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

Steelers value edge defenders as much as anyone

While it certainly seems like taking an offensive player at pick 24 would be the obvious choice for Pittsburgh after watching their offense fall apart late in the 2020 season, Kwity Paye could be just the player to convince them to use their first pick on defense. Looking at their draft history, the Steelers have placed an emphasis on defense more than any team in the league under the direction of Mike Tomlin since joining the team.

Over the past eight years (including their 2019 trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick), Pittsburgh has used their first-round pick on a defensive player every single season. In fact, we need to all the way back to David DeCastro in 2012 as the last time they have strayed from this. Of these eight straight defenders who have been selected in the first round, five of them have been either outside or inside linebackers, and three of them have been edge defenders (Jarvis Jones, Bud Dupree, and T.J. Watt).

With Jones long gone and Dupree likely to leave this offseason, the Steelers could once again choose to invest in one of their most important positions with their first-round pick. Assuming that Kwity Paye is still on the board at this point, they could express their love of edge defenders by taking him at pick 24.