4 reasons Kwity Paye is in play for Steelers at pick 24 in NFL Draft

The Steelers likely have their minds set on offense, but here’s why pass rusher Kwity Paye is in play at pick 24 if he falls that far. 

Now that Ben Roethlisberger’s contract situation is taken care of, all the talk shifts to how the Steelers can fix their offense in 2021. Pittsburgh collapsed over the final six games of the regular season – scoring just 19.6 points per contest over that span. What’s worse is that they were humiliated by the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round of the playoffs and they turned the ball over four times early in the game.

There’s no doubt that Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin are going to do everything in their power to fix their alining offense in 2021, and a good amount of their draft capital will be devoted to doing exactly that. But what if Michigan edge defender Kwity Paye falls to this pick? Here are four reasons Paye will be in play for Steelers at pick 24:

Kwity Paye is a Bud Dupree clone

Alex Highsmith had a terrific rookie season for the Steelers in 2020. Though his 2.0 sacks and 5 tackles for a loss were modest, he should be a quality option at the position moving forward. But is that going to be good enough for Pittsburgh?

Since busting on Jarvis Jones in 2013, the Steelers have coveted explosive, powerful edge defenders who can set the edge. Kwity Paye is listed at 6’4” and 272 pounds and packs a punch at the point of attack. Like Bud Dupree – who will no doubt be playing in a different city next season – Paye has freakish athletic traits and can set the edge against the run. Dupree was 6’4” and 269 pounds at the 2015 NFL Combine. The Steelers could be tempted to replace Dupree with a player who could be a carbon copy of him.