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

Paye checks all of the boxes Steelers look for

In addition to being a perfect replacement for Bud Dupree as the edge rusher opposite of T.J. Watt, Paye checks nearly every box the Steelers typically look for at the position. Though his college production was less than spectacular, neither was Dupree’s as the former first-round draft choice never had double-digit sacks in any of his four seasons at Kentucky.

From an athletic standpoint, Paye is going to tick all of the boxes. He may not be quite as explosive as Dupree with his 42” vertical and outrageous 11’6” broad jump, but Paye was on the freaks list thanks to his remarkable athleticism. In terms of his agility testing, Paye could blow Dupree out of the water, as he is projected to run a faster 3-cone than nearly every edge defender to enter the league.

You can tell just by watching Paye on film that he’s going to have pretty short arms, but this isn’t something the Steelers view as a requirement for first-round edge players (Dupree had just 9th percentile arm length among NFL edge defenders). In addition, Paye is coming from one of Mike Tomlin’s favorite football programs at Michigan – a place where he clearly has a lot of connections. With his ability to set the edge, shut down the run, and pursue the quarterback, Paye has every trait the Steelers are looking for in a starting edge defender.