Which Steelers LB will earn the biggest role alongside Devin Bush?

Ulysees Gilbert

Despite being just a sixth-round draft choice, every fan seemed to be high on Ulysees Gilbert coming out of the NFL Draft. While he played for a small football program in college, the Akron linebacker was extremely productive and his athletic traits were certainly intriguing.

At his 2019 Pro Day, Gilbert was recorded running a 4.46 40-yard dash in addition to his 39.5” vertical, 10’6” broad jump, 6.94 3-cone, and 20 bench reps. These metrics certainly got fans excited, and he didn’t disappoint in his first NFL preseason, as he graded out as one of the best linebackers in the league during the exhibition period.

Sadly, injuries have been the story of his career so far for the Steelers. Since joining the league in 2019, Gilbert has had each of his first two seasons end with him being placed on Injured Reserve. As a result, the talented linebacker has dressed for just 11 games in his career so far and earned his first 33 defensive snaps of his career in 2020.

Now finally healthy, Gilbert will look to become the player the Steelers were hoping he would be. At 6’0” and 230 pounds, Gilbert has solid size for the position and clearly plenty of athletic upside. His likelihood of becoming the starting linebacker alongside Devin Bush is tied to the opportunities he will get. Gilbert is probably better suited as a backup ‘Mack’ linebacker to Bush, but this is a possibility.