When it was announced during the 2026 NFL Draft that the Pittsburgh Steelers used their sixth-round selection on Notre Dame defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio, fans were left scratching their heads. The oft-injured interior defender wasn't on anyone's draft radar, and some scouts believed he should have been a priority free agent.
But we may already owe Rubio a massive apology.
Rubio quickly climbed the ranks of the Steelers' 90-man summer roster to earn a role as the second-string nose tackle on the initial depth chart while earning impressive praise from head coach Mike McCarthy. The big defensive lineman followed up his impressive training camp with a spectacular (and somehow barely discussed) performance in his preseason debut.
Against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 of the preseason, Rubio earned as many as seven run stops on just 10 run defense snaps. While he didn't offer much in terms of pass rush, the Notre Dame product showed an outstanding blend of anchoring strength, two-gapping ability, and hustle that is exceptionally rare in rookie defensive linemen—especially ones who are 6'5'' and 325 pounds.
But the film was far more impressive than the six tackles he was credited with in the box score. The all-22 showed Rubio manhandling and ragdolling offensive linemen at the point of attack while even holding up against two offensive linemen at once without losing ground.
The Pittsburgh Steelers might have something special in rookie DT Gabriel Rubio
We don't want to put the cart before the horse here, and it's important to remember that this was just one preseason contest against backups, no less. But when going back and observing Rubio's dominance from the all-22, there's so much to get excited about... and every reason to believe he could be a breakout rookie in 2026.
Despite a below-average athletic profile, Rubio has innate strength at the point of attack for a rookie. This is something that should only get better with time. And when you combine rare strength with exceptional hustle on every play, you get a player who could carve out a role from Day 1.
Of course, Rubio has to make the team first. But judging by what he's done this summer, that should be a piece of cake. The rookie is likely to begin his Steelers career as the team's backup nose tackle, who could earn a helmet as early as Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons and carve out a small role in the defensive rotation.
If the players ahead of him start to struggle in run defense—or if Rubio looks too good in his small sample to keep off the field on obvious run downs—he could see his role spike early in his rookie season.
I don't expect Rubio to offer anything as a pass rusher. Unfortunately, that is a part of his game that might always be lacking.
But I don't say this lightly: Gabriel Rubio has a remarkably rare combination of anchoring strength and hustle as a run defender. This will go a long way with Mike McCarthy, Patrick Graham and the coaching staff, and it's no doubt why they felt so comfortable drafting the injury-riddled defensive tackle in the sixth round.
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