Before players even put the pads on for Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, we already started to see players being misused. During the first four unpadded practices, Mike Tomlin—along with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and defensive line coach Karl Dunbar—seems to have questionable judgment when it comes to how to deploy young defensive linemen.
Over the past three years, the Steelers haven't found a way to use 2022 third-round pick DeMarvin Leal. Unfortunately, that's a trend that has continued into his fourth training camp. Leal is still being pegged as an outside linebacker in Pittsburgh's 3-4 base defensive front and an edge rusher when the defense is in sub-package.
But Leal isn't the only young defender getting misused.
Early in training camp, the Steelers are playing fifth-round rookie Yahya Black as a base defensive end, while 2024 sixth-round pick Logan Lee has been lining up at nose tackle. Steelers fans have the right to question why.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching staff doesn't seem to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their own players
These defensive alignments are bizarre, but they aren't unheard of. Sadly, playing defensive linemen in the best positions to succeed is something this team has struggled with. In addition to mislabeling Leal as an outside linebacker, the Pittsburgh Steelers have used Keeanu Benton as a nose tackle over the past two years.
The problem is that Benton isn't overly stout against the run, and he does his best work knifing into the backfield to get pressure on the quarterback. This makes him much better suited to be a 3-technique who can shoot the 'B' gap, rather than a two-gapping nose tackle.
Now the Steelers are already making similar mistakes with their young draft picks.
During summer programs, Yahya Black was reported as being 352 pounds. Even if he slimmed down significantly for Steelers training camp, we're still talking about a player in the 330-pound range. Meanwhile, Black's game is predicated on power and swallowing up the run, not getting after the quarterback. But despite this, the Steelers have him playing defensive end—a position that requires significantly more foot quickness and lateral agility.
The case with Logan Lee is just the opposite. At the 2024 NFL Combine, Lee weighed in at just 281 pounds. Though he tested as an impressive athlete compared to interior defenders, he doesn't have the mass or the strength to hold up consistently at the point of attack. But instead of making Lee a base defensive end, they have him taking training camp reps as a backup nose tackle.
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers already failed DeMarvin Leal, and Keeanu Benton could be heading down a similar path, being stuck at nose tackle. How many more defensive linemen are they going to mislabel before they finally recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their players?
The Steelers' plan for Yahya Black and Logan Lee feels like another painful mistake. Let's hope Tomlin, Austin, and Dunbar know what they're doing with these young draft picks.