6 prospects the Steelers must watch closely at the NFL Combine
By Andrew Falce
Steelers need to watch Beavers
One of my early favorites in the draft, Darrian Beavers would be a good fit for what this team needs at inside linebacker moving forward. While Devin Bush will likely get one last chance to prove himself, the team will need a new face to take over from the likely departing Joe Schobert. Beavers is an oversized linebacker that is a throwback to some of the names from the 90s, but he appears to be athletic enough to keep up at the NFL level.
He has the body of an edge defender but plays like an off-ball linebacker. As a former safety, he should be quite the athletic specimen as well. If he doesn’t test as at least a good athlete though, his stock could tumble. The second day of this off-ball linebacker group is extremely close. Some bad numbers from Beavers could lead to him tumbling to day three of the draft.
As for the Steelers, Beavers can be that throwback run stuffer that they lost when Vince Williams retired. Beavers is aggressive, can fill gaps, and is an explosive pass rusher from the inside. If he tests well, circle him as a second-round target that could start right away while he develops his coverage skills.