 60.2 grade this year compared to a 77.7 grade in 2019.

This doesn’t mean that there isn’t a team out there that won’t be willing to offer Bud Dupree a massive contract. But after only getting a year-and-a-half of first-round play out of Dupree, it will be unfortunate if the Steelers are robbed of a high compensatory pick this offseason due to his knee injury.